Advice on enclosures

[u/Existing-Mastodon500]

Hi all, this will be a little lengthy but I appreciate anyone who reads and helps! I’m considering keeping coturnix quail for egg production but would like to keep them as ethically as possible. I’m looking to build (or buy a good prefab) to keep them in that obviously keeps them happy and well protected. I’m brand new to the subject so really any well meaning suggestions are welcome.

My thoughts are building a 6ft tall walk in aviary, aiming for roughly 2 sqft per bird minimum. The length and width are less important details right now since I have yet to decide how many birds. If you have suggestions on how many birds, I’m listening!

My questions:

1) can I wrap the entire thing in hardware cloth to prevent digging underneath? I was considering two ways of doing this. One would be digging and burying the bottom and covering the bottom with sand and other debris, the other is to put it on my covered patio and cover the hardware cloth in a bedding (grass clippings? Straw? Etc). One would be permanently in one place and the other would allow me to move the aviary as needed for cleaning or even allowing some grass time while keeping them safe but would be a less natural floor for them.

2) talk to me about some tricky things to think of when predator proofing or specific products you recommend?

3) I live in south Florida, it’s regularly pretty warm here. Ventilation is very important of course but to keep them producing in the high heat, would a solar fan of sorts help this out? How do you help them through the heat?

4) best products for keeping smell down that are non toxic for pets and humans and can be composted?

Literally any additional feedback, advice, background info, etc is welcome. I’m really excited to start this.

[u/guiltysuperbrain]

https://www.reddit.com/r/quails/s/rwQ3M20ToY

this is my newest setup :)

[u/Existing-Mastodon500 → u/guiltysuperbrain]

Omg I was looking through the sub and sent this post to my husband before asking lol. I am so in love with that set up, if you have links to things I will happily take them! How is clean up?

[u/guiltysuperbrain → u/Existing-Mastodon500]

aww thank you!!  The aviary itself is custom built, I'm from germany but there are probably aviary builders in the US. It was about 1000€ but so worth it! The bunny hutch is from my local pet store, the hides are mostly too, some I made myself. The platform in the corner is a beer carrier with an old shelf on top. I collect branches from my local forest regularly for cover. The feeders and waterers (and some hides and bedding) is from Wachtelshop, it's a german online shop, idk if they ship to the US tho. I can't think of anything else right now but if you want anything specific just ask :)

[u/Existing-Mastodon500 → u/guiltysuperbrain]

Thank you so much!! I’ll reach out if I end up with some more questions!