# Quail holding pen?



## JohnBenoit09 (Aug 23, 2011)

I want to build a small quail holding pen to keep quail in for training my GSP. The pen will be very small, roughly 6ft long and 2ft tall. I am going to have a 2ft enclosed portion for them to sleep in and the rest have hardware cloth exposed to the outside. I am going to have this pen elevated 5ft tall off the ground. This isn't a Johnny house, but intended to only house the quail when I’m not using them for training. My question is will having the small pen in the backyard bother my GSP? The pen will be in the same fenced in portion of my yard and I've read that allowing my dog to be by the quail pen 24/7 will make him not smell the birds as well when in the field training. Is it bad to have the quail where my dog runs around outside? -Thanks


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## goose buster (Aug 23, 2011)

If he can get to them I am sure he will tear into the pen.I have mine close to my dogs but seperated by a fence.


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## Luke0927 (Aug 23, 2011)

how long are you going to keep them in there?  If more than a few days their flight will suffer, if a couple weeks I would look at making a vertical building like a johnny house, you don't have to get fancy...just so they can at least fly up and sit on perch board and sun, it will help keep them flying better.

The birds close by won't hurt the dog, don't worry about it, I would close the side off and leave the top open maybe all wire that way the dogs can't see them running around.


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## JohnBenoit09 (Aug 24, 2011)

My gsp is only 4 months old so right now Im just going to work with him smelling the birds in the brush. Once he gets older, I will start wanting birds that fly well, but now its just a pen to hold them as a beginning. How tall would the johnny house design need to be? I am in college now so I don't want to build anything that will be hard to move when I leave in a year.


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## Sam H (Aug 24, 2011)

Luke0927 said:


> how long are you going to keep them in there?  If more than a few days their flight will suffer, if a couple weeks I would look at making a vertical building like a johnny house, you don't have to get fancy...just so they can at least fly up and sit on perch board and sun, it will help keep them flying better.
> 
> The birds close by won't hurt the dog, don't worry about it, I would close the side off and leave the top open maybe all wire that way the dogs can't see them running around.




Good overall advice...especially about closing the side so the gsp can't see them running..also , so the birds can't see the gsp...might drive them nuts
Make it 5/6ft high so they can stretch thier wings...even holding birds (2)two nights will affect thier flight....I know...I've done it...and at this heigth...won't be a pain to move with a pick up....good luck


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## Sam H (Aug 24, 2011)

JohnBenoit09 said:


> My gsp is only 4 months old so right now Im just going to work with him smelling the birds in the brush. Once he gets older, I will start wanting birds that fly well, but now its just a pen to hold them as a beginning. How tall would the johnny house design need to be? I am in college now so I don't want to build anything that will be hard to move when I leave in a year.



Putting him on birds NOW that will fly, can be a real good thing...he's NOT to young , at all....heck let him have some fun....just DON'T let him catch any if possible


BTW...I see who one of your "friends" are...Julia H...No wonder you have a GSP...


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## Luke0927 (Aug 24, 2011)

I would make you something 4x4 and with a perch about 6' hight plywood up the side and then a screen wire screen side where they can sun and then the roof....


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## JohnBenoit09 (Aug 25, 2011)

*pen*

Thank you for the help! So based on two designs that I have found, would you so that a johnny house type design will be better than a pen that is horiztonal? Here are pictures of the ones Im deciding between.


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## JohnBenoit09 (Aug 25, 2011)

By the way, since this pen will be in my backyard I will not be letting the quail out of the pen to be called back in. It is just a way for me to keep the birds alive when Im not working with my dog.


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## Luke0927 (Aug 25, 2011)

Do the one on the left.....get you some game bird chow and water...if you just feed scratch feed it won't have enough protein to keep them up and fly very well....you could even make the side a little higher just try not to mess with and feed and water them at dark the less you mess with them the better they will be.


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