All Wire Cage Plans?

[tinyhomestead]

Hi all!
I'm pretty new here and I am really looking to get into raising quail for meat, but I haven't been able to find very much information on cage setups for quail in comparison to chickens. I was hoping some of you have made all wire cages with an egg catch / tilted floor.
I looked through some of the cage threads and say most of them had a lot of plywood going on. Are quails ok on wire?
Anyways I'm hoping ya'll can help this noob out! I don't want to spend money on hardware cloth and mesh just to mess it up!
If you could post ideas or plans with how many quail they can hold it would be seriously appreciated!
thanks in advance

 

[loveourbirds]

i havent had any luck with hatching eggs that come off of tilted wire, they should be fine for eating. at minimum allow 1 square foot per bird. i find its better to use wood floors and pine shavings, bedding them also in their feed. if quail run out of feed, they will start pecking at each other (pharaoh quail). they also stay warmer on a wood floor if your in a cold area.

if you want to use wire, the floor spacing should be 1/2 x 1 inch wire. side walls should be 1/2 square hardware cloth, or for stability you can go up to 1 x 2 (16 ga) inch wire for adults.

say you want 30 quail, - the cage should be 30 square feet. 2x15,3x10,5x6 would all work. some people put them in more cramped than i am saying, but i find mine (again pharaoh quail) do best at 1 foot per bird.

 

[James the Bald]

Tiny, Welcome to the quail forum on BYC.
I have several all wire cages. I use 1/2" hardware cloth for the floor, and 1" x 1" wire for the sides and top. At first, I cut wire and used zip ties to hold the edges together. To make the floor slope, I stapled the back edge of the cage to a 2" x 2" furring strip, raising the back of the cage about 2 inches. Then one day, I was strolling through my favorite feed store and saw a bag of j-clips and a set of J-clip pliers. From that day on, I've been using J-clips to build my cages.
Here are 3 websites that can help you build your cages. One is from Grit.com, another is from Florida Hill billy, and the other is from rabbitbreeder.us. All of them give the basics of building cages.
I hope this helps you out.
James

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

I have all wire cages that have a slant for egg collection, I will try and post pictures tomorrow!

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

These are my all wire cages for coturnix. The bottom cage is for storage for now and emergency.
Each cage has 6 sections

The walls and roof are 1'x2' wire

They are held up by bungee cords suspended on a homemade stand

This is the feeder that attaches directly to the cage, the bungee is for the roofing not the feeder. Under the feeder is an egg rack with a slanted floor to roll the eggs

This is the waterer, PVC with some weird end cap that hooks on the wire







The divisions are rabbit wire with an aluminum plate

This is an overall view of the two wire cages with a ground pen beneath them



The roof is a cheap wax paper type thing that is water proof

 

[VickieB57]

Has anyone else had problems with egg hatch rate from eggs on a slanted wire?

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

I havent hatched out of the slanted wire cages, I plan on having breeders in the ground pen

 

[thegoatpacker]

When I got my first 14 quail, I left Portland with NO idea what I was going to do for cages. Fortunately I stopped at a Goodwill and I found the solution. Are you familiar with the storage cubes that are made of 14" square grids and snap together in the corners? Using these panels and strong zip ties, I fabricated 28" square, 14" tall cages with lift doors on the top. Plenty of room for 6 or 7 birds and all their needs. Got some serving bowls at the Dollar store for their sand bath. I have 12 of those cages and am always on the lookout for more panels. Takes an hour start to finish for each cage. With the doors on top, no escapes while I am servicing the cage.

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

When I got my first 14 quail, I left Portland with NO idea what I was going to do for cages. Fortunately I stopped at a Goodwill and I found the solution. Are you familiar with the storage cubes that are made of 14" square grids and snap together in the corners? Using these panels and strong zip ties, I fabricated 28" square, 14" tall cages with lift doors on the top. Plenty of room for 6 or 7 birds and all their needs. Got some serving bowls at the Dollar store for their sand bath. I have 12 of those cages and am always on the lookout for more panels. Takes an hour start to finish for each cage. With the doors on top, no escapes while I am servicing the cage.

I have a PILE of those at my house, my mom uses tons for closets and what not so I have hundreds in my garage! they will be perfect!

 

[thegoatpacker]

Lucky you! If you have any questions regarding construction I will try to get some pix.