Are you planning to build a quail farm?
It’s a great start-up business for poultry bird lovers because it’s very profitable and easy to start.
But what supplies and equipment will you need for your new startup?
In this article, we curated an extensive list of quail-raising equipment and supplies that you should get before purchasing quail chicks and hens.
In this list, you’ll discover:
- 2 different housing systems and 5 cage design options for quails
- 6 quail cage accessories to make your birds’ daily lives comfortable
- And quail breeding equipment and supplies you’ll need when the hens start laying eggs
So, without further ado, let’s get right into it!
What Are The Quail-Raising Equipment You Need?
One of the most important quail-raising equipment is the housing system.
Quail in the wild can survive even without a housing system because they usually flock together in coveys and make their own nest.
But domesticated quails need a home and enclosure to ensure none of them will fly away.
So, let’s discuss the different housing systems suitable for quail birds.
Housing System
Most quails are raised in cages, but you can also build an aviary for birds.
But what are the benefits and drawbacks of each housing system?
In this section, let’s compare these housing systems to see which is best for your quails.
Let’s start with the cages.
Quail Cages
If you want to raise quails for commercial purposes, the best way to maximize your space is by building a cage for the birds.
Each quail must have at least150 to 175 square cm of spacein a cage.
There are different cage styles, and each has its own advantages and drawbacks.
So, to help you find the right design for your quail farm, we’ll introduce you to variousquail cagestyles and discuss the pros and cons of each.
Cage Styles:
这是最受欢迎的瞿笼ail designs you can choose from:
1. Stacked Quail Cage
If you want to go all-out and maximize your space on your farm, this quail cage design is what you’re looking for.
As its name suggests, these are multiple cages stacked on top of each other.
If you want to start off modest, you can frequently buy a single cage, which you may later upgrade to a stacking cage as your business expands.
The smallest cages are those that are stacked, and they are more utilitarian than those designed forquail raised as pets.
It’s a space-saving option, but each pen must provide at least 1 square foot of space per bird.
But if you choose this cage design, you must ensure that the pens have proper ventilation and are cleaned regularly.
It’s not just for sanitary purposes but also because quail droppings are high in ammonia and can cause several respiratory issues.
2. Commercial Galvanized or Welded-Wire Quail Cage
Here’s another functional quail cage design that might be appealing to you.
You can create these quails by yourself or order pre-made cages online.
What we like about this design is that it’s easy to clean, have enough ventilation, and can accommodate accessories like feeders and waterers with ease.
If there is a removable tray for cleaning, wire cages can be placed on top of tables or placed upon a stand to allow droppings to fall to the ground.
Slide-out trays can be taken out daily to keep everything clean and odor-free, and the cage itself is easy to clean.
A welded-wire pen’s only drawback is that birds may not have bedding because it can “clog” the wires, preventing droppings from falling and causing them to accumulate inside the enclosure instead.
3. Quail Hutches
If you want a more secure option for your quails, the quail hutches are right for you.
Hutches are one of the safer types of quail pens to offer, particularly if you want to keep the birds outside rather than in your house or garage.
Well-built hutches lack nooks and crannies, making it difficult for small predators like snakes and weasels to penetrate the enclosure.
4. Quail Recall Pens
The purpose of recall pens is to teach quail and bird dogs to hunt.
It’s like a coop for quails where the birds can have the freedom to explore during the day and are guided and taught to return to their home every day.
To call the rest of their covey back to them in the evening, keepers would leave a few hens in the enclosure.
These pens are useful for hunters who want to release their quail and let the surviving birds come back at dusk or for those who want to let their quail free-range and come back at dusk.
5. Quail Ground Pen
For quail owners who wish to enjoy their birds’ antics while letting them indulge their natural foraging instincts outdoors, ground pens are ideal for them.
With this design, quails are enclosed in-ground pens, providing access to the ground.
Although there are legitimate concerns that quail could drown in heavy downpours, if you can provide high ground for young quail inside the pen, this shouldn’t be a problem for your birds.
Quail Aviaries
If you envisioned your quail bird having access to its natural habitat and enjoying roaming in the grass, and searching for bugs, placing her in an aviary is a better option for you.
You can’t fully free-range a quail bird because there’s a high chance it will fly away or get taken away by sky predators.
But you can raise your quail on the ground with an aviary.
This housing system offers many benefits to quails because it helps improve your bird’s well-being, simplifies management practices, and is more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
It allows birds to interact and indulge in their natural environment.
They can forage for their own food, so they’ll need less feed, which can minimize their carbon footprint.
It also minimizes the need for chemical intervention because inhabiting the ground allows them to access a complex ecosystem with higher diversity.
That can lead to natural balance, which helps deter pests and the need for chemicals.
And even if you’re planning to scale up your quail farming operations in the future and increase quail egg and meat production, aviaries can accommodate those needs.
But, you need to have a large space because each pair of quail must have at least 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide of aviary space to live naturally.
You must also ensure that it’s secure for your poultry bird and that no predator can enter.
Now the question is how will you build this huge quail-raising equipment?
How to Build Aviary for Quails
You must have a mouse-proof wire with 7mm gaps or galvanized sheet metal for the enclosure.
If you want your aviary floor to be concrete, you must cover it with dry sand to imitate the forest floor and spread grasses and dry leaves on it.
You must also cover at least half of the roof to protect your quail from heavy rains and extreme weather conditions.
It’d also help if you could install a double door into your quail’s aviary to prevent your birds from escaping when you walk into it, bringing water and quail feed.
Then, for the finishing touches, add the cage accessories necessary for their everyday lives.
Quail Cage Accessories
Aside from providing a home, quails have other needs that you need to provide if you’d domesticate them and put them in an enclosure.
Many of these accessories are DIY-able, but you can also purchase them online.
Feeders
One of the most important quail-raising supplies you need to have is the feeder where you can place their feed.
Why is it important?
Feeders can help minimize the mess and save you some feed.
Having a separate can also prevent your bird’s droppings from getting into and mixing with their fed.
So, if possible, separate their feeder for sanitary purposes.
Waterer
Quails need water just like any other creature.
And they need a separate and designated waterer so no droppings can get into it and contaminate it.
Furthermore, bacteria can grow inquail watererscontaining excess feed and water.
That’s why you should choose the right waterer for your bird and clean it regularly.
Toys for Quails
Just like other birds,quails need boredom bustersto keep them happy and active.
It’s easy to find toys for these poultry birds because simplehanging ballsthat produce enticing sounds and foraging toys are enough to entertain them.
You can also provide them with shredding toys and treat-filled treats to stimulate them while entertaining them.
Quail birds also love playing in hollow logs and splashing in water dishes.
But don’t forget the next item below because it’s just as important as toys for quails.
Dust Baths
Quails’ swimming pools are dust baths.
They love to splash dust and sand with their feathers, but it’s more than just that.
Dust bath also helps maintain the optimum amount of oil in quail’s feathers by absorbing the oil and getting rid of it along with the dry skin.
Bedding Materials
Another important quail-raising supply you need is bedding which could be made of paper towels, wood shavings, or hay.
They help absorb moisture and control the odor in the quail cage or pen.
Here are three bedding options you can choose from:
- Wood Shavings:Use absorbent wood shavings like pine or aspen savings if you want to keep your chicks warm and dry and keep the odor in control. But avoid using cedar wood because its dust can harm your baby quails’ lungs.
- Paper Towel:You can also utilize newspapers or paper towel shreds as bedding, but you should use at least three layers. But newspapers are slick and not as absorbent as wood shavings. However, the towel gives chicks a good grip.
- Hay or Straw:These can also be alternative bedding materials because they are comfortable for birds to sleep and not slippery. However, it easily gets soiled and may produce spores when it gets damp.
Nest Box
The last thing you need to prepare for your quail before their laying season is thenesting box.
It doesn’t just make quail birds comfortable, safe, and secure while laying, but it also prevents the egg from being broken or trampled on.
Furthermore, quail birds tend to lay everywhere they like if they have no nest box.
Sometimes they lay in dirty places, making egg collection more time-consuming and extra challenging.
And not only that, you will have to clean the eggs too if it gets dirty!
But getting this quail farming supply can save you from all these troubles.
After ticking off the above items in your quail farming supplies checklist, you should be ready by now to take on the role of a quail parent.
But if you want to optimize quail egg production and breeding business, you need to get more equipment that will enable you to do so.
Quail Breeding Equipment
Here are supplies and equipment you’ll need if you’re breeding your quails and raising them for eggs and meat.
Egg Tray
This is a no-brainer because if you have egg-laying quails, it’s common knowledge to get an egg tray to secure the eggs.
So be sure to have your egg tray along with other quail breeding supplies prepared before their laying season.
Incubator
Quails can incubate their eggs independently, but incubators can help you increase the number of eggs that hatches at a time.
So we highly recommend getting this quail farming equipment.
It can also improve an egg’s hatchability or hatching success.
And many incubators feature advanced temperature programs that help stabilize the temperature and humidity inside the device.
Some even have a day counter and auto egg turner, so you don’t have to turn them alone.
So if you want to expedite the process, prepare a quail chick incubator.
Brooder
When the eggs hatch, you’ll need another quail-raising equipment called a brooder to place the chicks.
Chicks can’t regulate their body temperature without their mothers, and that’s where brooders come in.
The sides of the brooder must be solid, while the flooring must be thick paper towels.
Then you can switch to pine shavings or other absorbent materials after a few days.
And when they reach three weeks old, you must add a screened top to your brooder.
That’s because the chicks will learn and try to fly by that age.
Avoid using a solid lid because the chicks may overheat and suffocate due to increased humidity.
But there’s another important quail farming equipment that must be present in your brooder; the heat lamp.
Heat Lamp
As its name suggests, a heat lamp provides heat to young chicks.
Aside from keeping them warm, it also helps avoid sleep disruption.
But what kind of heat lamp is best for quails?
We recommend using aninfrared heat lamp with a clipfor easier installation around the brooder.
The ideal temperature for the quail chick’s first week is95°F or 35ºC.
Then, reduce the temperature by 5ºF every week by adjusting the lamp’s brightness.
Cleaning Materials
Whether you like it or not, quails can be and will be messy.
There will be droppings everywhere in the cage, and you’ll need to clean up their mess.
Otherwise, disease and parasites may start pestering your birds, and your own health will be put in jeopardy.
So, what are the cleaning must-haves if you’reraising quails?
Well, if you’re building a quail farm, expect lots of mess and droppings.
And you will have to get their wastes cleaned up to avoid parasite infestation and diseases.
So prepare a shovel and bucket for that.
It’d also help if you have a disinfectant on-hand to ensure the cages and the whole farm is clean and free from bacteria that can cause diseases and infections.
FAQs About Quail Raising Equipment
What is the best setup for quail?
This will vary depending on your purpose of raising them and the availability of your space.
Whether you raise them in cages or aviary, just make sure their house is well-ventilated, and they have enough feed and access to water, and that’s pretty much it!
What are the tools and equipment in poultry?
The tools, equipment, and quail supplies needed for every poultry farming business are perches, waterers, feed containers, foggers, and bedding.
You’ll also need brooders, egg trays, heat lamps, incubators, and quail cages or coops.
What is the best housing for quail?
You can use simple rabbit hutches or chicken coops as a home for quails.
But you can house them in quail cages or aviaries.
No matter what type of housing system you choose for your quails, just ensure they’re cleaned regularly, and you’re good to go!
What is the best quail habitat?
Nothing beats the quail’s natural habitat, like forest openings, open woods, and fallow fields.
They may also live along the edges of cultivated fields with enough food, water, and shelter to survive.
But you can replicate their nature and raise them naturally by creating an aviary for them where they get to indulge in nature, unlike in cages.
What is the best cage for raising quail?
Most quails are kept in welded wire cages because they’re easy to clean and provide the birds with adequate ventilation.
But you have many quail design options to choose from.
Final Thoughts On Choosing Quail Raising Equipment
That was quite a handful of quail-raising equipment, but you don’t need to get everything all at once.
Just focus on their basic needs first, such as their housing, feeds, feeder, waterer, bedding, and a bunch of cleaning materials.
Then, add some toys, a dust bath, and hollow logs to entertain and stimulate them.
You can upgrade your farm by adding an incubator, brooder, and heat lamp during the breeding season.
现在,如果一切都是你在做好了准备hase quail chicks and hens, the next question will be how to raise these poultry birds.
If you want to be hands-on in raising them and want to know how to keep them healthy and thrive, check the comprehensive guide on raising quail chicks below.