Do quail scratch and destroy backyards like chickens do?

[Lady_Bat]

Since you're in the Suburbs, cat & dogs are on the potential predator list. You've seen coyotes so they are on the list. I did a quick google search & according to OR's Environmental Services Agency, that should be the big ones for you. So you don't have to bear proof it. So that's good!

You're going to use hardware cloth (so no one can reach through), have a 1/2 solid roof & 1/2 hardware cloth roof (so no birds of pray & no climbers like raccoons, mink, weasels, cats), skirt (make sure it goes out 2 feet/24 inches to prevent digging from dogs & coyotes - for some reason they won't bother backing up to dig more than that, guess it's not worth the effort).
Forgive me for forgetting if you said this already but are you going to put side panels up? It helps the quail feel safe & prevents predators from being able to see them. Out of sight, out of mind sort of thing. They also add some weight & kinda act as armor. We put the panels over the hardware cloth.
You don't have to make it Fort Knox. You just have to make it a harder target than other food sources in your area.

While I personally like the idea of an electric fence for your situation, you need to fully asses if you want to go that route. Research the costs, look at your budget, watch some youtube videos on how to set it up, etc. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with what you choose.
For us, we looked at everything & decided that because quail have short lives to start with (around 2 years), if they get eaten by something we can roll with it. Don't get me wrong, we will be super sad but it's not like losing a horse that can live 30 years. There was one time that we thought we had the tractor flush to the ground but there was just a wee crack at one corner. We had a some escapees. We caught 4 & our neighbor (cattle farmer) caught 1 trying to get into his chicken coop. It sucked that we didn't get them all back but we learned from that. We learned to get on our hands & knees to look for cracks when we move it. Just like raising a human kid, you're gonna make mistakes & that's ok as long as you learn from them.

For the radio, you don't have to blast it. We keep the volume at a fairly low level, you have to be within 5 feet of the coop to hear it.

It's been a number of years since I've been out your way, you guys still get a ton of rain, right? 2 things on that. First, it'll help not kill the grass because it dilutes the poop. So that will help you not have to move the tractor as often. You could also use the garden hose, assuming you have one.
Second, make sure your quail have places to get out of the rain. We have a couple of coops & a ton of guinea pigs houses they can go into. If they get too wet, they will get chilled & die.

 

[June2012]

Since you're in the Suburbs, cat & dogs are on the potential predator list. You've seen coyotes so they are on the list. I did a quick google search & according to OR's Environmental Services Agency, that should be the big ones for you. So you don't have to bear proof it. So that's good!

I love you. I really do.

You're going to use hardware cloth (so no one can reach through), have a 1/2 solid roof & 1/2 hardware cloth roof (so no birds of pray & no climbers like raccoons, mink, weasels, cats), skirt (make sure it goes out 2 feet/24 inches to prevent digging from dogs & coyotes - for some reason they won't bother backing up to dig more than that, guess it's not worth the effort).
Forgive me for forgetting if you said this already but are you going to put side panels up? It helps the quail feel safe & prevents predators from being able to see them. Out of sight, out of mind sort of thing. They also add some weight & kinda act as armor. We put the panels over the hardware cloth.
You don't have to make it Fort Knox. You just have to make it a harder target than other food sources in your area.

I'll have to see about the side panels. Trying to be organic certified, and don't know if the USDA would allow that. >.>

While I personally like the idea of an electric fence for your situation, you need to fully asses if you want to go that route. Research the costs, look at your budget, watch some youtube videos on how to set it up, etc. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with what you choose.
For us, we looked at everything & decided that because quail have short lives to start with (around 2 years), if they get eaten by something we can roll with it. Don't get me wrong, we will be super sad but it's not like losing a horse that can live 30 years. There was one time that we thought we had the tractor flush to the ground but there was just a wee crack at one corner. We had a some escapees. We caught 4 & our neighbor (cattle farmer) caught 1 trying to get into his chicken coop. It sucked that we didn't get them all back but we learned from that. We learned to get on our hands & knees to look for cracks when we move it. Just like raising a human kid, you're gonna make mistakes & that's ok as long as you learn from them.

I'm thinking of the electric fence as a potential necessity as long as it's not too expensive. But you are right -- quail aren't very expensive animals or a huge loss if some die.

For the radio, you don't have to blast it. We keep the volume at a fairly low level, you have to be within 5 feet of the coop to hear it.

It's been a number of years since I've been out your way, you guys still get a ton of rain, right? 2 things on that. First, it'll help not kill the grass because it dilutes the poop. So that will help you not have to move the tractor as often. You could also use the garden hose, assuming you have one.
Second, make sure your quail have places to get out of the rain. We have a couple of coops & a ton of guinea pigs houses they can go into. If they get too wet, they will get chilled & die.

Huh, I like that radio idea then!

Yep, sooooo much rain, lol. I'll be making a lean-to of sorts in the tractor for them to live in. The hay and feed will be in there.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Why wouldn't the USDA allow you to put panels of wood or plastic around your pen?

And I know it's not an opinion that everyone shares, but I've always thought that, if you're caring for an animal, you should make an effort to keep it safe regardless of its price. Even if you mean to eat it eventually, you should try to prevent it being killed violently by predators. Plus, if a coyote comes by and finds a quail buffet once, he's probably going to come back later and do it again.

 

[Lady_Bat]

I love you. I really do.

Lol, it's the least I could do to help you!!! All my grandparents were farmers & they taught me to help & share if you can. If you were near us I'd invite you over to show you everything, feed you a damn good meal cooked from scratch (I'm a caterer), & send you home with knowledge & leftovers. I truly am sorry that I can't do more to help.

I'll have to see about the side panels. Trying to be organic certified, and don't know if the USDA would allow that. >.>

I feel you, we looked into getting certified but decided it wasn't worth the cost. Especially because you have to pay the fee every year. We are huge on the Polyface method (my grandparents all did similar models during the great depression but that was more out of necessity than anything). Some of the regulations are clearly meant to screw the little guy (I"m talking farming & food service, being a small business owner is way harder than people realize). Please let me know what you find out, that's one thing I didn't ask about.

I'm thinking of the electric fence as a potential necessity as long as it's not too expensive. But you are right -- quail aren't very expensive animals or a huge loss if some die.

Hold on a second, I gotta climb onto my soap box. *grunts & struggles* Ok...now...
You're on BYC to learn, so you clearly care & will do your best. Again, if you can afford it, have at it. What some people don't realize, is that some of us aren't billionaires. Some people buy the most expensive amazing barns/coops/runs/whatever. Other people go to scrap yards & build their own. You do you.
Some people judge others by what they choose, we don't. We (Hubs & I) go out of our way to protect our animals but we plan & save accordingly because that's what works for us. I have no doubt you'll figure it out, maybe with trial & error, maybe not. The world isn't all rainbows & butterflies. Being a responsible adult means making hard decisions & living with the consequences (good or bad). That's life. Sh*t happens. I don't know about you but I have yet to meet a perfect person (myself included). So keep your mistakes in perspective (like the fact that quail have short lives & aren't thousands of dollars). I'll tell you what I tell my foster kids, it's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. You won't get through life without making mistakes so learn from them & look to Thomas Edison for inspiration.

"I speak without exaggeration when I say that I have constructed three thousand different theories in connection with the electric light, each one of them reasonable and apparently to be true. Yet only in two cases did my experiments prove the truth of my theory. My chief difficulty, as perhaps you know, was in constructing the carbon filament, the incandescence of which is the source of the light."

"I said: 'Isn't it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work you have done you haven't been able to get any results?' Edison turned on me like a flash, and with a smile replied: 'Results! Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! I know several thousand things that won't work!'"

Look at life as an adventure & challenge. Then go kick it's butt!! BYC has your back & will always be here to help.

 

[June2012]

Why wouldn't the USDA allow you to put panels of wood or plastic around your pen?

And I know it's not an opinion that everyone shares, but I've always thought that, if you're caring for an animal, you should make an effort to keep it safe regardless of its price. Even if you mean to eat it eventually, you should try to prevent it being killed violently by predators. Plus, if a coyote comes by and finds a quail buffet once, he's probably going to come back later and do it again.

It's important for the animals to be in pasture with natural surroundings. I left an email and voicemail so I'll have to see what they think. :[

I would make my best effort to protect them. My efforts would be wasted if they're all dead! I just can't be unrealistic and step out of my budget when it comes to cost, ya know? Though, I don't have much land so I am hoping for the electric fence to work out. ^o^

 

[June2012]

Lol, it's the least I could do to help you!!! All my grandparents were farmers & they taught me to help & share if you can. If you were near us I'd invite you over to show you everything, feed you a damn good meal cooked from scratch (I'm a caterer), & send you home with knowledge & leftovers. I truly am sorry that I can't do more to help.


I feel you, we looked into getting certified but decided it wasn't worth the cost. Especially because you have to pay the fee every year. We are huge on the Polyface method (my grandparents all did similar models during the great depression but that was more out of necessity than anything). Some of the regulations are clearly meant to screw the little guy (I"m talking farming & food service, being a small business owner is way harder than people realize). Please let me know what you find out, that's one thing I didn't ask about.

I know that tractors made with heat-treated wood are allowed for the housing and raising of quail. They also have no space regulations for quail, but it's something they are working on. Considering that for broiler chickens, it's only 5 lbs per sq ft outside... I'm pretty sure that even 1 sq ft per quail is above and beyond their requirements HAHAHAHA!

Hold on a second, I gotta climb onto my soap box. *grunts & struggles* Ok...now...
You're on BYC to learn, so you clearly care & will do your best. Again, if you can afford it, have at it. What some people don't realize, is that some of us aren't billionaires. Some people buy the most expensive amazing barns/coops/runs/whatever. Other people go to scrap yards & build their own. You do you.
Some people judge others by what they choose, we don't. We (Hubs & I) go out of our way to protect our animals but we plan & save accordingly because that's what works for us. I have no doubt you'll figure it out, maybe with trial & error, maybe not. The world isn't all rainbows & butterflies. Being a responsible adult means making hard decisions & living with the consequences (good or bad). That's life. Sh*t happens. I don't know about you but I have yet to meet a perfect person (myself included). So keep your mistakes in perspective (like the fact that quail have short lives & aren't thousands of dollars). I'll tell you what I tell my foster kids, it's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. You won't get through life without making mistakes so learn from them & look to Thomas Edison for inspiration.

"I speak without exaggeration when I say that I have constructed three thousand different theories in connection with the electric light, each one of them reasonable and apparently to be true. Yet only in two cases did my experiments prove the truth of my theory. My chief difficulty, as perhaps you know, was in constructing the carbon filament, the incandescence of which is the source of the light."

"I said: 'Isn't it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work you have done you haven't been able to get any results?' Edison turned on me like a flash, and with a smile replied: 'Results! Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! I know several thousand things that won't work!'"

Look at life as an adventure & challenge. Then go kick it's butt!! BYC has your back & will always be here to help.

<-- says everything I have to say lol

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Why wouldn't the USDA allow you to put panels of wood or plastic around your pen?

And I know it's not an opinion that everyone shares, but I've always thought that, if you're caring for an animal, you should make an effort to keep it safe regardless of its price. Even if you mean to eat it eventually, you should try to prevent it being killed violently by predators. Plus, if a coyote comes by and finds a quail buffet once, he's probably going to come back later and do it again.

x2

 

[Fishkeeper]

Your coturnix don't want a natural habitat, they want a safe habitat. To them, safe means somewhere under cover. An open pasture-type area with short grass could stress them, they do better with something around them. Besides, if they're in a tractor, they're on top of grass. It doesn't get any more natural than that, even if they can't see out. Look at how quail live in the wild- you don't see them out in the open much, they mostly dart between areas of cover. Domestic quail still like that security that comes from being hidden. A good way to mimic an area of cover is to enclose the pen in something solid, because to them, they're hidden. Like a toddler who tries to play hide-and-seek but only hides their head because, if they can't see you, you must not be able to see them.

I don't think the USDA is going to tell you that your eggs aren't organic if you put panels around the tractor. I hope they wouldn't, I'd think they'd have better things to regulate. Like making sure people give their birds enough room and feed them proper food.

 

[June2012]

Your coturnix don't want a natural habitat, they want a safe habitat. To them, safe means somewhere under cover. An open pasture-type area with short grass could stress them, they do better with something around them. Besides, if they're in a tractor, they're on top of grass. It doesn't get any more natural than that, even if they can't see out. Look at how quail live in the wild- you don't see them out in the open much, they mostly dart between areas of cover. Domestic quail still like that security that comes from being hidden. A good way to mimic an area of cover is to enclose the pen in something solid, because to them, they're hidden. Like a toddler who tries to play hide-and-seek but only hides their head because, if they can't see you, you must not be able to see them.

I don't think the USDA is going to tell you that your eggs aren't organic if you put panels around the tractor. I hope they wouldn't, I'd think they'd have better things to regulate. Like making sure people give their birds enough room and feed them proper food.

I'm not against panels... I just wanted to see if I could be organic certified with the panels. They said yes, though, so hurrah!

Also, I'm thinking of only making my runs 3' tall, with bird netting at around 2'. (A 1' tall tractor just felt too short, haha.) How tall should I make the panels then? A foot tall?

 

[Lady_Bat]

I'm not against panels... I just wanted to see if I could be organic certified with the panels. They said yes, though, so hurrah!


Also, I'm thinking of only making my runs 3' tall, with bird netting at around 2'. (A 1' tall tractor just felt too short, haha.) How tall should I make the panels then? A foot tall?

That's great news!!! It's a good thing you checked. We've been annoyed with some of the impressively stupid regulations there are for almost everything. Between federal, state, & county regulations, it's gotten absurd. The stories I could tell you....we should probably start a new thread for for that though.


Haha, I totally get that. I'm picturing a 1 foot tall tractor & I just cant take that seriously!
For the panels, I'd suggest starting with 1 foot tall. Then watch/interact with them. You'll know if they're stressed or not. If they seem stressed, then expand the panels upward. Do you know what kind of materiel you want to use? Plywood doesn't hold up (please learn from our life lessons). If you're concerned about not enough weight, go for galvanized corrugated metal roofing. If you think that will kill your back, go for corrugated PVC roofing panels. You should be able to find both at Lowes & Home Depot.

For putting up the netting, it's quite the game of guess & check. I'm sure you already have gotten the entire net concept (how to do it) but I'm gonna describe how we did it because sharing is caring!
I'd advise attaching it to the sides at 1.5 feet (on the inside of the tractor obviously). Make it loose, & run para-cord (we did all of our attachment points with this because it's moveable) or a weather resistant string of sorts down through the roof to attach to the middle of the netting/tractor because it'll sag there. Think of a giant circus tent, how they have to use a pole to keep the middle up, same concept.
Then pretend your hand is a quail & shoot it up at the netting to see how much it gives, it your hand-quail bonks it's pretend self into the roof (too lose), see if your hand-quail hurts when you hit the net (too tight/not enough give) & see if the net holds up to repeated hits (triple knot your attachment points & check them every so often in the future). When I say a hand-quail, like punch straight up or do a backhand motion but straight up, get your anger out - it's very therapeutic to be a hand-quail.
We didn't get it right on the first try so just be ready to be out there for a bit. You're going for an inverse parachute, the attachment points are important but the amount of give/ability to slow them down is critical.

I hope that makes sense, if not let me know & I'll try to reword it.