DIY Quail Cage 3.0

[Mamacast]

That is very clear thanks for the additional inspiration!

 

[philipmadamson]

I really like this! Thanks for sharing as I am getting close to ready to build my first one

 

[Happy Novogens]

With this size coop, how many quail do you keep in there?

 

[mdees88]

With this size coop, how many quail do you keep in there?

I've kept 10 in there without issues. You can probably keep a few more if they get along good (I think I had around 20 3-4 week olds in it and they did fine). I'm selling this one to a friend and he'll have 6 in it, which gives them plenty of room.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Thanks! Would that be the same for coturnix (aren't these larger)?

Is the closed-in area just for sand baths? How often does that typically need to be changed out? Did you find they would sleep in there or do they prefer to be out in the main area?

 

[mdees88]

Those were Italians so Jumbo coturnix are a tad bigger but yeah, it will hold the same amount. I sold the Italians so I never had a consistant number staying in that cage for a long period time.

I ended up having bad raccoon problems and a few bumble foot problems so I decided to take a year off from the quail. Haven't had any in that cage for quite a while so trying to remember how many I kept in it from memory.

The closed in area is there so they can get out of the wind when it gets cold. That is where I usually add the dust baths too, and when it's cold I leave the dust baths in there all the time with either sand or hay so they can stay warm.

Coturnix are very cold hardy though. They actually do worse in the heat. It rarely gets below freezing and on cold nights I've seen them out in the open just sitting on the wire. So it just depends, they mainly sleep all over the place.


Here's some of the 4 week olds. There's 15 in this pic. Think I had 18-20 in there until I sold some. They did just fine....

 

[mdees88]

I did have issues with poop not falling through the 1/2" floor with my biggest Jumbos. Also I found a few burrs on some of the wire from the galvanized coating. I think that is what was cutting my quails feet and getting them infected.

I'm now in the process of replacing all the floors in all my cages with 1/2" x 1" 16ga pvc coated wire. This has the plastic coating making it smooth on their feet and easy to clean. It has bigger openings so the poop falls through better. Also the wire is a lot thicker which makes the floors sturdier. If someone was building a new cage that's the wire I would recommend. That or another thick (14-16ga) wire with a very smooth galvanized finish.

I have 80 something chick's in the brooder now so I'll be finishing up the floors in the next week or so.... and adding electric fence wire to the legs of my cages.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Thank you! That's all very helpful in my planning. I have been looking (online) for the pvc coated wire. Have only found the 1/2" x 1/2" so far at home depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGAR...19-Gauge-PVC-Hardware-Cloth-308254B/202024056Will look for the 1/2" x 1" of the vinyl coated or PVC coated. Have you used that size before? I assume their feet won't slip through (newbie qstn )? Where have you seen the coated 1/2" x 1" ?

The Italians are pretty birds.

 

[mdees88]

Thank you! That's all very helpful in my planning. I have been looking (online) for the pvc coated wire. Have only found the 1/2" x 1/2" so far at home depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGAR...19-Gauge-PVC-Hardware-Cloth-308254B/202024056Will look for the 1/2" x 1" of the vinyl coated or PVC coated. Have you used that size before? I assume their feet won't slip through (newbie qstn )? Where have you seen the coated 1/2" x 1" ?

The Italians are pretty birds.

I bought my wire online from homedepot but it looks like they are out of stock. I wasn't able to find it in rolls less than 50ft though....
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fencer-...STH_DELIVERY_COMPLETE__V1_M1_CA-_-Product_URL
I have never used this size before but GQF and Wynola Ranch battery cages use the same size floors. And those are professional breeder cages.

When I had an injured quail I would put it in one of my pin fish traps. They are made of pvc coated 5/8" x 5/8" wire. I planned on trying that out but it was pretty hard to find so I ended up buying the other stuff.

Most people use the 1/2 x 1/2 galvanized wire so it does work. If you decide to go with it, look it over good for burrs. Also it's a good idea to clean the wire pretty regularly especially if some of the poop isn't falling through.

 

[mdees88]

Just got the new floor installed. It's 1/2" x 1" 16ga vinyl coated welded wire. This wire is significantly thicker than the 1/2" galvanized hardware cloth I used the first time. It's very smooth and I think it's going to work out great..... hopefully I get my other cage floors replaced this weekend, they're much larger than this one.