Quail for Training?

[TheMorningRise]

I am looking at building a coop this spring to house birds for my training. This will be a first attempt at doing this. With that, a question that I have is what birds do you prefer for your dog training?

I know many use Pigeons, I know Quail are used and there are other birds as well. When thinking of Pigeons and Quail, I am leaning towards using Quail. Especially for early training on younger dogs. What are your thoughts?

Also, does anyone have a good source for building coops (a book, videos, a place that has plans, etc).

Thanks.

 

[Peter M]

I to am in the process of design and building a pigeon coop. I plan to use Homing pigeon's , they fly better/ further than Quail and are reusable. My coop will be 4x8 feet in platform with a slant roof and aviary .Go to Foy's pet supplies online for coop parts eg one way doors, feeders and drinkers. Good luck with your build.
We could start a new thread , show pictures of your bird coop .:thumbsup:

 

[OKRev]

I would suggest pigeons for long-term training needs. They are easy to care for, need fairly little space, they return to their roost, and they are really durable. There are a few good coop plans out there, Foy's and Lion Country offer plans and supplies. I took a lot of my pigeon coop ideas from this forum:

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?52452-Raising-Pigeons-Pigeon-Coop

If you are going to use quail, it really depends on whether you're raising the birds or if you just need a temporary pen to hold for a few days while you deplete your supply.
If you are going to keep birds for several weeks or are raising them and you want birds that are going to fly you need a larger flight pen that will afford them the opportunity to exercise their wings. Otherwise you wind up with fat mini-chickens.
I've got a few quail in my 4x6 pigeon coop right now that are thriving but they aren't going to fly worth a darn. They will run though, so I'm working with my pups to stay steady on walking birds. Waste not, want not.