INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This can be as simple as converting a rabbit hutch, which should be well ventilated and big enough to house about 6 quail (750 sq. cm, or about 300 sq. in). If you are planning to keep a larger number of quail, you will need a bigger pen or aviary.  Do not use a chicken coop for housing quail as they do not perch like chickens. The housing area for the quail should be on or near the ground. Quail like to nest and forage or sleep on the ground. Unless you are able to install wire mesh under the house or provide a solid floor under the house (like concrete), you may need to raise the house off the ground slightly in order to keep rats and other pests from burrowing in. If you must raise the house off the ground, try to raise it no more than 10 cm (about 4 inches), and provide a shallow ramp that the quail can use to enter and exit. Make sure the shelter is roofed so that the quail will have shelter from the sun and the elements. Your quail will be happiest if they are able to spend time roaming and foraging. If you house your quail in cages or a small hutch, consider attaching a flight pen or run to their shelter. A run is an enclosed outdoor area where your birds can walk around or (with a tall enough roof) fly.  There are no particular size restrictions on the run or flight pen, although it should be larger than their shelter or hutch. It should be tall enough to allow the birds to fly, and preferably tall enough for you to enter in order to maintain the habitat and the birds. There should also be sufficient space for the quail to run around, and areas for hiding. Create a frame for your run or flight pen out of lumber or PVC piping. Try one of the construction methods described here: http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/pdf/extension/birg_flight_pen.pdf  Consider running mesh under the run or installing a concrete floor to prevent predators from digging under. Cover the sides of the run with fine (7 mm or .25 in) wire mesh. Roof the run with soft bird netting, and make sure the top of the pen is secure from outside predators. Make sure there is cover in the run. Cover could include elevated logs, cut conifer branches, potted plants, or shrubs. Quail need to dust bathe regularly. They prefer fine particles, like sand (as opposed to sawdust). Set aside an area of your quail hutch or run for sand bathing. Food and water may be provided in troughs or in individual stations. Be sure to provide plenty of eating and drinking space for each bird, so that they do not have to compete for food and water.  Quail should have at least 1.25-2.5 cm (about 0.5-1 in) of feeding space per bird, in order to reduce aggression and stress during feeding. Quail need plenty of fresh water. Your habitat should provide .6 cm (about .25 in) of water trough space per bird. If you plan to offer water via cups or water nipples, your habitat should have 1 watering cup or nipple drinker available for every 5 birds. Make sure food and water stations are easy for you to access so that you can change, refill, and clean them easily. Give your quail foraging opportunities by scattering grain in their floor litter, hiding it in cored fruits or vegetables, or mixing it in with scraps of paper in their feed troughs. Quail like to have plenty of litter to poke around in. Cover the floor with sand, softwood, or straw, because spending too much time on wire can hurt their feet. Straw can also double as nesting material.  If your main quail home has a wire floor, make sure the quail have access to a solid floor with a soft litter cover, either in their run or as part of their pen/hutch. One possible solution is to install a solid floor in a corner of their hutch and cover it with soft litter. Twigs, straw, feathers, and leaf litter can add extra interest to their floor litter and provide nesting material. Adding interesting features to your enclosure, such as logs for them to climb on or wood on bricks for them to climb under, will keep your quail from getting bored and unhappy. Keep in mind that your quail may prefer to simply nest on the ground under a sheltering shrub or branch. However, the option of nest boxes should be available.  A nest box is typically a simple, open-fronted wooden box or cubby-hole. Quail feel safest in covered nest boxes, although they show a preference for nest box covers with slits rather than solid covers.  Place nest boxes in the corners of your quail hutch or pen, and line them with hay, chaff, or corn husks.

SUMMARY: Construct a pen or shelter. Construct a run or flight pen. Provide a sand tray or pit for dustbathing. Provide feeding and watering stations. Provide appropriate floor cover. Install simple nest boxes.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Wash and dry a large potato, making sure to scrub the skin thoroughly. Place it in a microwaveable dish. Do not peel or pierce the potato. Russet potatoes work best, but other kinds of potatoes with thick skin are also good option (e.g. Yukon Gold, sweet potatoes). Cover the dish with plastic wrap, leaving a corner open. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove, uncover, and check the potato to see if it's cooked. If not, continue microwaving for another minute and check again. Remove the potato from the microwave-safe dish with an oven mitt or kitchen tongs. Run it under cold water for 15 seconds to cool. Make a cut on the side of the potato and slowly remove the skin entirely. Place potato in a bowl and add a half cup (4 oz.) of milk, half cup (4 oz.) or sour cream or plain yogurt, and one tbsp. (0.5 oz.) of butter. Mash the potato using a masher or large fork, continuing until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SUMMARY:
Scrub, wash and dry a large potato. Cover and cook. Peel the potato. Mash the potato. Finished.