Hello and newbie Questions

[La Condessa]

Hi! I found and started lurking on this forum last month when I was on semi-bedrest with a complicated pregnancy. I was especially fascinated by the threads demonstrating breeding program techniques like the Tatanka breeders thread and the one comparing chicks hatched from the James Marie hatchery jumbo eggs and a CA breeder's jumbos. Now my little one is three weeks old and I am getting materials to build quail cages for my birthday! I have a few questions:

I saw where some who had roll-out egg cages and who bred for size found that their larger eggs would get stuck instead of rolling out--what size gap would you need to build into a cage if you want to breed for jumbo quail eggs?

I know that the rule of thumb is 1sq. ft per bird. Do you have more birds per sq. ft when they are younger and smaller, or do you use this ratio from the very beginning?

I am planning on having one smaller cage of button quail for my children to care for (so that when they want to name the quail and turn them into pets, I can tell them that Mommy's quail are all named Dinner, but they can name their own quail). How much space per bird should button quail have? What size wire should they be housed on?

I've seen where people wrote that they painted their floor wire with a non-rust paint to be easier on the birds' feet. Is there any reason not to use normal paint for this purpose, if I already have some handy?

Thanks!

 

[luvburds]

It may be just me but when I built my cage I opted not to do the roll out because I felt my birds would be walking on an incline all the time. Reaching in and gathering clutches of eggs and putting them in a basket is actually the highlight of my day. I give my birds more than 1 sq foot the minute they move from the brooder. In the brooder kind of hard to give that much space depending on your hatch. Good luck it's loads of fun!

 

[Quail Jailer]

Hiya Burds, noticed you were from Macon, I used to have a "job" over in Warner Robins

if you get my drift. I live a few hours northwest of you.

 

[cookiesdaddy]

I've seen where people wrote that they painted their floor wire with a non-rust paint to be easier on the birds' feet. Is there any reason not to use normal paint for this purpose, if I already have some handy?

Thanks!

Hello welcome to the forum. I'm new with quails myself, but I'll share with you my thoughts as I'm building my quail cage right now.

- I'm leaving about 1 1/4 inch gap for eggs to roll out. I just got a shipment of jumbo eggs from JMF and found that the largest is just over an inch in diameter, so 1 1/4 should be sufficient.

- I'm planning to paint (coat) the 1/2 x 1 inch wire floor with polyurethane. Happened to have some around, and I think it'll provide better smoothness anyway. If I paint it first with ant-rust paint it would be helpful but I don't want to pay extra for it. I'd be careful about your existing paint. What type is it? Indoor or outdoor? Most interior paints are flat latex type and probably won't stick well to metal.

I'll post some photos when I'm done. This cage project has grown bigger than I initially planned :-(

 

[luvburds]

Hiya Burds, noticed you were from Macon, I used to have a "job" over in Warner Robins

if you get my drift. I live a few hours northwest of you.

howdy back to you, actually from centerville, you should know it well, lol

 

[Quail Jailer]

Been there once or twice...Well we're neighbors and I keep birds...holler if you need us.

 

[La Condessa]

It may be just me but when I built my cage I opted not to do the roll out because I felt my birds would be walking on an incline all the time. Reaching in and gathering clutches of eggs and putting them in a basket is actually the highlight of my day. I give my birds more than 1 sq foot the minute they move from the brooder. In the brooder kind of hard to give that much space depending on your hatch. Good luck it's loads of fun!

Hello welcome to the forum.  I'm new with quails myself, but I'll share with you my thoughts as I'm building my quail cage right now.  

-  I'm leaving about 1 1/4 inch gap for eggs to roll out.  I just got a shipment of jumbo eggs from JMF and found that the largest is just over an inch in diameter, so 1 1/4 should be sufficient.  

-  I'm planning to paint (coat) the 1/2 x 1 inch wire floor with polyurethane.  Happened to have some around, and I think it'll provide better smoothness anyway.  If I paint it first with ant-rust paint it would be helpful but I don't want to pay extra for it. I'd be careful about your existing paint.  What type is it?  Indoor or outdoor?  Most interior paints are flat latex type and probably won't stick well to metal.

I'll post some photos when I'm done.  This cage project has grown bigger than I initially planned :-(

Thanks very much! Sorry about the delay in response, we moved recently and we've just finally gotten internet set up at the new house.

So, would an outdoor paint work on metal wire? I know I've got some interior paint, but I think I might have some outdoor paint somewhere, too.

 

[LavLady]

I like krylon's rubberized paint over top of a rust bonding paint. It may stink to have to buy it but think how many happy quail feet you can make for about $15. And those cans will last you forever if you can keep your SO out of them! (My SO is just about impossible lol)

 

[Quail Jailer]

Hey you guys that are painting galvanized wire, you need to "etch" the wire because the galvanic coating prevents a proper bond.

wet the wire with white vinegar then dry, either drip or after letting it set on the wire a bit you could wipe or pat it dry.

On a flat surface I would wipe it on with a cloth dampened in vinegar and just let it dry, that'll be harder with wire.


Good Luck!

 

[LavLady]

Or vinegar in a spray bottle...? Hmmm. I'm building a grow out pen for quail this weekend. It will be my first quail-specific construction project. I have never made wire bottom cages before.