We build a cage for quails with our own hands from various materials
They keep quails in cages purchased from stores or the Internet. You can also make them yourself. A variety of building materials are on sale today. Building something out of them is easy and simple. And a do-it-yourself quail cage will cost much less. Let's take a closer look at how to build quail cages. We will also talk about what norms exist regarding the size of sparrowhawks.
DIY quail cage
Conditions for keeping birds
It is worth noting that birds of small size, and this is exactly what quails are, feel great when kept in cages. By looking at the video how to make a quail cage, you can make sure that this is an easy task that everyone can cope with. First, we prepare building materials, having previously thought over the design of the bird house. Accordingly, it will not be superfluous to study the rules regarding the content of quails.
Regardless of whether you plan to breed these birds or not, one cage is not enough. At a minimum, you need to build 2 cages, in which the young will live, and he will periodically appear, and in the second hens and the adult livestock. If we are talking about breeding birds of different varieties on a large scale, then you still need a sparrowhawk, in which meat-oriented chicks and parental groups will live. It is advisable to build 2 cages for young animals. One should contain the smallest chicks, which are not yet 10 days old, in the other - youngsters, which are older than 10 days, but have not yet reached the age of 45 days.
Sparrowhaw sizes
It is important to consider the size of the quail cages. Dimensions, such as the height and width of the brooder, are regulated solely by the number of heads. If we talk about the size of a cage for quails for 10 heads, then according to the regulatory framework, its height should be about 300 mm, and its height - 750. But this norm does not apply to birds that are fattening. They need less space. A brooder 60 cm wide is enough, the height of which is 25 cm. As for the size of the cage for quails for 20 individuals, then, according to existing standards, they are 35X110 centimeters. When keeping 30 birds, according to the norms, the width of the cages should be 1.5 m, and the height - 0.45 m (35X120 cm, when it comes to feeding birds). Well, for a livestock of 50 birds, we build a cage, 75 cm high and 150 cm wide (for fattening birds 60X120 cm). If we talk about the stocking density, then for 10 chicks, on average, there should be 12-15 square meters. dm. According to these norms, it is easy to determine what the ideal quail cage should be. For example, in a quail cage, the area of which is 1 sq. m. fits 75 adults.
With a cellular content, meat-oriented quails quickly recover. But you need to comply with the above standards.
Keeping a large herd is difficult. In order to simplify the care of birds as much as possible, it is advisable to build so-called cage batteries for quails (5-7 cages combined together). The frame unites all elements of the structure.
Naturally, the size of the quail cage is directly proportional to the number of birds. But, take into account the size of the room in which the bird house will be installed.
Temperature regime and choice of location for the sparrowhawk
Chicks of different ages need different temperatures. Accordingly, before the scheme of the cage for quails is drawn, you need to think over a heating system, which you cannot do without. Weekly quails need a temperature of 360 C. Even in summer, there is not always such a temperature in the room. If you do not seriously breed birds, and young animals will appear in the room only from time to time, then quail cages do not need to be equipped with heaters. Place the heating element in the shed containing the DIY quail cages.
A supply of fresh air can prevent the emergence of various diseases among the chicks. Accordingly, ventilation in a sparrowhawk is another important point. How to equip it we think in advance. Drafts should not appear during operation of the ventilation system.
We do not put quail cages on the floor. Additionally, we build a stand, or we attach legs in the process of creating a sparrowhawk. It is enough to raise the cage from the floor by 20-30 cm.
As for the choice of a place for a sparrowhawk, we protect the birds from drafts and choose the lightest side of the barn. Depending on the configuration of the shed in which the sparrowhawk is installed, we select the optimal size for the cages.
Preparatory stage
Do-it-yourself quail cages are made without even leaving home. The small size of the sparrowhawk does not imply the use of a large amount of building materials. Therefore, it is quite possible to do with improvised means. Any plywood sheet, galvanized sheet metal, wood blocks, and metal or plastic mesh will do. You can even make a birdhouse out of plastic boxes. This simple design will be inexpensive, but will be inferior in functionality in terms of functionality. This sparrowhawk has a shorter exploitation period.
As for the tools, you can make a quail cage with your own hands using only a standard set. And everyone has such a set at home. This is a hammer and pliers. In order to simplify your work, prepare more tools designed for working with wood and metal.
It should be light in the sparrowhawk, so you will definitely need a net for quail cages. There is no alternative to this material yet. The choice should be stopped on a metal mesh. For lack of funds, you can replace it with a plastic one. The amount of netting depends on the size of the quail cages.
How much money will be spent on the construction of a sparrowhawk is difficult to answer. It depends on the materials used.
Building a bird cage
Making a cage is not difficult at all
All homemade quail cages have a similar structure. In shape, they resemble the most common box. Before moving on to construction work, we make a drawing of a quail cage. On it we mark the location of the containers for feed and water. As for the maintenance of layers, it is advisable to consider a system for collecting eggs. The simplest version of this design assumes that the egg collector will be an extension of the floor, made at a slight slope. It is enough to make a slope of 70. In addition to making the scheme, we draw up a construction plan.
If the drawing of the quail cage is ready, and the plan is drawn up, we proceed to construction.
- First of all, we cut out all blank walls from a sheet of fiberboard or any other similar material. There can be 1,2 or 3 of them. If the room is warm, then it is advisable to make only the back wall of the structure deaf. If the room is cool, then it makes sense to make the side walls of the structure deaf.
- The next stage is the construction of the frame. It is best done from a wooden bar. Do not use wood that has been stored for a long time in high humidity. Most likely, it has already begun to rot. Before attaching all the frame elements to each other, we process the wooden structural elements with special means that make them water-repellent. This will increase the operating period of the DIY quail cage. If a multi-tiered structure is being built, then the frame is made immediately for all the tiers.
- We clean the wooden frame with sandpaper. The design must be safe for quails. Therefore, we make the frame as smooth as possible. Next, we process the wooden structural elements with an antiseptic, after which we continue construction. We use an antiseptic that can be used in the treatment of living quarters.
When making a frame at home, you can use profile pipes. But wooden blocks are a little cheaper.
- Further, when building a cage for keeping quails, we mount blank walls made of fiberboard. It remains to make the floor and the wall from the chain-link. The floors, as a rule, are also made of netting. But we choose a chain-link with small cells, and for the walls we get a large-mesh chain-link. The mesh sizes for quail cages should be 0.32X0.48 and 0.16X0.24 centimeters for the walls and floor, respectively.
- First, we cut out the workpieces of the required size using metal scissors. Then, we attach them to the frame. It is advisable to provide a place for a pallet in which feces of birds will accumulate. This will greatly simplify the process of harvesting cages. If there is an egg collector, the floor is made at a slight incline (no more than 7 degrees).
- If the sparrowhawk is on the street, then cover it with galvanized metal. Slate is an alternative to metal sheets.
A quail cage made of plywood and mesh is ready. Alternatively, you can make it exclusively from a chain-link mesh. In this case, the manufacture of a sparrowhawk will be reduced to the manufacture of a frame and fastening to it along the entire perimeter of the chain-link mesh. This design can only be used in winter in a well-heated room.
We looked at how to make a quail cage yourself. It won't take much time or effort. The main thing is, before you build a quail cage with your own hands, think over its design. If you plan a do-it-yourself cage for quail for 50 pieces, then it may be better to replace it with a multi-tiered structure, on each tier of which there will be 15-20 heads. We think over all the points concerning, for example, the location of drinkers or a tray at the stage of creating a design drawing.
Drawings of cages for quails can be made even by a person who is far from designing.
Another interesting option
Consider how to make a do-it-yourself quail cage at home using cheap boxes. We are talking about lattice boxes made of plastic. Wooden and cardboard counterparts are not suitable. The beauty of this idea is that such a quail cage does not need a frame. Accordingly, the process of building a structure is simplified as much as possible. But, a large number of quails in such a cage will not fit, which is a disadvantage of the design. At home, assembling this quail cage will take a maximum of 30-40 minutes.
Before making a quail cage out of boxes, we think over its size. You need to understand that here you have to build on the dimensions of the box.To build a small structure, you will need 3 boxes. We also procure a flexible and durable wire, a sharp knife and a file, which is suitable for working not only with plastic, but also with metal. If the materials for making a cage for quails are ready, we start making a miracle construction.
Basically, we are making a quail cage from one box. The other two are needed to build the tray and roof of the structure. Since the height of the cage for keeping quails should not be less than 27-30 cm, the box must be selected appropriately.
First, we cut off all the parts of the box that protrude above the side walls from above. Then, we cut off the remaining 2 boxes so that we get pallets with a height of 5-10 cm. The boxes should be cut according to the figure shown on the plastic structures. We put one of the formed pallets down the main box, the other up. The lower pallet will play the role of a tray, while the upper one will be used as a roof. The whole structure is fastened with metal wire. You can use a strong thread, but the wire will be more reliable.
A makeshift roof can be covered with pieces of plywood or any other material. If the structure is indoors, then there is no point in doing this. You can put linoleum in the tray. This material is easy to clean and does not allow moisture to pass through well. True, you need to take care that the tray is easily detached from the general structure. Do not forget to make a door for the bird.
A quail cage from plastic boxes is ready. It is advisable to place containers for food and water outside. But, it is necessary to provide the birds with free access to these containers.
Winter sparrowhawks
You can also make a winter sparrowhaw at home. The parameters remain the same, except that you need to think over the heating system. First of all, we choose the right building materials. In winter, the metal cage will be very cold. Therefore, it must be done exclusively from wood. In this case, it is advisable to take a high-quality tree, and not fiberboard sheets. Even if such a sparrowhawk stands in a barn, it will take less money to heat it than to heat a cage from fiberboard. The manufacture of a winter sparrowhawk involves wall insulation with heat-insulating materials. It will also help save heating costs.
Light can also be used as heating. But lighting in this case involves the use of incandescent lamps, which consume a lot of electricity. If the lighting is organized with the help of economical lamps, then they will not heat the air.
The heating system must be automatic. This will make it easier to care for the bird. You can use a regular electric battery equipped with a thermostat, or you can purchase IR heaters and install them on the walls of the sparrowhawk. But the battery is the easiest to use. In addition, with proper insulation of the shed and sparrowhawk, you will not have to turn on the battery so often. And small chicks that need a higher temperature can be moved into the house for the winter.
The doors in the barn must be kept closed at all times. If there are no heating elements, then it is advisable to cover the cage with a blanket overnight. You can only cover the side that is made of mesh. It is through the mesh cells that heat comes out of the sparrowhawk.
We will not do a detailed description of the construction. The device of a winter sparrowhawk differs from the above plan only in the use of high-quality wood, which must be treated with special means, and the use of thermal insulation. But even if all the materials are purchased from the store, factory cages of the same quality will still cost more. At the end of construction, you need to equip the cage. Be sure to leave space for the pallet.
Important points
Do not forget to equip the door through which not only cleaning is carried out, but also the planting of quails in a makeshift cage. Be sure to attach a latch to the door.
You can build a winter version of a sparrowhawk, or you can build a summer one. It is advisable to use a wooden quail cage as a winter option, and a chain-link house is suitable for summer keeping birds.
Before making quail cages, think over the dimensions and make a drawing. Decide in advance where you want to place the food and water containers. You can even make a sparrowhaw from an old refrigerator or air conditioner. But iron sparrowhawks quickly heat up, and it is quite difficult to keep cleanliness in them. Rather, frames from old office equipment are suitable as a makeshift. You should also not use cardboard boxes as a sparrowhawk. It is almost impossible to maintain cleanliness in them for a long time.
You can see how to build quail cages in photos and videos. However, the process is unusually simple. The only thing that can be taken from the video about quail cages and their construction is the option of an egg collector and arrangement of a sparrowhawk. When choosing a design, it is worth giving preference to multi-tiered quail cages.