does anyone keep cortunix on the ground?

[joe125]

Well....If people would call off the ROBO hunt for a moment.

1/2" HWC all around, and you will never post anything like...."Help, rats are eating my quail".

I just like to cover all the bases.........That's all I'm saying!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
But saying that being on wire won't hurt them is not right. You can use 1/2 HWC but it's still a good idea to have at least part of their floor solid. When mine were in individual wire cages they each had at least a 12" x 12" piece of board to stand on in addition to their dust pans and sleeping boxes. In a 2' x 2' cage, that didn't leave much area of the floor not covered. In the pen they are in now, they are almost always on solid flooring by choice.

 

[Stellar]

Mine hang around in their dust pans at the moment. Only jump out when they see me with feed

 

[joe125]

Quote:
But saying that being on wire won't hurt them is not right. You can use 1/2 HWC but it's still a good idea to have at least part of their floor solid. When mine were in individual wire cages they each had at least a 12" x 12" piece of board to stand on in addition to their dust pans and sleeping boxes. In a 2' x 2' cage, that didn't leave much area of the floor not covered. In the pen they are in now, they are almost always on solid flooring by choice.

That kind of defeats the purpose of a wire floor IMHO.
If a mostly solid floor works for you, then knock yourself out. I'm not going to tell you how to raise your birds. I just try to give my best guess at what works, based on my small flock. I'm no expert, but since 50% of my 200 coturnix flock is 3-4 years old....I could be doing something right, but how I raise birds may not work for everyone. An 8"x12" dust pan in a 2'x2' seams to work fine for me, as far as a solid floor goes. Others may need more, because of skeeters, bumblefoot and such. I'm just saying that where ever wire is concerned, 1/2" HWC should be deployed.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
But saying that being on wire won't hurt them is not right. You can use 1/2 HWC but it's still a good idea to have at least part of their floor solid. When mine were in individual wire cages they each had at least a 12" x 12" piece of board to stand on in addition to their dust pans and sleeping boxes. In a 2' x 2' cage, that didn't leave much area of the floor not covered. In the pen they are in now, they are almost always on solid flooring by choice.

That kind of defeats the purpose of a wire floor IMHO.
If a mostly solid floor works for you, then knock yourself out. I'm not going to tell you how to raise your birds. I just try to give my best guess at what works, based on my small flock. I'm no expert, but since 50% of my 200 coturnix flock is 3-4 years old....I could be doing something right, but how I raise birds may not work for everyone. An 8"x12" dust pan in a 2'x2' seams to work fine for me, as far as a solid floor goes. Others may need more, because of skeeters, bumblefoot and such. I'm just saying that where ever wire is concerned, 1/2" HWC should be deployed.

Honestly, if you haven't tried partial-solid flooring then you don't really know, do you? I have to clean the closed-in part of their pen once or twice a year, they mainly use that side in the winter. The other side gets 'cleaned' by them running around and playing or I'll get a garden hoe and scrape the 'stuff' onto the wire side so it will fall through. Other than that, there's not much difference.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
That sure sounds like something Robo would say. I would like to know why, if wire won't hurt their feet, there have been so many posting having adult coturnix with swollen feet? This is clearly caused from the wire they are on 24/7.

My coturnix are in a raised pen but 2/3's of the floor is solid. Their floor is solid|wire|solid and their waterer is on the wire. About the only time they are on the wire is when they are getting a drink or when they are going from one solid-floored part to another.

WHAT POSTS? I HAVENT SEEN MANY.

OVER HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF BIRDS FOR MANY YEARS--- OFTEN IN THE 6-8 YR OLD RANGE ALL ON 100% 1/2 INCH HARDWARE CLOTH= 2 CASES OF BUMBLE FOOT

ON THE OPPOSITE END... I HAVE HAD SOLID FLOOR PENS AND STILL DO (DONT USE THEM FOR QUAIL ANYMORE) HERE IN THIS TROPICAL HOT HUMID CLIMATE THEY ARE A NIGHTMARE... CLEANING IS NON STOP AND DISPITE BEST EFFORTS I HAD BIRDS LOOSE TOES AND TOENAILS FROM POOP BALLS- THUS THE REASON I DONT USE THEM FOR QUAIL ANYMORE... I DO HAVE 1 PEN THAT HAS THE RABBIT WIRE 1/2 X 1 WIRE (DONT CARE FOR IT MUCH BUT ITS IN SERVICE) AND HAVENT HAD ANY BUMBLE FOOT PROBLEMS WITH THAT EITHER... BUT PREDATORS WILL GET BIRDS FEET THRU 1/2 X 1 MUCH EASIER, SO IT IS BARRICADED LIKE FORT KNOX.

FOR SECURITY REASONS ALONE JOE IS CORRECT--- IT DOESNT GET ANY MORE SECURE THAN 1/2 INCH HARDWARE CLOTH.
OBVIOUSLY FLOORING SEEMS TO BE A PREFERENCE THING AND I IMAGINE CAN BE HIGHLY INFLUENCED BY YOUR LOCATION

 

[thekid]

they need hardware cloth for 2 main reasons


1. A predator could get them


2. They can stick their heads in chicken wire and get stuck and die of suffocation from no air

 

[gamebirdboy]

How can you get by with cleaning a cage once or twice a year? Deep litter? I had a solid floor when I first got quail... Guess how long I used it? 2 weeks.

 

[Wifezilla]

HERE IN THIS TROPICAL HOT HUMID CLIMATE THEY ARE A NIGHTMARE

I can imagine. One of the reasons I have such good luck with my birds on the ground is I have a dry climate AND I have a roof so when we do get our monsoons, I am not dealing with poop soup!​

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote:
I can imagine. One of the reasons I have such good luck with my birds on the ground is I have a dry climate AND I have a roof so when we do get our monsoons, I am not dealing with poop soup!

Isn't dry arid air like a day in heaven? I keep my aviary covered during the rainy season, winter snows and hot sun. The inside ground never gets wet, no poop balls or mud clumps stuck to the feet. AND, less disease on the ground. Worms, parasites, diseases thrive in wet conditions. Arid soil is much cleaner and the litter not only stays dry but there is little if any smell if you keep it clean.