Too bad you can't relocate them here! I need some big black snakes to help with the rats...the guineas and chickens eat the little ones, or the geese scare them off
I have only seen one snake this year, and it was in a RIR hen's mouth.
I've seen 2 snakes this year and both are dead. I know there is another but it's managed to stay clear of me but keeps stealing eggs. I wish my chickens would kill them instead of run or just stare. One of the snakes my Phoenix roo found and it got the attention of some hensand they just followed it around til I killed it. Although it was a king snake and really good to have to eat mice but they are a danger to me. I'm afraid of snakes but if I see one I don't run, unless I don't have a weapon. Then I go get a shovel or a hoe and I chase it down and kill it. I don't like surprises. ONe hear we had several snakes and one was hiding just under the threshold of the chicken coop. Exactly where I step to go in and out of the coop. Yep, just about had a heart attack when I found it and it was the chickens that pointed it out. Another time when we where moving and we took down the run and under a timber was a small one. I just happened to be the one that picked up that timber too. So another near heart attack. DH killed that one.
YOu really shouldnt kill them...ship them up here! They are not to be afraid of...might startle you but you are definitely way to big to eat! Just ignore them and they will move on....Terri O--lover of all animals
Hey Valley, that's a good idea, using netting around the leg-posts. Have you ever toyed with the idea of hanging cages, tho?? We decided to build one and try it, I loved it so much we built a 2nd one. A real space saver, too. We built sort of lean-to off the side of our barn. That's where we hang the quail cages. The birds seem to like the new cages, too. We plan on building several more for future hatches. Here's a few pics of the first one we built.
interesting topic - especially when new ideas are posted
Here are two pictures of what you can buy online. Maybe someone will get new ideas from there. To me they look great space saver but kinda too crowded (too many neighbors dancing on your head
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Still I preferred to save some money so made myself from what I have laying around
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The water supplier is what I got from the nearest pet store - used for parrots and other small birds. Price - less than a dollar each. I don't have pictures, but they look like a bottle upside down and a small tray which keeps filling in when the quails are drinking. Very useful, if you are away for a day or two. And they don't get the water dirty.
The food containers are not very pretty but the quails love them.
Made from simple board (which left from the cage) and two boxes used for house wiring (build into the wall electricity). Pretty strange but that's what we are doing in our house right now and had in hand
Six of these boxes cost around dollar, so I am sure you will understand why I used them.
Btw the wires on top are because my two Manchurian quails (not like the others) love to dig in the food and make a mess. This way they eat and still try to dig on the floor. Looks kinda funny
I don't have a picture of it but I made a feeder out of an empty orange juice jug. The ones that are kinds rectangular. I cut 2 holes big enough for them to put their head into and I put a wall of plastic from another plastic oblong bowl and cut 2 round holes about mid way and 2 sideways V shapes out of the side. Not very big though. The wall lays with the bottom laying on the opposide side of the jug than the holes and the top lays just over the holes on the opposite side. I used duct tape to hold the top and bottom in place. Then I just put the top half of the jug back on and duct taped it in place. I poured feed in the top where the cap is still attached and when it falls down it goes through the holes and puts enough feed in where their heads go in so they can't dig it out. I put one of those jar kind in the cage next to that one and the quail using the jar type waste more feed than the ones using my renovated juice jug.
I'm planning to make more using gallon jugs. I got the idea from somebody that showed how they use square plastic buckets for feed. They where basically made the same way but for a larger volume of feed. I am always needing waterers.
For the larger birds we cut the bottom of 5 gallon buckets for them. I also will do the wamd out of gallon milk jugs. They aren't very sturdy but they do the job. I also use tuna fish cans if there are just a few chicks or in a transport cage for water. I use a nail and poke 2 holes side by side and run wire through it and wire it to the cage so it don't get turned over.