Making a Quail Hutch

The ideas for this quail hutch came mostly from Chris @slightlyrednecked (see • Building a New Quail H... ). The stacked cages will be for egg layers and grow outs. I don't have a cut list or material list, but here are some dimensions:
Cage: 2 ft deep, 6 ft long, 13 inches tall.
Roughly a third is for sand to dust bathe and lay eggs.
Floor and sides are 1/2"x1/2" hardware cloth.
Most rails are 1.5"x1.5" ripped from 2x6's.
Overall height is 6 ft tall.
Roof is corrugated galvanized steel (2'x12' cut in half).

[@honeybee3317]

A very nice quail hutch. I like the deep litter poop pans , a good idea. Easy to carry to compost bin with contents not spilling out on the way to the bin instead of scraping the traditional oil pan.

[@bobcole3852]

great job, I'm building that now. Making two 4' long hutches per level, sandbox will be 24" deep x 15" wide in the box area with a libit of wire like yours. Like Chris, I'm gonna put wire on top and add a metal roof 12" above that for storage area. If yours is a bit wobbly, add some bracing in the corners with a short board with a 45 cut on each end. Terry does that (Coturnix Corner)

[@kaylesquailfarm]

I love the design. I may have to copy it for my next cage system.

[@John-hp3wg]

Nice I like the design. I'm in the middle of building another hutch.

[@scottland104]

Thanks for sharing this build! How often do you need to empty the poop trays when there are 15 quail in there?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

Normally about every week. My chickens love it in the summer months. There is usually a combo of high protein feed and maggots.

[@kendallcook227]

Can you refer me to where you find those poop trays please?

[@Ironclayfarm]

Is there an update video? How did the sand bin work out long-term?

[@chrisbgarrett]

Nice

[@ambertipton3128]

Nice!!

[@aridupre]

It looks great! Don’t quail have the cutest shape?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

Yes they do! They aren’t the friendliest birds but that’s ok.

[@suicidebbq1742]

I be copying your design about how many quail will dose it hold thank you for sharing

[@HappyWifeAcres]

This holds 20 easily. We’ve had up to 30 in there.

[@3DsOutdoorAdventures]

Can you give me information on the poop tray. Where did you get them

[@polish2x91]

There has to be a way to avoid the hardware cloth above wood... the droppings just get all over it, and th 1/2 x 1/2 cloth doesn't let the droppings through..

[@HappyWifeAcres]

If you figure it out, let us know! Hardware cloth is strong, but after about 2 feet, it will sag, so there has to be some sort of support. You could possibly use 1/2" x 1" welded wire that's commonly used for rabbits. Just a thought. We've been using these pens for over a year now and the poop doesn't build up much at all though. We've never had to scrape it out, even in winter. The 1/2" x 1/2" lets the poop fall through with no problems. It's awful for rabbits, but great for quail.

[@georgezink8256]

Neat

[@kenjepsen4579]

I see a lot of designs with a egg rolling floor.. Are they worth the effort? Do you experience a lot of breakage?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

I've never had a rolling floor so it's hard to say. We hardly get any breakage compared with the chickens. Occasionally the quail will step on an egg or lay an thin shell egg, but that's about it. At most we were getting about 50 eggs per day from 6 cages. Not having a rolling cage means we open up, stick our hands and heads in, so we get to see the birds to make sure they're doing well.

[@kenjepsen4579]

@@HappyWifeAcres That's what I figured as well..I've had 6 laying hens for the last several years and am going to try quail now too. Thanks

[@billytedbond8513]

how many could you keep in that size hutch thanks Billy

[@HappyWifeAcres]

It’s about 12 sq ft, so multiply that by 1.5 to get 18. We usually keep around 15 in there but have had up to 20.

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Roof needs to Uber hang to drain off . Other that that looks great

[@laurenaltomare8992]

I know this is a old video but where did you get that tray for the 💩?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

Those are 2’x2’ rabbit poop trays. We get them at Rural King but also other farm stores or online.

[@laurenaltomare8992]

@@HappyWifeAcres ty!!

[@farmlife7243]

How many quail can fit in a 6x2? Cage
Does anyone know😂

[@HappyWifeAcres]

Multiply square footage by 1.5, so around 18 quail.

[@lilywiechman2792]

howmuch does something like this cost

[@HappyWifeAcres]

I don’t think I kept detailed notes, but probably around $150-200 in materials. If you have old metal for the roof, you’ll save $50.

[@theodorewiechman7217]

Where did you get the drop trays?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

We bought them at two different places. One was as Rural King. But later, they didn't have any for a long time and we had to order them online from Jeffers.com.

[@rohai99]

What is the dimension of the poop trays?

[@HappyWifeAcres]

The one we use is 24” x 24”, but you can buy bigger sizes.

[@RevivalHomeDecor]

I think you can use AC drip pans from Home Depot