Professional designer builds new pens with custom feeders and watering system!

[RichardandTresa]

First off, I want to thank everyone here for all their input on this forum. I'm pretty sure I've read nearly EVERY thread here! (Really! When I get into something, I REALLY get into it! Some say obsessed, others just know me.) LOL!

Second, I wanted to post photos here (I still may be able to), but after searching how to post photos, apparently I need to post several posts in order to be permitted to post photos? If so, this will be my first.

A little about my wife and I. She works for the school district and has taught Master gardening classes for about 5 years. When she first asked if she could dig up a small patch in the back yard for a "little" garden, I told her no! I immediate asked her what was it she REALLY wanted... After a few tries and more smiles on my face, she asked if we could turn the back yard into a farm. I replied" Well, then, let's get to it! We now have about 12 LARGE raised beds (dug a foot deep before going up), and includes computer controlled sprinklers, misters and drip irrigation.

5 years later (This year), we added chickens, rabbits and several different style aquaponic systems raising Tilapia and Catfish (If there's interest after sharing photos of our new quail pens, I'll share photos of those too... Lots of high tech, bells and whistles... Which brings me to sharing a little about myself:

I'm a motion picture special effects artist (The 5th Element, Star Trek, Power Rangers, Jungle Book, Jingle All the Way and more) as well as a prototype designer/fabricator creating everything from deep sea diving equipment for the Discovery Channel, to world land speed record vehicles to tons of toys for companies like Mattel, Hasbro and Fisher-Price... I LOVE to design and build stuff... LOL!

So a few months ago, I discovered the world of Coturnix Quail! Holey Moley!!!! What's there not to love! That's when I discovered a few website forums, but fell in love with this one... Read as much as I could (I was so obsessed, I'd wake up at 2AM and continue reading until my wife woke up... With the exception of loving the presence of the chickens (hens only as we life in the city), I probably would have gone straight to quail if I had known about them sooner! =D

As you can imagine, we were running out of space... I accidentally purchased some rabbit cages from Craigslist (He was asking $20 ea but I couldn't use them the way they were... He then offered me four of them for $20... The pans alone are worth more than that!, still, that I couldn't use them for rabbits (as they were), but they were new and came with pans and I had learned how to use clips and C-rings and bought the tools...

After reading about Quail, I realized they would be perfect for Quail and what I had in mind... We have a breezeway between the garage (shop) and house with large double doors at each end. I could open them up in the summer to keep the area cool, and close them in the winter to provide protection. I opted on building a four tier Quail battery with four grow-out pens and four breeder pens. I decided to build them on ball bearing rubber wheels so I could move them into the back patio which brings up what may be my only question about quail:

I've head that "disturbing them" by moving them from cage to cage can disrupt egg laying for two weeks... Would the same apply leaving them in their cages but simply rolling the battery about 8' into the patio (more light but still covered)?

The cool stuff I want to share is a feeder I designed and built that is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Fits outside the cage and has a large covered clear "hopper" that holds about 1/12 gallons of feed and the amount remaining can instantly be seen at all times. The Quail access is designed to eliminate any waste and since it is outside the pen, does not waste floor space inside.

The second cool thing I designed is a an automatic watering system using a float valve designed for a swamp cooler ($4.95 at Loews!) each waterer is a trough cut from 2" ABS pipe and fits in between each cage at each level so that Quail from both cages at each level can access the shared water source. The valves can be used either gravity fed or with regular water pressure.

All cages slide out for cleaning as well as the pans...

OK... that's it for now... I JUST completed the water system a while ago (just ran out to check the water level to see if the float valve is holding the water level I wanted and it is! Yeah! (I love it when things work the way I designed it... it doesn't always work out that way. That's why I LOVE "Theoretical Engineering" cause when you're dealing with theoretical principles... everything always works! LOL!

Again, many thanks to all I have learned from here... I f I can't post pictures on this, my first post, I'll keep posting until I can...

Best,
Richard

 

[Quail Jailer]

Welcome to BYC Richard, My first name is Richard also, but I've always gone by my middle name,

"Ain't right".

 

[RichardandTresa]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the "Welcome".... I've been "lurking around here for a while (My wife just let me know that it's only been just over two months! (I thought it had been since October! I get so lost in time when I get involved in new interests and projects... Turns out, with the exception of out two indoor Tilapia breeder/aquaponic tank systems, I've researched designed and built everything else only since March!

Yesterday after posting here, I took the rest of the "day" off... Tresa also informed me that I began work on Sunday at 5AM, so I had already put in an 11 hour day... on a Sunday! I decided to lay out on our outdoor couch to rest... She woke me up at 9PM helping me to get to bed... LOL! I really need to take some time off! I'm just so excited about all this... especially the Quail!

We have 24 Coturnix "chicks" (3 weeks old... We got them when they were 3 days old), divided between two large Rubbermaid "brooder bins". Framed Chicken Wire tops with heat lamps and thermometers... We took them off lights last night and they did well...

Checked the new watering system and it's still holding at 1/8" from the top lip! YEAH! Only one leak and that was where the hose attaches from the supply tank... The float valves were designed for high pressure tap water and fitted with 1/4" compression fittings... I couldn't find anything with a barb that would thread onto it, so I just slipped the hose over the threads and added a hose clamp... One was fine, the other had a really slow drop by drop leak... I disassembled it this AM, siliconed it and put it back together...

The chicks are really close to being fully feathered and I can't wait to see them in their larger new pens.... I especially want to see them use the new waterers and feeders I built... We're going to move a few from the brooder this afternoon when Tresa gets home just to see how they do, but I'm going to hold off on letting any of them spend the night... maybe a few more days to a week... They're not huddling together at all without the lights... It's getting hot this week with super mild nights...

I want to get some photos of them using the feeders and waterers... Really interested in how they "fit"... reaching out for the feed and water.

OK... back to work... Next project is a DIY evaporative cooler for the house! We don't want to turn on the air conditioner this summer... A lot of what we're doing around here is getting off the grid as much as possible (We have a well that we haven't used yet and we have plans for adding solar... the animals provide fertilizer and the plants feed them as well as us!

So much more to share!

Let's see if this post gets me to a place where I can add photos! =D (if not, next time!)

Richard

 

[ChickieMama84]

How funny! We were starting to build our aquaponics system when a bunch of quail were given to us so it has been halted but should be resumed next month! I would love to see your aquaponics and quail systems! We will be raising Tilapa and freshwater shrimp. It is quite larger than I expected it to be but my husband keeps saying to trust him so I will do just that

 

[Sill]

Hi Richard. Can't wait to see your feeders and waterers. It's always fun to see new designs.

I don't know about putting the quail off laying for two weeks just by moving the cages. The most mine have been put off has been five days, then back to laying. Of course if you are going to be moving entire batteries you will have to do so slowly so as not to spook them into boinking their heads. They can panic and are good at hurting themselves.

We are getting an aquaponics system put together. Right now it's just the aqua part up and running. The grow beds and sump are not plumbed yet. It seems there is always another project to steal time away.

 

[bkvail]

I can't wait to see pics of your setup!

Right now, mine are in a ground pen (a dozen quail in an 8'x8' pen) with rabbit water bottles (Lixit) for their water and a chicken hanging feeder for feed. It drives me NUTS that they dig it out though and I am going to have to figure out soon how to alter the feeder so they can't dig the feed out.

 

[RichardandTresa]

Hello all,

Sorry it's been a while, I was (and still am) sick... really sick... been in bed for 4 days (impossible for me as I am always up and working... intense vomiting and diarrhea with 102+ fever... lost over 20 pounds! It looks like I can insert some photos so I will try... not much I can add narrative wise as I am still just hanging on to be sitting up ... sorry...

Let's see how may photos I can insert:

Great! They're here!

These are of the feeders:

The white parts are 2" PVC plumbing pipe and fittings (Shortened T and cap couplings to fit the door mount. The clear parts are custom vacuum formed parts (I have a complete shop specializing in plastic fabrication with two vacuum formers)...












Let's see if I can add more!

Here are the auto waterers (Great watching the quail use them but I haven't taken photos yet... both the feeders and waterers are outside the cages providing more floor space... There's no food waste at all as the quail really need to put their heads in deep to get the food. any shaking of their heads still doesn't throw food outside.

The rectangular object in the middle of the water trough is the float connected to a brass rod that connects to the valve. This can be used with gravity fed OR direct hook up to a hose!












OK... so far so good... Here are some photos of my pen set up... The smaller cages to the left are for breeder quads, the longer cages to the right are grow out... only the top half is completed so far... there will still be four more cages added to the bottom. the whole thing is on ball bearing rubber wheels in a breezeway and able to roll out onto our back porch... shaded So far, its been way hotter in the breezeway than the porch! TOTAL SURPRISE! We also have rabbits and know they are very sensitive to heat...

How hot is "Too hot" for Coturnix quail? We get concerned about 90+, but we are also influenced by how little heat our rabbits can take? Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated! Summers here can easily reach 105+

Thanks!

Richard

 

[Quail Jailer]

Hello all,

Sorry it's been a while, I was (and still am) sick... really sick... been in bed for 4 days (impossible for me as I am always up and working... intense vomiting and diarrhea with 102+ fever... lost over 20 pounds! It looks like I can insert some photos so I will try... not much I can add narrative wise as I am still just hanging on to be sitting up ... sorry...
(snip)

You better be glad you had an excuse bucko, otherwise someone would have written you up....

 

[cotquail]

Impressive craftsmanship, I like the vertical garden? in the background.Regards heat, shade,air circulation and evaporation, swamp cooler or mister leaning toward fogger, but just air circulation and shade.Is the feeder design for free feeding,constant access too as much as is wanted, Secondly any creative cage cleaning tech , I have to physically remove the trays and squeegy the lot into the compost on a bi weekly basis. Here is where we need pro design. Kudos to you, any allowance for eggs, I find a scratch box of sand or oyster shell helps keep their feet in order when they are on wire, they need something to clean their feet they like to dust as well. This one uses 5mm luan shaped to allow access and prevent throwing too much out.

 

[RichardandTresa]

CotQuail:

THAT... Is the most awesome design I've seen in a long time! Beautiful lines, simple and it makes all the sense in the world....

Are you ok if I take my inspiration from you to develop a plastic version? Of course, it will be a while... I am still sick! (Starting to get nervous about it... stomach cramps have subsided and fever is gone but I still have diarrhea and I am not one to get sick... hardly ever! (Of course Tresa tells me this is my body complaining about working all the time... lol! (she could be right)...

Just got a new client project and I didn't finish the home brewed evaporative cooler I began before I got sick... Cooling the animals? Ha! It's our turn!


The vertical garden? Yes, it is... Horizontal tubes that will be fed by a large aquarium pump in a 700 gallon partially submerged fish tank (raising catfish)... The fish wastes feed the plants (150 to 200 2" basket pots hanging in holes along the top of the pipes... the water fills the pipes just enough to wet the hanging roots from the pots but not enough to drown the roots... travels to the other side, and then drops down back into the fish tank ("Aquaponics")


Still wondering about actual #s regarding quail and heat and danger levels.... We have rabbits and at 85 degrees, for sustained time, the buck can go sterile for up to 90 days... at 90 degrees, we're looking at possible fatalities, definitely at over 100 degrees... Our quail have been in the shade with osculating fans in 90 to 95+ degrees, today is supposed to be 105 and our august heat waves can be over 100+ for days on end... We're giving them frozen treats in glass bowls, the have sand boxes, constant water... but still wondering about any specific temp guides...


I've got to be short here... so much to catch up on... I'm going to throw in some photos to share...

Creative poop tray cleaning? Working on that... A very small autonomous robot (miniature tank tread/bomb disposal type), silicone cover to protect from additional bird droppings. It has an IR system (cheap) that turns it around when it reaches an edge of the pan. then turns and continues... Kind of like one of those auto vacuum robots.... It can hold up to two BIC lighters and blasts/incinerates anything in it's path (can't use wood shavings with it)....


Would you like one?

Ha! So would I!!!!!!! (Oh wait, my sense of humor is coming back... I think I'm getting better!

OK... just going to add some photos... Indoor tank system is an active aquaponics (with highly filtered (own design) back up) system that will become our Tilaplia breeder tanks.