[Kevin McCormack]

Quail and trapped wild pigeons are usually the last things to go in a local livestock auction. Subject to availability they are usually not expensive, relatively speaking. Several people going in together on a lot is an advantage in price and volume if you have pens or coops to keep them. When I had dogs I used them for maintenance training and could usually get a few surplus birds from the NAVHDA training days (quail and/or chukars) or the aftermath of nearby clandestine live bird shoots.
Coincidentally enough, the state Dept. of Ag and Farm Bureau both had good construction plans for DIY coops, holding pens, and the like associated with keeping live birds in smaller numbers (e.g., not poultry houses).