How to Build a Quail House

You can make your own quail cage with a trip to the lumber and hardware store.

Raising your own quail can be a rewarding experience. Whether you are raising your quail for personal use or to sell, you need to make sure the quail have a safe place to live. You don't want to just leave your birds sitting in small crates on the ground where they are vulnerable to predators. A quick trip to your local home supply or hardware store should provide you with all the raw materials that you need to build a sturdy quail pen.

Things You'll Need

• Fifteen (15) 2-inch by 4-inch by 8-feet pieces of wood
• Eight (8) 2-inch by 4-inch by 10-feet pieces of wood
• Six (6) 2-inch by 3-inch by 8-feet pieces of wood
• Three (3) 4-inch by 4-inch by 8-feet pieces of wood
• Chicken wire, 150-feet roll
• 40 stud brackets
• 1 box of U-shaped staples
• 2 1/2-inch screws, 2 lbs.
• 3 cement footings (1-foot x 1-foot)
• Nails, 1 lb
• 2 hinges
• Shovel
• Saw
• Hammer
• Screwdriver

Instructions

Finding a Suitable Area and Setting the Posts

1. Find an area that measures 6-feet wide by 18-feet long. If you have an area that is suitable next to your house, you can use the wall of your house as the pen's back wall. The house will also provide added support to the quail pen.

2. Measure out from the wall of the house 6 feet and mark the spot. Measure out another 6 feet from the house wall that is 18 feet away. Mark that spot as well. Measure to the middle of the 18-feet section, so that there are 9-feet sections on either side. Mark that spot.

3. Dig a hole in each of the three spots that you marked. Set the 1-foot by 1-foot concrete footings into the holes. Make sure the top of the footings is level with the ground.

4. Set a 4-inch by 4-inch by 8-feet post into each of the concrete footings. Place a piece of 2-inch by
   4-inch by 8-feet wood against the house wall, directly across from each 4-by-4 post. Connect the
   2-by-4 pieces to the 4-by-4 posts with stud brackets, and by nailing another 2-by-4 piece at the top and bottom of each piece. You should now have a frame that is connected at both ends. The cage dimensions should be 6-feet wide x 18-feet long x 6-feet high.

5. Nail a 2-by-4 piece to the middle of each section of the frame. Nail additional 2-by-4 pieces to the front posts of the cage at the bottom, top, and middle.

6. At one end of the front of the pen, construct a simple door frame inside the main frame. The sides of the door should both be 6-feet long, and the top and bottom should measure 4-feet across. Attach one side of the door frame to the frame of the cage with hinges. Screw the hinges to the top and bottom of the door frame, about 2 inches from the top and bottom of the cage.

7. Measure the chicken wire in sections to cover the sides, roof, front, and door of the quail pen. Attach each section of chicken wire to pen with the U-shaped staples. You will not have to cover the rear of the pen, since the house acts as the back wall of the pen.

References

• That Quail Place: Gamebird Pen Construction