Sloped floor for eggs to roll out

cookiesdaddy

Songster
12 Years
Apr 13, 2007
217
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California Bay Area
I'm planning on building a quail pen with sloped floor for eggs to roll out. The floor will be 1/2 inch hardware cloth. For those who have such a set up, can you please tell me how it works out for you? How much slope is needed?

I did some experiment tonight, with 1/4 inch cloth (just what I have right now). I tried up to 10% slope and the egg still won't roll out completely. It would roll initially side way until the large end pointed downward and the egg stopped rolling. So I figure the only way for this to work is if the birds walk back and forth and keep kicking the eggs randomly, causing them to keep rolling to the edge.

Please help with your insight. I hate to design and build something that won't work and hard to change once it's built. I'd rather not having to open the pen to collect eggs everyday. The doors need to be well secured against predator (coons) and thus won't be fast and convenient for me to open every day.
 
I do not have sloped cages but I do plan on making some in the near future, and the number I keep seeing while doing my research is 1" drop for every 12" of cage floor.
 
I'm planning on building a quail pen with sloped floor for eggs to roll out. The floor will be 1/2 inch hardware cloth. For those who have such a set up, can you please tell me how it works out for you? How much slope is needed?

I did some experiment tonight, with 1/4 inch cloth (just what I have right now). I tried up to 10% slope and the egg still won't roll out completely. It would roll initially side way until the large end pointed downward and the egg stopped rolling. So I figure the only way for this to work is if the birds walk back and forth and keep kicking the eggs randomly, causing them to keep rolling to the edge.

Please help with your insight. I hate to design and build something that won't work and hard to change once it's built. I'd rather not having to open the pen to collect eggs everyday. The doors need to be well secured against predator (coons) and thus won't be fast and convenient for me to open every day.
Actually, I've seen several of my hens lay their eggs, and they do not appear to roll end over end as you have described. If they have rolled end over end, I've never seen it.

I "retro-fitted" one of my current cages, which is 24" x 36" x 12". What I have done, is I have used 1" x 1/2" pet wire. It is 30" wide by 10' long. I cut a piece 36" long. My cages are 24" from front to back, so I took a 2" PVC pipe, and clamped it to the side that was 36", and "rolled" the wire over the pipe until it had a nice curve. Then I removed the floor and I cut a piece from the bottom of the front "wall" 1" off of the bottom to allow the eggs to roll through. I didn't cut it all of the way across, as you will need some of it for support so the front of the floor does not sag. The back part of the floor was connected 2" higher than the front (1" drop per foot) and I used zip ties to connect the wire to the sides, so now the front is 12" high and the back is 10" high. The eggs roll out about 2" from the cage, and the birds don't kick them, like they do in the other cages. A word of advice: when you use the wire, make sure the wire runs from front to back, not side to side, otherwise, the eggs won't roll. If you look closely at how the wire is welded, you will see what I mean.
James
 
Thanks James. From searching this forum and other sites, I understand the 1 x 1/2 with thicker wire helps eggs roll better. But I can't seem to find that wire mesh / hardware cloth anywhere. Where did you buy yours?

I understand it's more expensive too. Don't want to spend more money. I just bought a roll of 1/2 x 1/2 19 gauge, 2' x 50' for $45 from Amazon. Now I find out that it's not that friendly to the quails feet and won't roll eggs easily :-(
 
Where did you buy yours?

I understand it's more expensive too. Don't want to spend more money. I just bought a roll of 1/2 x 1/2 19 gage, 2' x 50' for $45 from Amazon. Now I find out that it's not that friendly to the quails feet and won't roll eggs easily :-(
I got mine from Tractor Supply Company. It is 16 gage, compared to 1/2" hardware cloth which is 19 gage. In each of my cages, I have a small cardboard box filled with dirt for the birds to dust in. The box is big enough for all 6 quail to sit in. Sometimes, that is where I find the eggs.
James
 
Thanks Don. I came to OSH and found them, but they're too expensive for the amount that I need. Tractor Supply has it but the drive to Gilroy is too far plus have to figure the gas cost. Then I found this at Amazon and bought it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009EU6BU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Very good price for 2' x 25' ($36.62). Last week I bought from Amazon the 1/2 x 1/2 2' x 50' for $43 but now that one has to go back. Could not find this 1/2 x 1 until I learned to search for "cage wire".
 
OSH sells it for $3.39 per linear foot (2 feet wide) and they'll cut it to your length, or buy a whole 100 feet roll for $299. Still very expensive. I bought 2' x 50' from Amazon and that will be close to what I need. Glad to find them.

I think I'm going to paint it with a good anti rust paint to help making it smoother and easier on the quails' feet.
 

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