Brooding and Holding Pens

[Legband]

Having Bob White quail for training hunts has proven less than reliable over the past few years.
Here in California it has been very difficult for me to find a consistent source of flight pen age birds.
When I have found them the supply has not lasted very long .
So I have built a new pigeon coop about a third the size of my existing one that was far larger than I needed and I am reducing the number of pigeons I will keep.
Then I'm converting my old pigeon coop that is 8x12 into a hold pen for flight ready quail.
Now I will be able to purchase them a hundred at a time and have a more steady supply of quail.
I have been told one quail per square foot on temporary holding.
Does anyone have experience in holding quail over a couple month period and are these numbers correct.

[ezzy333]

If you are going to hold quail for maybe a month I would suggest you put roosts up high and maybe even feed them high so they have to fly up to get the feed. it will help a great deal in keeping them in flight condition.

Ezzy

[reba]

You need a spring to keep that outside door closed and/or a much better latch.

GREAT JOB!

Very nice.

[gotpointers]

You're really close on recommended square footage and I'm sure you're fine there. The pictures wouldn't load for me but really do everything you can to sanitize the pen after keeping pigeons in there. if you haven't done it already use hardwarecloth to keep them off the ground. Bleach everything. Also be ready with antibiotics and wormers for the water. Pigeons and chickens here only get to stay around my courtunix quail. Bobwhites get housed way across the property.

[birddog1968]

You should be fine and I like the roost and feeding high idea...as said sanitize well and have some medication for coccidia on hand.scrape and clean as much pigeon droppings up as possible. You can spray with a bleach/water mixture or I liked to keep tek-trol on hand for sanitizing everything from the pen to waterers and feeders.

[ezzy333]

The cleaning should be done but I have kept them together for several months with no problems.

Ezzy

[bwire]

I've been keeping quail in a johnny house for the past few years and one thing I learned is to not use chicken wire. Raccoons can reach through and pull apart the quail. You would be better off using wire cloth so the local critters can't get it. I also agree with the roost suggestion.

[birddog1968]

Good point bwire, years ago I put chicken wire on a flight pen door....2 years old and chukars flew right through the wire...it rusts fast...