6 Best Quail Grow-Out Cages For Market Gardens On a Homestead Budget

Your quail chicks are two weeks old, and the brooder that once seemed so spacious is suddenly a chaotic, feathered mess. They’re outgrowing their temporary home fast, and you need a grow-out cage that can handle them until they’re ready for market or the freezer. Choosing the right cage feels overwhelming, but it’s one of the most critical decisions for raising healthy, low-stress birds on a homestead budget. This isn’t about finding the fanciest setup; it’s about finding the smartest one for your specific goals.

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Key Features in Homestead Quail Grow-Out Cages

The single most important feature of any quail cage is the floor. Use 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch hardware cloth. Anything larger, like the 1-inch by 1/2-inch wire common on rabbit hutches, is a broken leg waiting to happen. Anything smaller, like 1/4-inch mesh, will clog with manure in days, creating a health hazard. The right floor keeps birds clean, safe, and healthy.

Quail are vertical jumpers. When startled, they don’t run—they "boink" straight up. A cage with too little headroom (under 8 inches) can lead to head injuries and scalping. Aim for a height between 10 and 15 inches. This gives them clearance to jump without injury but isn’t so tall that they can gain enough momentum to hurt themselves on the ceiling.

Think about your daily chores. Cages with external feeders and waterers are a massive time-saver and reduce stress on the birds. You aren’t reaching into the cage, and they aren’t spilling food and water everywhere. A system that minimizes feed waste is crucial, as feed is your biggest ongoing cost. Look for trough feeders that prevent the birds from scratching feed out onto the ground.

Finally, consider durability and predator proofing. If your cage will live outside, it needs a solid roof for shade and rain protection. The latches must be secure enough to stop a raccoon, which has dexterity comparable to a small child. Galvanized-after-welding wire will last much longer than cheaper alternatives, and sealing any wood components will protect them from the incredibly corrosive quail manure.

Ware Manufacturing Hutch for Small-Scale Batches

You’ll see these hutches at nearly every farm supply store, and for a good reason. They are a simple, self-contained solution for someone raising small batches of 15 to 25 quail at a time. They come flat-packed and assemble quickly, giving you a functional cage in under an hour.

The main advantage is accessibility and a decent, all-in-one design. Most include a covered "hide" area, which gives the birds a sense of security, and a solid shingled roof that provides excellent protection from sun and rain. The legs lift the entire unit off the ground, which improves airflow and makes it harder for predators to access.

However, these require one critical modification to be safe for quail. The floor is almost always wire mesh designed for rabbits, which will injure quail. You must buy a roll of 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth and securely fasten it over the existing floor. It’s an extra step and cost, but it’s non-negotiable for the birds’ welfare.

PawHut Stackable Cage System for Vertical Space

When floor space is your limiting factor, stacking is the answer. Systems like those from PawHut are designed for verticality, allowing you to raise multiple batches of birds in the same footprint you’d use for a single rabbit hutch. This is ideal for a garage, a shed, or the corner of a barn.

The best feature of these systems is the integrated manure management. Each tier has a pull-out plastic or metal tray that catches all the droppings. This makes daily or weekly clean-out incredibly fast and tidy. Instead of scraping manure from under a hutch, you simply slide out a tray, dump it in the compost, and slide it back in. The large front-swinging doors also provide excellent access to the birds.

The tradeoff is in their construction and placement. These are generally made of lighter-gauge wire and are not designed to withstand weather or determined predators. They are strictly for indoor or covered-patio use. While efficient, the cost per bird can be higher than a simple hutch, but the convenience in cleaning can easily justify the expense if your time is limited.

DIY Hardware Cloth Cage: The Ultimate Budget Build

For the homesteader who is more handy than wealthy, building your own cage is the undisputed champion of value. You get to control every aspect of the design, from the dimensions to the features, and the cost is limited to materials. This is how you build a perfect cage, not just a "good enough" one.

The basic structure is simple: a frame of 2×2 lumber with 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth stapled securely to the inside. Use screws instead of nails for a much stronger, longer-lasting frame. A sloped floor that allows droppings to fall through onto a tray or the ground makes cleaning far easier. You can design in external feed and water troughs from the start.

The key is to plan before you cut. Sketch out your design and think through the daily workflow. Where will the door go for easy access? How will you remove the manure? Can you add a small hinged door just for refilling the feeder? A well-planned DIY cage built with quality materials can easily outperform and outlast many commercial options for a fraction of the price.

Producer’s Pride Rabbit Hutch as a Quail Cage

This is another workhorse you’ll find at places like Tractor Supply. Much like the Ware hutch, it’s a readily available option that serves as an excellent starting point for a quail grow-out pen. They are often slightly more robust than hutches marketed toward pet owners, with thicker wood frames and sturdier legs.

Their primary benefit is providing a solid, elevated, and covered structure right out of the box. Getting the birds off the ground is a major plus for preventing issues with parasites and moisture while also making it more difficult for predators like snakes to gain access. The enclosed nesting box area can be left as-is to provide a windbreak and a secure place for birds to retreat.

Just like other rabbit hutches, the floor must be modified. You cannot put quail directly onto the standard 1" x 1/2" wire floor. A layer of 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth secured with zip ties or wire is essential. It’s also wise to apply a coat of non-toxic sealant (like raw linseed oil or a modern pet-safe sealer) to the wood, especially the legs and any part of the frame exposed to manure. This simple step can double the life of the hutch.

Stromberg’s Quail Pen Kit for Simple Assembly

If you want a purpose-built quail cage without the guesswork of DIY, a kit is an excellent middle ground. Companies like Stromberg’s Poultry offer pens designed specifically for quail, which means every component is correct from the start. You get the right wire size, appropriate dimensions, and features suited for game birds.

The biggest advantage here is confidence and convenience. The kit arrives with all the pre-cut wire panels, connectors, and instructions you need. There’s no need to modify a rabbit hutch floor or worry if your design has a fatal flaw. For someone new to quail or less confident in their building skills, this removes a major barrier to entry.

The main considerations are cost and planning. These kits are more expensive than a DIY build or a modified rabbit hutch. You’re paying for the specialized design and the convenience of having everything sourced for you. They also need to be ordered and shipped, so it’s not a solution you can pick up on the same day you realize you need it.

The A-Frame Quail Tractor for Pastured Birds

For homesteaders focused on regenerative practices, a quail tractor is the best choice. This is a mobile, floorless A-frame pen that you move across your pasture or garden beds daily. It’s less of a cage and more of a management tool.

The benefits are twofold. First, the quail get a varied diet of fresh greens, seeds, and insects, which can improve the quality of their meat and reduce your feed bill. Second, they provide direct fertilization and pest control. Moving a tractor across a garden bed after harvest is a perfect way to clean up leftover pests and weeds while enriching the soil for the next crop.

This approach requires more daily effort. The tractor must be moved every single day to prevent overgrazing and manure buildup. It needs to be light enough for one person to move easily but heavy and secure enough that a predator can’t flip it over or dig underneath. The frame must be fully wrapped in hardware cloth, including a wire "skirt" around the base, to keep the quail in and predators out.

Final Checks: Cage Size, Safety, and Cleaning

Before you commit to a cage, do the math on stocking density. For grow-out, a common target is 3 to 4 birds per square foot. This is a maximum, not an ideal. Giving them more space reduces stress, feather picking, and the risk of disease. A 2′ x 4′ cage (8 sq ft) can comfortably house about 24-32 quail to butcher size.

Once built or assembled, do a thorough safety check. Run your bare hand carefully along every interior surface. Are there sharp points from cut wire? Splinters in the wood frame? Gaps larger than 1/2 inch where a predator could reach in or a bird could get its head stuck? Check that every latch is secure and can’t be jiggled open.

Finally, be honest with yourself about cleaning. A cage that is a pain to clean will not be cleaned as often as it should be. High levels of ammonia from droppings can cause respiratory illness in your birds and is unpleasant for you. The best cage design, whether it’s a pull-out tray, a wire floor over open ground, or a tractor you move daily, is the one that makes good sanitation easy to achieve.

The perfect quail grow-out cage doesn’t exist on a store shelf; it’s the one that fits your budget, your space, and your daily routine. Whether you modify a simple hutch, build a custom cage from scratch, or invest in a mobile tractor, the goal is the same. A safe, clean, and appropriately sized environment is the foundation for raising healthy birds and making your homestead venture a success.