Jumbo Cotournix quail wire size

[18angovem]

Hello, so I am now getting into raising quail. I currently have about a dozen in my avairy that I am using as breeders, these are the guys that will lay the eggs for hatching. I am in the process of building a rectangular prism shaped quail tractor and would like to know, is 2x4 inch wire too big for raising quail. The quail that will go in here are from age 5 weeks to about 8 weeks. The final three weeks before butcher, will they be able to squeeze through the wire? These quail are jumbo, so the adults are too big to fit through the 2x4 inch wire in the avairy but will a 5 week old be small enough?

 

[dustjust]

Hello, so I am now getting into raising quail. I currently have about a dozen in my avairy that I am using as breeders, these are the guys that will lay the eggs for hatching. I am in the process of building a rectangular prism shaped quail tractor and would like to know, is 2x4 inch wire too big for raising quail. The quail that will go in here are from age 5 weeks to about 8 weeks. The final three weeks before butcher, will they be able to squeeze through the wire? These quail are jumbo, so the adults are too big to fit through the 2x4 inch wire in the avairy but will a 5 week old be small enough?

I would go a lot smaller. The young ones will easily squeeze through.

 

[18angovem]

Ok, wow, even at 5 weeks? Ok, well then 1x1 it is! Just have to raise the budget a bit. I'm leaning towards not using chicken wire because it doesn't tend to last, any advice in that area?

 

[18angovem]

Will they be able to squeeze out of 1x1 hexagonal chicken wire?

 

[dustjust]

I use hardware cloth on mine about half inch. They jump a lot and with the inch they can still get their heads stuck.

 

[18angovem]

Ok, but 1 inch x 1 inch should work right? It's so small, I mean I wouldn't think anything could squeeze out of something that small.

 

[enola]

Chicken wire will not stop a lot of predators.

Are you going to use a wire floor in the bottom of your cage?

 

[Twoandhelp]

I use 1/2x1/2 with good results. And 1x1 could result in stuck heads especially if they jump. Also coons will grab at their heads when they poke them out the sides (mine love to do this- but the ones with larger holes are in a protected shed. Snakes fit into tiny places so a 1x1 hole could allow for a snake large enough to eat eggs. That being said, you could keep your costs down by putting smaller hardware cloth on the bottom but not putting it all the way across. Maybe 6 inches around the perimeter? And you could use plywood or planking on 2-3 sides? Cheaper than hardware cloth in our area.

 

[18angovem]

Ok, well I should explain more, like the front 5 feet of the pen will be open with wire on all three sides, but in the back 4 feet it will be have metal on the top and sides and at night they will be closed in the full metal section. Ok, so like they will get their heads stuck in 1x1? That seems very small? It is only to be 24 inches on top, so it will be more to put hardware cloth all around, even down low because there would just be wasted wire.