cage for bob white quail?

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oldbeek
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cage for bob white quail?

Post by oldbeek » Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:31 pm

I have never had bob white quail. What kind of a cage do I need? I am buying about 20 mature bobs for dog training.

RayGubernat
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:59 am

Need more info.

How long are you planning to keep them?

Where are you planning to keep them(inside or outside)?

How are you planning to feed and water them?

I have kept ten quail for two weeks, sometimes longer, in a medium dog crate that I modified.

I can and have kept 75 quail for many months in a chickenwire enclosure, 8X12X 6'high that was placed inside a horse turnout shed to protect the birds(somewhat) from the weather. The raised floor was of heavy hardware cloth with 1/2" openings. The floor is pressure treated 4X4"s, with lap joints and bolted together. The stretchers are 4ft. apart and there is an extra 4X4 stretcher in the front near the door so I don't cave in the wire floor when I walk in. The chickenwire was stretched on 1X1" pressure treated frames that I screwed together.

RayG
Last edited by RayGubernat on Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

cjhills
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by cjhills » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:03 am

Do not use 2" chicken wire..................Cj

marysburg
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by marysburg » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:55 am

Birds of prey will burst through 1" poultry netting (learned that one the hard way). We changed to 1/2" hardware cloth for the sides and top as well as the floor. Our pen is large enough to be a proper flight pen (15' X 30'), but if your pen is small you could raise the food and water up high enough so the birds have to fly upwards and keep their wings in shape. Depending on the weather, they may need a roofed area for wind or rain or sun protection. Quail are fun and easy to keep and your dog will learn lots if they are good fliers.

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Sharon
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by Sharon » Thu Feb 26, 2015 2:09 pm

Amazing what they can squeeze through. Had them escape while in transport too. :roll:
When we were allowed to use bob white quail here, I used the plastic type dog crate in the garage- we live in the city- and used them up every week, so they would still fly well.
Not for a new pup starting his/her training imo.

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ibbowhunting
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by ibbowhunting » Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:29 pm

about a dozen will fit in 55 gallon barrel

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oldbeek
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by oldbeek » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:51 pm

Built a 5ft X 3ft X 12inch cage. 1/2 inch square wire. How long can they stay in this type and still fly well? 2 to 3 weeks? The stock I am getting are good fliers when first purchased.

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Sharon
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by Sharon » Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:52 pm

My experience was one week at the most if they can't fly around in a large coop.

marysburg
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by marysburg » Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:44 am

Yup. X2

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DonF
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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by DonF » Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:57 am

My experience with bob white's say that you keep them to long in those small cages, they will either fly poorly or not at all. For a few days probably be alright, but to keep them flying well they need a flight pen. Training pointing dogs on game birds easily caught could set your training back pretty good.

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Re: cage for bob white quail?

Post by RayGubernat » Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:18 pm

One thing you can do to help yourself a bit is to keep the birds in total darkness for about 24 hours before you go to use them.

It freaks them out or something...I don't know. All I do know is birds that are kept in total darkness and then planted are skittish and usually flush out pretty well.

RayG

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