6 Best Quail Grow Out Cages for Beginners

Your brooder is suddenly a whirlwind of tiny, feathered rockets, and what was once a cozy home is now an overcrowded mess. This is the moment every quail keeper faces: the transition from delicate chicks to rapidly growing juveniles. Choosing the right grow out cage for this critical 2-to-6-week period is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, directly impacting the health and hardiness of your future flock.

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Choosing a Grow Out Cage to Protect Young Quail

A grow out cage is a temporary home, but its job is vital. It’s the bridge between the controlled warmth of the brooder and the final layout of a breeder or flight pen. During this stage, young quail are still vulnerable, especially to leg injuries and disease, so the cage’s design must prioritize safety and hygiene above all else.

The biggest mistake beginners make is using a cage with the wrong kind of flooring. Wire mesh that is too large will trap small feet, leading to sprains, breaks, or worse. At the same time, a solid floor without excellent ventilation and constant cleaning becomes a breeding ground for coccidiosis, a parasitic disease that can wipe out a group of young birds in days.

Your goal is simple: find a cage that keeps the birds clean, dry, and on safe footing. This isn’t about luxury; it’s about creating an environment that minimizes stress and maximizes healthy development. A well-designed grow out pen drastically reduces your daily workload and prevents the heartbreak of losing birds to preventable issues.

GQF 0705 Grow Off Pen: Superior Waste Management

When it comes to purpose-built quail equipment, GQF is a name you’ll see often, and for good reason. The 0705 Grow Off Pen is specifically designed to tackle the single biggest challenge of raising quail: manure management. Its most important feature is a slightly slanted, vinyl-coated wire floor.

This design is brilliant in its simplicity. Droppings don’t just sit there; they fall through the wire and roll down onto a pull-out tray below. This means the birds are never standing in their own waste, keeping their feet clean and drastically lowering the risk of disease transmission. For a hobby farmer with limited time, this feature alone can be the difference between a healthy flock and a constant battle with sanitation.

Of course, specialized equipment comes with a higher price tag. But consider the tradeoff. You’re not just buying a cage; you’re buying a system that saves you time and reduces the risk of costly flock losses. It’s an investment in biosecurity and efficiency that pays for itself in healthy, thriving birds.

A&E Cage Co. Stackable Cage for Vertical Growing

Many of us don’t have the luxury of a dedicated barn; our quail operations are tucked into a garage, a shed, or a basement. This is where vertical space becomes your greatest asset. Stackable cages, like those from A&E Cage Co., allow you to increase your capacity without increasing your footprint.

These systems are typically sold as individual units that are designed to lock securely on top of one another. This modular approach is perfect for the hobbyist who might start with one small batch and expand later. You can start with a single cage and add more as your needs grow, creating a clean, organized "quail apartment" complex.

The crucial detail to look for in any stackable system is the design of the droppings trays. Each level must have its own independent, well-fitted pull-out tray. A poorly designed system will allow waste from the upper cages to fall onto the birds below, creating a huge mess and defeating the purpose of a clean setup. Before buying, verify that the trays provide complete coverage and are easy to slide in and out.

PawHut Hutch with Pull-Out Tray for Easy Cleaning

You don’t always need quail-specific equipment, and sometimes a well-designed rabbit hutch can be an excellent, accessible alternative. Brands like PawHut often feature a key element perfect for grow outs: a deep plastic pull-out tray designed to hold bedding.

Using a hutch with bedding like pine shavings offers a different approach to sanitation. The bedding absorbs moisture and provides a soft, solid surface for the birds’ feet, which some keepers prefer. The deep plastic tray makes a full clean-out simple—just slide it out, dump the old shavings into your compost, and add fresh bedding.

The tradeoff here is the frequency of cleaning. Unlike a wire-bottom cage where waste falls away, a bedding system requires your direct intervention. To prevent ammonia buildup and moisture, which can lead to respiratory problems, you’ll need to change the bedding every day or two. It’s a more hands-on method but can be very effective if you’re diligent.

Ware Manufacturing Pen: Safe Wire for Foot Health

Let’s talk about the single most critical safety feature of a grow out cage: the floor. The wire mesh must be the right size, and there is no room for compromise here. For quail between 2 and 6 weeks old, the gold standard is 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch hardware cloth.

This specific mesh size is small enough to fully support a young quail’s foot, preventing it from slipping through and getting trapped. At the same time, it’s large enough to allow most droppings to pass through to the tray below. Cages from companies like Ware Manufacturing often use this correct sizing, but you must always check the product specifications. Avoid cages with 1-inch by 1/2-inch wire floors, as those are only safe for fully grown adult birds.

A common beginner mistake is to assume any wire floor is fine. This leads to devastating leg injuries that are entirely preventable. Making the floor mesh size your top priority when shopping will save you from a lot of potential trouble and ensure your young birds grow up strong and healthy.

Producer’s Pride Pen: All-Metal for Durability

The materials a cage is made from matter, especially when it comes to long-term use and biosecurity. While cages with wood or plastic components can work, an all-metal pen, like many found under the Producer’s Pride label, offers superior durability and cleanability.

Quail can be surprisingly destructive, pecking at and wearing down softer materials over time. Galvanized steel construction stands up to this abuse and resists rust. More importantly, a non-porous metal surface can be thoroughly scrubbed, washed, and disinfected between batches of birds. This is essential for breaking the life cycle of parasites and bacteria, ensuring a fresh, clean start for each new group.

The primary consideration with an all-metal cage is temperature. Metal can get cold, so the pen must be kept in a draft-free location where the ambient temperature is stable. They are also heavier than their plastic counterparts, but this weight adds to their stability and longevity. For a serious hobbyist planning to raise quail for years, an all-metal cage is a wise choice.

Stromberg’s Quail Cage with External Feed Troughs

It seems like a small detail, but the placement of feeders and waterers has a massive impact on your daily chores and the health of your birds. Cages designed with external feed and water troughs, a common feature in Stromberg’s lineup, solve several problems at once.

When feeders are placed inside the cage, the quail will inevitably kick bedding, droppings, and feathers into them. This contaminates their food supply and wastes a tremendous amount of feed. External troughs, which the birds access through small openings, keep the food and water pristine.

This design also makes daily chores faster and less stressful for the birds. You can refill everything without reaching into the cage, which minimizes disruption. Less stress leads to healthier, faster-growing birds. It’s an elegant solution that improves hygiene, reduces waste, and simplifies your management routine.

Key Features for a Safe and Clean Quail Grow Out

Choosing the right cage can feel overwhelming, but it boils down to a few non-negotiable features. Whether you build your own or buy a pre-made model, use this as your checklist to ensure you’re creating a safe and healthy environment for your growing quail.

Your decision should be guided by these core principles. Focus on a design that makes it easy for you to keep the environment clean, because a clean cage is the foundation of a healthy flock.

• Safe Flooring: This is the top priority. Use only 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth for the floor to prevent all leg and foot injuries.
• Effective Waste Management: A slanted floor and a pull-out droppings tray is the most efficient system for keeping birds separate from their manure.
• External Feeders and Waterers: This feature keeps food and water clean, drastically reduces waste, and minimizes stress on the birds during chores.
• Durable, Sanitizable Materials: All-metal construction is ideal because it holds up to abuse and can be completely disinfected between batches.
• Proper Spacing: Don’t overcrowd. Aim for at least 1/4 square foot of floor space per bird during the grow out phase to prevent pecking and stress.

No single cage is perfect for every person’s situation. The best choice for you will balance your budget, the space you have available, and the number of birds you plan to raise. By prioritizing these key features, you can confidently select a cage that will protect your young birds and set you up for success.

The grow out stage is a short but formative period in a quail’s life. By investing in a cage that is built around the principles of safety and sanitation, you are doing more than just housing your birds—you are actively preventing the most common issues that plague new keepers and ensuring your flock gets the strongest possible start.