Bobwhites about to come out of brooder, quick question

[fowlman33]

My outside cages are 90% built, they are 3ft wide X 10ft long X 18" high.....I was thinking of putting some "bird netting" as the roof to limit startled fly up injuries...does anyone have any more suggestions, I would like to finish it this weekend ????

would love some ideas !!

here is an earlier pic of my pen, the top is on and then sides are complete now.

 

[7L Farm]

Not trying to be a smart arse but why didn't you build the pen as one big pen . Bob's at least mine sure like having alot of room they love to fly. I'm wondering if you could use the little cages for grow out pens & build the rest as a flight pen. Someone will say no way but I would try it. That would be cool. JMO. There's nothing etched in stone when raising birds. Here's my aviary.

 

[quailmale]

Quote:
My pen is 3 ft tall 6 ft wide and 18 ft long and I did use the plastic chicken wire type for the ceiling to prevent them from bonking their heads on the plywood and all the roofing nails sticking thru, works great.

 

[_Randall_]

Well Fowlman, looks like you've got a good structure going up there. Your idea of "softening the blow" with netting just below the ceiling is probably a good idea, even though I don't practice it. All my pens are 32" to 36" from wire floor to ceiling, and have either plywood ceilings, or tin ceilings ..... and they just bounce of of'em, and keep on truckin'. I've never lost one (or had a noticable injury) yet that I can say was caused by an uprising crash. I've got two 6' x 16' pens, a 5' x 12' pen, and a 3' x 9' pen......all with hinged center dividers that can be swung down and fastened to make the long pens 2 pens half its size. Of course, that means having 2 doors, but that's almost a necessity for bigger pens, anyway. If I was you, I would consider putting mobile dividers in every pen you build that would allow you to have that luxuary, because it will give you some versatility of having a place to seperate different wide-spread age groups, etc...
And one last suggestion...........If you think 3 x 10 is big enough, splurge and build 6 x 20's....etc...etc...... I promise you, you can never have enough pen space if you're addicted to this hobby as I am... I'm building more 6 x 16's this winter........

 

[fowlman33]

Thanks guys....this is my first go around, I am sure I will keep on building pens

 

[Missi]

Wow, I wish I was handy enough & had the tools to build my own "quail mansions". Well done.