Quails are today one of the most common farm birds. They were domesticated a long time ago. To get eggs and nutritious meat, this bird is bred today more often. The dimensions of the birds are very small, so to get a good final product, you must try. It is necessary to feed and maintain the bird correctly, creating comfortable conditions for it. Cages for quail are one of the obligatory. With your own hands, you can perform them with ease.
Basic requirements for cell placement
To date, there are certain requirements that apply to a place for quail cells. The room must be detached capital. The warmer it is inside, the more comfortable the bird will feel. At the same time, the chances are that the feathered business will become a profitable business.
Poultry should be kept at a temperature not exceeding +25 ° C. This value must not fall below +20 ° C. Inside, it is important to provide lighting that should not be too harsh, since the bird does not tolerate such light. It is better to use medium-power bulbs that you can turn on separately from each other.
Daylight hours should last for 18 hours. If you live in a region with long winters, then the lack of daylight will have to be compensated. It should be dry indoors. It is important to ensure a minimum level of humidity. If the building is not yet ready, then it is better to erect it far from water bodies.
Cell size selection
If you decide to do everything with your own hands, the size of the quail cage is a rather important parameter that should be decided before the start of work. If you prepare a place for the parent herd of 10 goals, then the cage will have the following dimensions: 30 x 75 cm. For 30 and 50 goals under the mentioned conditions, the sizes will be as follows: 45 x 150 and 75 x 150 cm, respectively.
For fattening birds, cage sizes can be reduced. For 10, 30 and 50 goals, it will be necessary to prepare cells with the following sizes: 25 x 60 cm; 35 x 120 cm and 60 x 120 cm respectively. If you decide to do everything yourself, the size of the cells for the content of quail should be determined in advance. This will ensure the safety of poultry. You will have an additional opportunity for cleaning and processing the cage, and the house will correspond to the number of goals.
Cell requirements
If you decide to make quail cages with your own hands, then you must also familiarize yourself with the requirements for them. The cell size is selected taking into account the age of the bird. It is also important to observe the area norms. According to them, a certain number of individuals settle in one cell. For quails for ten goals, 18 dm 2 will be enough. If you plan to grow a parent flock, such an area will be enough.
When birds are raised for slaughter or for eggs, 15 dm 2 will be enough for the same number of goals. Exceeding these standards is not recommended, since there is an increased risk of plunging the flock into discomfort, bringing the business closer to losing. When quail cages are made with their own hands, they are necessarily equipped with the following elements:
- nests;
- shelves;
- feeding troughs.
You can make them yourself.
Drawing up a drawing
The most convenient and popular design is a cage, the base of which is represented by a metal or wooden frame. On the outside and on the floor, the cage is sheathed in mesh. If you wish, you can use the available materials. The design is based on the following elements:
- frame;
- Door;
- gutter;
- pallet;
- drinking bowl;
- feeding trough;
- floor.
The gutter is necessary for rolling eggs. As for the pallet, it is used to collect litter and garbage. If you plan to make quail cages with your own hands and install them on the floor, you should equip the structures with legs, their minimum height is 15 cm. You can use a multi-storey system. This method of placing cells allows poultry farmers to increase their numbers in the absence of sufficient space.
The cells assembled in a multi-tiered structure must be attached to each other and to a vertical surface. If you want to simplify the manufacturing process, then you can abandon the frame. In this case, thin metal, fiberboard sheets or strong plywood can act as a material for the side walls.
So that the egg, rolling along an inclined surface, does not fall, the gutter must be strengthened from the outside. Its width will be 10 cm or less. This part of the cell is equipped with a limiter. The bottom must be made of fine-mesh metal mesh, which will be suitable for efficient and quick cleaning.
Preparation of materials
Before starting work, you should consider a photo of quail cages, with your own hands in this case you can do all the work. At the next stage, you can prepare tools and materials, among the first it is necessary to highlight:
- hacksaw;
- stapler;
- scissors for metal;
- self-tapping screws.
The stapler must be supplemented with brackets to fix the mesh. As for the screws, they will be needed to assemble the frame.
Methodology of work
At the first stage, it is necessary to cut blanks for the back wall. For the sidewalls and the upper part of the box, the corresponding parts are prepared. The frame of wooden blocks must be connected together using self-tapping screws. In order to use the cage for a long time, the wood must be cleaned with sandpaper and treated with an antiseptic. The substance must be safe for poultry.
Before you make a quail cage with your own hands, you should calculate the time for work. If the bird will soon be in place, it is important to consider that you can proceed to further work after processing the frame when the impregnation has dried.
From coarse mesh, you can make a blank for the front mesh. Fine mesh material is suitable for flooring. The egg tray is a continuation of the sloping surface on which the bird will move. The very extreme part of this component cell must be bent up so that the eggs do not roll down. The mesh is fixed to the wooden parts with large furniture brackets. Under the sloping floor, you need to make a removable tray for garbage and litter.
Features of the frame tightening
Before starting work, it is necessary to consider the original photos of quail cages, with your own hands in this case you can make any design. If it is based on the frame, then it will have to fix the grid. Great for this:
- self-tapping screws;
- construction paper clips;
- nails.
When driving in the latter, it is important to take into account that the fasteners do not enter the cage or appear outside. This may result in damage to the bird or personal injury.
Floor Installation Recommendations
Installation of the floor grid is carried out with some bias. In this case, the laid eggs will be in the egg collector. It is important to exclude a large angle so that the bird can stand on its feet.
Installation is carried out on a welded wire mesh with large cells. This will give rigidity to the easily bending mesh. Large grid cells are needed so that the litter passes through the grid and does not settle on it. Compliance with this recommendation will help to avoid skin and other diseases in birds. They can appear due to unsanitary conditions inside the house.
Tips for making a cap
In order to maintain the cage was easier, the upper part is made opening. Sometimes the doors are located in the front. If you have chosen the first option, then you should make a rectangle of wood into which a metal mesh is sewn. This system is mounted on hinges and attached to the frame.
Making cages from plastic boxes
If you want to save money, as well as simplify the work, you can use the simple option of manufacturing a cage using vegetable packaging boxes. They are based on lattice plastic. This material is easily processed, durable, well washed and cleaned. The latter factors are extremely important when keeping poultry.
Preparation of materials and tools
If you started making a quail cage at home with your own hands, then first you need to take care of the availability of the following tools and materials:
- boxes of the same size;
- files for working on metal and plastic;
- flexible, durable wire;
- a sharp knife.
Features of the manufacture of cells
Since you have plastic boxes, they will be located next to each other. That product, which is located in the center, is used for keeping birds. The height of the structure in this part should be 30 cm. The rest of the boxes can be lower. One of them plays the role of a pallet, while the second - the lid and ceiling.
If you started to make a cage for keeping quails with your own hands, then you must follow the instructions. At the first stage, protruding parts located on top of the main box are cut off. With the help of grooves and legs, docking with the lower drawer is performed.
The design is complemented by a second box, which has a lower height. She is held together by wire. If not, you can use any materials at hand, namely:
- strong or double-sided mounting tape;
- strong twine;
- the rope.
A door is marked on the lid, which will be convenient for planting or removing birds, as well as cleaning. It is quite possible to make a quail cage with your own hands. Step-by-step instructions for this should definitely be studied. After reading it, you can find out that hatches are cut on three sides of the structure. For ease of operation, a wire loop is attached to the door, which will play the role of a lock. Openings for feeding should be made on the outer wall. A groove feeder is fixed below, a drinking bowl is installed nearby.
Finally
If you decide to do poultry farming, you can make any of the described cell options. Quail are birds that give owners minimal trouble. The content of these birds is profitable and interesting.
But you should know that creating a cell is not the key to success. No matter how high-quality the "house" for the birds may be, it has yet to be placed in a warm room. But one should not overdo it with heating. The temperature should not be above +25 degrees. Otherwise, you may run into problems.