Building my Quail Pen , by Jen

Jenni

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Well... there is no turning back now... The first bit of soil has been turned.... took a while to decide on the best spot... Marks comment hit home about incorporate it in so its natural... I also wanted a spot that I could expand on down the track for chooks, etc.. I have a long thin block and it can flood right down the back so that was out. I also wanted it closer to the house for the enjoyment of watching the goings on..... So the spot I chose I can see from my deck, has plenty of shade, is dry and makes the most of a crappy garden that I haven't done anything with along fence line to neighbors
.. First few pics aren't very exciting.. sorry..

This a distance shot of the spot after I cleaned up the area...
spot.jpg


I had already filled the ute before taking my first photo
Ute.jpg


MMM what a messy garden.. who owns that.. can't be me...
messy garden.jpg

Local birds not missing an opportunity for some easy pickings....
Birds.jpg

Well the areas is nearly ready for build....
Build ready.jpg
 

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Mark

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Looks great! I see you have some shade there, which will help keep the quail cooler through summer.

An expansion plan is also a clever idea. My quail enclosure is central to my chickens and ducks and it's handy because I can feed, water, clean etc all together in the one go. You're certainly on the right track. :twothumbsup:

Have you measured out a pen size yet or do you have a certain size in mind?

This is a very interesting project!
 

Tim C

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I can't believe how green it is! Down here we are a 14 inch rainfall. The few winter grasses amongst the Mallee have already dried off and set seed, and the saltbush is at its prime. Chalk and cheese mate. Do the sheep and cows up there have any legs? They wouldn't even need to walk anywhere to get a feed! Just remember that green strip you live in is an anomoly in this big brown land...so make the most of it. Both my grandpas were soldier-settlers down here in the Mallee, and brought up families in this relatively inhospitable region. But in comparison to Tibooburra, this is still an oasis! (8 inch average rainfall there). I think we all need to utilise what we have to the fullest, whilst making improvement to help Mother Nature. You need to realise how lucky you are....Oh, what I could achieve on a quarter acre up there...!!!
My parents supplemented their diet with rabbits (now they too have been all but exterminated), as the livestock were generally sold to pay for sowing crop. The bore water was sometimes too salty to drink and only the hardiest of garden plants would survive. How lucky we all are in this day and age to have choices, and to have technology and information to help us !
How stupid as a community to let such ignorami run this country.
Chooks down here got kitchen scraps, weeds and cracked or shot grain. Ducks got to clean up the slugs and snails in the vege garden and orchard, Quail were stalked and shot in the paddocks.
Chalk and cheese mate.
I suppose the mitigating factor for me is that you will have more and more neighbors, and I will have less and less, as more people seek their piece of paradise-good luck with that...
When I was Caretaker on Humbert River Station(next "door" to VRD) in the Kimberley, I showed Riley, the head man of the local Community a picture of the Murray River. His reaction was-"Must be a bloody lot of crocs in there". When and if "society" encroaches on me, I will move further out bush again- go walkabout. Get away from the humbug. It's all relative to the way you think, I think. Any degree of self-sustainability requires knowledge from somewhere. It's a despicable shame that most of the indigenous knowledge was lost through poisoning waterholes, extermination, and putting the rest onto missions. The stewardship of this land is not something to be taken lightly. Not something to be interpereted for political or idealistic purposes. Practicality will win out in the long run. Once all the iron ore and uranium is dug up and sold for tuppence, the pollys will fly the coop and leave us poor buggers scratching our heads.
All well and good to idealise self-sufficiency. Another thing altogether to make it the main priority of society. That won't happen under a penal-capitalist guvment. Nor a so-called Green mentality.
So now I will leave you to ponder your place in society. Your ideals and outcomes for and from this uncaring society we manufacture and support - good luck with that too...
 

Jenni

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Great looking property Jenni. I'll be following this thread! I like seeing other peoples properties in photos, always interesting.
I see your a photo man by your pic.. I agree photos of other people properties are interesting. So I will post some more.
 

Jenni

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Looks great! I see you have some shade there, which will help keep the quail cooler through summer.

An expansion plan is also a clever idea. My quail enclosure is central to my chickens and ducks and it's handy because I can feed, water, clean etc all together in the one go. You're certainly on the right track. :twothumbsup:

Have you measured out a pen size yet or do you have a certain size in mind?

This is a very interesting project!
Yeah I took note from all your info which is so informative.. helped me think ahead.

I have been to masters and have gone through my shed to see what I can use and buy... I found 2 sleepers at 2.4 (too short .. bugger), some roof sheets and heavy duty truck tarp in the shed.. Its always great to use what one has already got.

Although I haven't fully drawn up my plan yet..(I will post drawing when done) I am thinking ...
I wasn't going to concrete it in rather make a self supporting frame arrangement.
I was thinking sleepers around the base to support the posts supporting the roof. I have made a similar frame before and it was very sturdy...

Masters have 2.7mtr of 90x90 H4 enviro treated timber only $10 each so that will be my guide for frame size. I will need around 8 so $80.00. This will make it a 2.7x2.7 pen.
Roof sheets will cover 1.5 by 2.4 section of roof and the truck tarp will cover the remainder and drop down to cover the back of the pen. (although I should probably leave the bottom slightly open for airflow.).. Free Woohoo
I will have to buy 3m sleepers x 4 around $15 = $60.00
Wire I was thinking rather than Avery wire maybe using vermin proof wire but will decide on that after frame is built...
 

Jenni

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I can't believe how green it is! Down here we are a 14 inch rainfall. The few winter grasses amongst the Mallee have already dried off and set seed, and the saltbush is at its prime. Chalk and cheese mate. Do the sheep and cows up there have any legs? They wouldn't even need to walk anywhere to get a feed! Just remember that green strip you live in is an anomoly in this big brown land...so make the most of it. Both my grandpas were soldier-settlers down here in the Mallee, and brought up families in this relatively inhospitable region. But in comparison to Tibooburra, this is still an oasis! (8 inch average rainfall there). I think we all need to utilise what we have to the fullest, whilst making improvement to help Mother Nature. You need to realise how lucky you are....Oh, what I could achieve on a quarter acre up there...!!!
My parents supplemented their diet with rabbits (now they too have been all but exterminated), as the livestock were generally sold to pay for sowing crop. The bore water was sometimes too salty to drink and only the hardiest of garden plants would survive. How lucky we all are in this day and age to have choices, and to have technology and information to help us !
How stupid as a community to let such ignorami run this country.
Chooks down here got kitchen scraps, weeds and cracked or shot grain. Ducks got to clean up the slugs and snails in the vege garden and orchard, Quail were stalked and shot in the paddocks.
Chalk and cheese mate.
I suppose the mitigating factor for me is that you will have more and more neighbors, and I will have less and less, as more people seek their piece of paradise-good luck with that...
When I was Caretaker on Humbert River Station(next "door" to VRD) in the Kimberley, I showed Riley, the head man of the local Community a picture of the Murray River. His reaction was-"Must be a bloody lot of crocs in there". When and if "society" encroaches on me, I will move further out bush again- go walkabout. Get away from the humbug. It's all relative to the way you think, I think. Any degree of self-sustainability requires knowledge from somewhere. It's a despicable shame that most of the indigenous knowledge was lost through poisoning waterholes, extermination, and putting the rest onto missions. The stewardship of this land is not something to be taken lightly. Not something to be interpereted for political or idealistic purposes. Practicality will win out in the long run. Once all the iron ore and uranium is dug up and sold for tuppence, the pollys will fly the coop and leave us poor buggers scratching our heads.
All well and good to idealise self-sufficiency. Another thing altogether to make it the main priority of society. That won't happen under a penal-capitalist guvment. Nor a so-called Green mentality.
So now I will leave you to ponder your place in society. Your ideals and outcomes for and from this uncaring society we manufacture and support - good luck with that too...

Yeah we have had some really good rain, starting to dry up and brown off again now though.. Its not all green. I have my washing water run over that section of yard, and its on the edge of the septic (which is about to be changed) so its unnaturally fed. Although saying that I have a 18,000ltr water tank which is used for washing, toilets,... etc and it has never run dry. It actually overflows a lot so maybe another tank is in order.. Yeah pretty lucky here on the edge of the hinterland so get a bit more as well. The required weekly mowing is about to hit full steam. I must download the data from my weather station and check how much rain we have had...

My grandparents tell me stories of eating rabbits. Sounds like you have it a bit tough out there. Beautiful country though.
Chalk and cheese not wrong.
Yeah no need to tell me about more people its already happening. I do think about moving further out and away. Still a quiet tucked away spot here so no need yet and no crime!!! (unlike the rest of the coast) thankfully and can hide away from the outside.. Although in the distance starting to hear an increase in the police sirens.. not a nice sound. clashes with the sounds of all the birds.
 

Mark

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Masters have 2.7mtr of 90x90 H4 enviro treated timber only $10 each so that will be my guide for frame size. I will need around 8 so $80.00. This will make it a 2.7x2.7 pen.
Roof sheets will cover 1.5 by 2.4 section of roof and the truck tarp will cover the remainder and drop down to cover the back of the pen. (although I should probably leave the bottom slightly open for airflow.).. Free Woohoo
I will have to buy 3m sleepers x 4 around $15 = $60.00
Wire I was thinking rather than Avery wire maybe using vermin proof wire but will decide on that after frame is built...
That's a good size pen and the wood is similar to what I used - I also like the tarp at the rear and have done the same thing for my two isolation pens (I'm keeping my ducklings in one of them ATM) the tarp gives added security and protection at the one end and is a really affordable way to do it.

Whatever wire you use just make sure snakes or rats can't get into the pen because they will try :D
 

Jenni

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Well frame is up on the quail pen.. Just need to level the ground out a bit more. Not as big as my original plan but still a good size. 2.4 x 2.4
IMAG0090.jpg
 

Tim C

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Good job Jenni.:maketinker::sawwood::heat::cheer::cheers:.I was gonna suggest some corner gussets, but once you get the mesh& iron on that should prevent any flexing. I notice you have a few rocks there. Do you have any quartz? Quartz could be an indication of gold! Another way to find out if there's gold in your area is the Geoscienceaustralia interactive map. Just a thought, in case you're interested...
 

Mark

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That looks great Jenni! I like the simple way you've built a box frame and it's given me some ideas if I need to build some more holding/isolation pens myself. Will you be putting in another post for a door frame or have you something else in mind for entry/exit?
 

Jenni

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Good job Jenni.:maketinker::sawwood::heat::cheer::cheers:.I was gonna suggest some corner gussets, but once you get the mesh& iron on that should prevent any flexing. I notice you have a few rocks there. Do you have any quartz? Quartz could be an indication of gold! Another way to find out if there's gold in your area is the Geoscienceaustralia interactive map. Just a thought, in case you're interested...

:) Thanks tim.. I love your little workers... Yeah was thinking the same about strengthening it up I will have to see how it goes. The rock I think has come from the left over from the retaining wall at the back of the house. what ever rock it is its quite interesting, lots of different colors. What was really interesting though was when I was building a timber retaining wall. The ground here is clay, but not far under the clay seemed to be a really hard sandy rock a bit like sandstone.. I had a bobcat in to cut back into the bank, it got so far then hit the sandstone type rock and it couldn't get through. I had to jack hammer it out. Unfortunately I don't have a photo, I would have loved to ask your thoughts on what it was.

Sorry I had a look on the Geoscienceaustralia website and couldn't find the interactive map.. Do you have a link to it?
 

Jenni

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That looks great Jenni! I like the simple way you've built a box frame and it's given me some ideas if I need to build some more holding/isolation pens myself. Will you be putting in another post for a door frame or have you something else in mind for entry/exit?

Thanks Mark.. I wanted to build something that I could also move if I needed to...Post or maybe no post... mmmmm I have something else in mind if i can get it to work... I will leave you in suspense with that thought.
 

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Getting there hey :twothumbsup:

That type of chicken mesh (even though galvanised) might only last about 18 months (possibly longer) before it corrodes but it shouldn't be too hard to replace it if it does break up anyway. The heavy gauge stuff is the best but it is a little expensive...

Are you using the same sized mesh as you did the skirt for the walls? The reason I ask is because a python which can just fit through standard chicken mesh holes is capable of eating a quail. The same type of chook mesh but with the smaller holes would be better for the walls of a quail run.

Quail have a higher protein diet than chickens so their poop is a little worse on the nose. The base for my quail run is crushed granite (about 3 or 4 inches) I just walked my down to compress - it sets quite hard over time but still has good drainage. On top of the granite I have a few inches of sand and that acts like a kitty litter but also gives the quail something to dust bath in. Finally, I use a really thick layer of mulch (straw or sugar cane) and the quail love it! Plus, this is what mostly collects all the poop so when it gets messy all I have to do is shovel the mulch out with a little bit of sand and then replace the mulch. I top up the sand every few years.
 

Steve

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I'm watching this thread with interest too.
It's great seeing a plan come together.

I'm starting to think about what type of poultry I'll have on my bit of dirt next year when i can move in. I'm thinking to start with a few chickens in a 'tractor' that I can move up between a couple of rows of fruit trees so they will fertilise the area for me.

Keep the pics coming Jenni
 

Jenni

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Hi everyone. More progress made on the pen... Roof sheeting on and some bracing put around each corner.. Quite solid now.

IMAG0103 - smlr.jpg IMAG0105 -smlr.jpg IMAG0106 smlr.jpg
 

Mark

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How good are you! It's beginning to look like a flash gazebo or a tiny house - your quail will absolutely love it :)

It matches the tropical looking background nicely too and it certainly looks well built.

When I originally built my quail run I didn't think I would need a roof but I was mistaken big time so I needed to reto fit it and now it's much better.
 

Jenni

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When I originally built my quail run I didn't think I would need a roof but I was mistaken big time so I needed to reto fit it and now it's much better.

Actually I must confess I stole that idea from you after watching your video.
 
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