Quail cage area. How to make cages for quails of different sizes with your own hands

Do-it-yourself quail cages, made from improvised materials, will cost three times cheaper than ready-made fixtures. Homemade fixtures universal, suitable for cottages and apartments. It is possible to build functional poultry houses in 1-2 hours with a minimum set of tools - from plywood, a plastic box, wood or combined materials. Bear in mind that the size of the quail house affects the quality of the eggs and meat.

Quail cage

Breeding quails at home is a profitable business. There is a demand for quail eggs and meat, feed consumption is small, care is minimal - birds even live in an apartment.

Ready-made factory cages are quite expensive

Poultry farmers with experience determine the size according to the formula: the area for planting one individual is 1, for laying hens - 1.2 sq.m. Make a drawing of a poultry house based on 10 or a multiple of the number of heads. The maximum is 50 quails, but in the conditions of an apartment it is undesirable to keep such a number of birds in one house. The problem is not only in the dimensions of the structure - a high concentration of quails in a confined space has a bad effect on their health, the number of eggs. As an example - a drawing of a cage for 30 birds, its size is 1 meter in length, 0.4 meters in width. For growing meat quails, these parameters are increased by 5 cm.

Scheme of a frameless cage for keeping quails

Quails are small, they will be comfortable in cages 18-20 cm high. The lower the height, the more inactive the birds. This is beneficial for the business, because layers quickly gain weight, their egg production increases.

The height of the cage should not exceed 25 cm, otherwise the birds will jump and get injured. The cage is made of metal mesh

Requirements for keeping birds

How to make a cage for quails in which the birds will be comfortable? To do this, you can use simple tips:

For breeding birds at home, you need separate room or space isolated from other animals.
Bright light bothers birds, so soft natural or artificial lighting is needed.
Places where laying hens are kept should be regularly ventilated - you will have to take care of ventilation or a window.
Quails are afraid of cold and drafts. The temperature in the room should not be below 20-24 degrees, above zero.

Design features

The finished drawing - there are enough of them on the Internet - will give an idea of \u200b\u200bthe correct design of the cage.

Pay attention to the shape of the egg collector - it protrudes 10 centimeters above the front wall, it is equipped with protective boards so that the eggs do not roll onto the floor.

Sectional diagram of a cell

The floor in the cages is sloping so that the eggs roll freely on it. But if the angle of inclination exceeds 10°, the birds will start moving down. The height difference of the front and rear walls of 5 cm will help to comply with the parameters. At a height rear wall 18 cm front wall size - 23 cm.

Cells 1x1 cm wide, 1.2x1.2 cm wide are enough so that the birds do not get out of the cage.

For the convenience of caring for birds, it is recommended to make a door on the front wall. Sometimes poultry farmers combine the wall and the door, securing it to the frame with hinges or other latches to save space. For the same purpose, multi-tiered poultry houses are made.

Tiered outdoor poultry house

materials

Do-it-yourself quail cages are made from different materials. Usually those that are at hand, or those that are cheaper, are used:

Metal grid.
Wood.
Plywood.
Plastic boxes.

Plywood cage for 20 birds

Each material has pros and cons. Metal mesh at home wins strength, durability, hygiene. Blowtorch, burner, boiling water are suitable for metal disinfection. Metal gratings do not interfere with the sun's rays - the light completely fills the cage.

The manufacture of wooden structures is popular because wood is an environmentally friendly material and looks aesthetically pleasing in any interior. The disadvantage of wooden structures is limited methods of disinfection. Open fire must not be used chemical solutions can damage the structure of the wood.

Plastic mesh cage with wooden frame

With increased humidity, the wood is deformed, dampness accumulates in the cell and a fungus forms - a favorable environment for harmful bacteria. It is advisable to treat the cage with antifungal solutions and clean it more often during operation.

Poultry house from plastic boxes

Making a cage from vegetable or fruit boxes takes an hour. You don’t have to calculate the size of the frame, you don’t have to make a drawing - you can immediately proceed with the installation. You will need:

1 high (30 cm) and 2 low (10-15 cm) drawers of the same length and width.
Hacksaw for metal.
Metal wire.

Fruit crate cage can be crafted for an hour

Cut off the corner tabs from the top of the box. Take a low crate - it will replace the pallet in the cage - and place a large crate on top of it.

From above, cover the large box with a second low one instead of a lid. It is important to choose the same size of plastic structures so that the corners match and the structure is stable. Then fasten the plastic boxes with metal wire, cut holes for light and bend them. The size of the cells on the front side should be such that the birds stick their heads into them and use the feeder.

Compartments for food and drink are attached to the outer side of the front wall. The door is cut on the front wall and fixed to the cage frame with metal wire.

The home poultry house is ready - it remains to populate the quails. Do-it-yourself quail cages from plastic boxes are a cheap, hygienic and aesthetic option.

Combined cage

To make a combined structure at home, you will need wood (plywood) and a metal mesh. The drawing includes:

Frame.
Sidewalls.
Back walls.
Paul (collection for eggs).
Pallet.
Equipment for food and water.

First, the wooden elements of the frame are cut out: roof, backs, sidewalls, pallet. The size of the structure is calculated according to the formula above, taking into account the number of quails. Then you make holes with a diameter of 10-20 mm in the sidewalls for normal cage lighting and fasten the wooden parts together.

Making a wooden frame

The next step is to attach the floor, the egg bin to the frame. The floor is cut out of a metal mesh and fixed with self-tapping screws so that a 10 cm ledge remains in front. Do not forget that the floor in quail houses is sloping.

The final stage is the installation of a feeder and drinker at a level just above the quail's chest.

The drawing of the metal cage is the same as that of the combined structures. The only difference is that the frame in the first case is made of steel or aluminum pipes, a metal profile.

Homemade combination cages

For multi-tiered structures, a separate drawing is not required - tiers of the same size are installed one on top of the other and fixed with wire.

Poultry care

Clean the tray of accumulated waste twice a day and wash it with a quail-safe disinfectant. Use bird tray litter to neutralize odors. Ideally, you should have two interchangeable pallets. Ventilate the room regularly, remove spilled food and do not forget to change the water for quails.

In our time, quail breeding has become widespread. This is largely due to the high profitability of the production of quail products, which is due to the high egg production and precocity of the bird.

They learned to breed quails everywhere. The bird is quite unpretentious. Its breeding does not require a lot of space and certain specific conditions. Therefore, they are kept not only on special farms, but also in summer cottages, in house sheds and even on balconies. The main point is to choose and equip the bird cage correctly.

1 Types of cages for quails and material for their manufacture

Depending on the region of breeding, different cells are used. They can be:

closed type;
open type.

The former are used in northern latitudes, in areas with blowing winds. open cells received wide application in regions with milder climates.

Open type cells have the following advantages:

lower material costs in manufacturing;
have good air exchange (clean air is very important for birds).

The material from which a quail cage can be made is very different. Very often they use plywood, wood, plastic, galvanized iron sheets, metal mesh, fittings, etc. As a rule, when building a house for these birds, a combination of several materials is used.

Taking into account the fact that it is not difficult to make a cage for quails individually, it is possible to use any material available on the farm. When designing an individual product, attention should be paid to the minimum height and spaciousness of the cage. So the height should be at least 20 cm. The choice of width and depth is determined by the fact that the required living space for one individual should be at least 140 cm2.

1.1 Quail cage made of plywood and plastic

Plywood cages are used by quail breeders to keep small livestock at home. They are small and self-made. The features of these cages are as follows:

the main material is plywood or fiberboard (fibreboard);
the presence of a frame made of wood or metal;
mesh bottom;
sizes vary and depend on the number of birds and their orientation (egg-bearing or broiler);
the floor has a slope of 7-10 degrees;
plywood or fiberboard must be varnished;
periodic antiseptic treatment is required;
the feeder is installed in front, drinkers on the sides of the cage.

Usually such cages are convenient for keeping up to 30 heads, maximum 50.

Plastic cages are also usually made small, with the expectation that up to 50 birds can comfortably live in them. In such cages contain both meat breeds and laying hens. They are suitable for both in a private courtyard and in an apartment. Plastic cages have their own characteristics:

strength, do not give in to deformation at a large amplitude of temperatures;
easy to clean and easy to maintain;
the absence of unpleasant odors, due to the fact that plastic rejects moisture and excretions from the vital activity of birds;
ease of disinfection;
surface smoothness eliminates the spread of infections;
convenient when laying out the battery, up to 5 tiers.

If we compare wooden cages and plastic cages for quails, then the latter have an advantage, since the tree tends to absorb moisture.

1.2 Cage for quails from plastic boxes

It is quite easy to build a plastic bird house from several boxes. This will require a minimum of tools and materials, and 2 - 3 hours of time. We start up the boxes used in the trade in vegetables and fruits with one size of the perimeter. They must have different heights. Two have 10 cm, one has 30 cm. You will need wire, a sharp knife and a hacksaw.

The assembly process will be as follows.

We cut off the upper protruding corners of the boxes with a hacksaw.
We put a large box on a small one, it will serve as a pallet.
We put a second small one on a large box. This will be the cover. The boxes must match in size.
We fasten the boxes with wire after they are installed one by one.
We cut holes in the upper part of our cage from three sides.
We bend along the surviving fourth side.
Cut out the cells, with a knife, in the front wall of the box. Birds' heads should fit freely in the holes so that they can reach the feeder and drinker.
From the outside of the box we fix the drinking bowl and the feeder.
Cut out the front door. Through it we will carry out replanting and selection of quail. She should bend well.
We fix the door with wire.

The dimensions of the cage, which can be built from standard boxes, are quite suitable for quails for 20 heads.

This option definitely deserves attention because of its simplicity and economy. Livestock living here can be not only temporary, but also permanent. It is possible to assemble even a multi-tiered structure from ordinary plastic boxes with an automatic drinker and manure trays.

1.3 Breeding quails in mesh cages

Often used for the production of cells, a metal galvanized welded mesh with a medium-sized cell. So for the floor, a grid with a cell of 12 × 12 mm or 25 × 12 mm, 1.4 mm thick is applicable.

A mesh of 25 × 25 mm or 50 × 25 mm, 1.6 mm thick, is suitable for walls and roofs. Available in frame and frameless versions. For the frame, a wooden beam, fittings, a profile made of metal or thick plastic are suitable. If the cage is made without a frame, then a more rigid mesh with a thickness of 2 mm or more is used. The cage mesh must be galvanized. The pallet is made to the size of the cage from a galvanized sheet with a thickness of 0.5-0.7 mm. This will significantly extend their service life and give a more aesthetic appearance.

Collect a cage from a grid in the following sequence.

Frame preparation. If we use wood, it is better to take a bar 25 × 50 or 30 × 40 mm. If metal, a corner from 25 × 25 mm will go. The sidewalls calculated according to the size of the walls are fixed to the wooden frame by means of a furniture stapler, and tied to the metal with wire.
Assembly and installation of the floor with a slope of up to 10 degrees. We take into account the length of the egg collector (about 10 cm), bending the edge of the floor a few centimeters. We make a gap of 3 cm between the egg collector and the wall. This is where the eggs will roll.
Door installation. It is also made of mesh and fixed with canopies and wire. Your hand should be able to fit through the door.
Tray installation. We make the pallet from sheet iron by bending. The pallet is easier to clean by first placing a newspaper on it, which we periodically change;
Install the feeder and drinker. Under them, any plastic container will successfully fit.

1.4 Making a quail cage in 45 minutes (video)

2 Breeding and keeping quails at home

Having very little free space and making your own cages for quails, using any of the materials considered, you can successfully engage in quail breeding at home. By creating favorable conditions for the quail and providing high-quality food and water, you can always have dietary eggs and meat on hand. Up to 40 birds can comfortably live on an area of 0.5 m2. A bird is capable of producing 290 - 320 eggs per year. Thus, containing 40 high-egg quails, you can count on 30 eggs per day.

Somehow, in our cage there lived a tame quail, such a pockmarked wild hen. She loved to jump on her arm and chirp incessantly. She differed from her relatives not only in sociability, but also in greater fertility.

Quail cages must be kept in a room that meets the following requirements:

should be warm and dry;
without drafts (if it is present, feathers fall out in birds);
mandatory ventilation at the rate of 5 m3/h in summer and 1.5 m3/h in winter per 1 kg of live weight;
natural or artificial lighting.

2.1 Quail breeds

The most common breeds now are Japanese, English white and black, Manchurian golden, related to egg-laying. Males of these breeds have a carcass weight in the range of 125 - 170 g. Females are larger and their weight is more by 20 - 40 g. The weight of eggs produced by females of these breeds is 8-12 g / piece.

Of the meat breeds, the most popular breed is the pharaoh. It was bred in the USA, and came to our region from Poland. The mass of males reaches 200 g, and females can reach up to 300 g. Quails of this breed can bring no more than 220 eggs per year, but each weighs up to 16 g.

2.2 Industrial cultivation and breeding of quail

Cages for quails on quail farms are frame-frame type with mesh partitions. They are cell batteries with 3,4 or 5 tiers of a rack structure. Technological processes of bird care - feeding, watering, cleaning from droppings - are fully mechanized.

Industrial cages consist of the following elements:

carcass frames welded from a special profile;
belts;
mesh partitions (longitudinal and transverse);
floors, from galvanized welded mesh with a cell of 12 × 25 mm, 2 mm thick, for layers with an inclination of up to 8 degrees;
bunker-type feeding system, located above the feeders;
drinking system;
litter cleaning system;
egg collection system.

The entire front part of the cells is equipped with easy-to-open doors. The use of mesh as partitions and floors allows free penetration of the required amount of light and air, provides good visual control over the livestock.

The bunker feeding system is located on the side of the quail cell battery and dispenses feed on both sides of the battery on all tiers at once. The gravity design of the hopper does not allow the feed to hang.

The feeder ensures the safety of 98% of the feed. Manufactured from galvanized sheet steel with an outer edge of 80 mm and an inner edge of 50 mm.

Drinking system includes:

Drinking lines from square polypropylene pipes with screwed nipple drinkers(3 pcs per cage). They are located along the longitudinal partitions and exclude the ingress of water into the feeders.
Inlet pressure regulators by tiers 0.015 - 0.020 bar are located at the beginning of the drinking line.
Suspended transparent hoses for draining water and bleeding air located at the end of the drinking lines.
Water treatment unit located in the gap between the drinking lines and the water supply network. It consists of piping, two water purification filters, a water magnetization element, a flow meter, a medicator and shutoff valves.

The feeding system consists of the following units:

drive and tension station with drums moving the tape;
manure removal tapes 890 mm wide, 1.2 mm thick, located under each tier;
stainless steel scrapers, cleaning the tape from above and below;
lever - regulator, stabilizing the position of the tape.

Industrial cages for quails are equipped with longitudinal conveyors. They collect eggs in cage batteries and bring them to end collection and sorting tables. Manual collection of eggs is also possible.

The sizes of cages for quails used in farms are selected individually. The requirement for the room in which the cellular structures will be located is taken into account. It is also taken into account what kind of livestock breeding is planned - laying hens or.

With the right formulation of the case, it will be a highly profitable business that brings pleasure. To do this, it is not necessary to be the owner of a quail farm. It is realistic to organize such a mini-business in the courtyard of your own house, in the country house and even on the balcony of your apartment.

So, if you decide to grow quails, then the first thing you need to think about is the place where they will live, that is, the cage. It can be bought.

Finished cages

For example, there are excellent “Professional+” cages for sale. Up to 30 quails can be planted in one such cage per individual 54x55x24 cm. Design features such cells are:

The side walls are solid. Such a wall arrangement allows you to maintain cleanliness near the cage.
Large feed container. As a result, you can pour food from any dish.
The feeder is equipped with windows-limiters. They do not allow quails to scatter food.
The top cover is completely removable. This is convenient when servicing the cage.
The back wall is equipped with holes that improve air exchange.

Cell types

The quail is a small bird. It would seem that there is no wisdom with a house for her. But, unfortunately, there is no universal structure that would take into account all the possible states and purposes of the quail.

Depending on the age of the cells are:

for chicks of the first ten days of life - brooders;
for one and a half month young animals - cages;
for the life of adult quails.

Different cages are also needed for quails grown

for meat,
for laying eggs;
for breeding (parent stock).

But for whom the house would not be intended, each of them should have

feeder;
a tray or other device to collect their feces.

Brooders

When making a brooder for newly born chicks, keep the following in mind:

Keep as warm as possible. Therefore, make three walls closed.
Provide 24/7 lighting. To do this, use an infrared lamp.
Tighten the floor with a mesh with small cells, no more than 10 mm.
The ceiling can be covered with cardboard.
Make the front wall of the mesh.
Place feeders with drinkers inside.

Quails can live in such a cage up to a maximum of three weeks of age.

Cages for young animals

They differ from the previous cell type in cell size. And first of all in the floor grid. It can already be from 16 to 24 mm. This size ensures the best accumulation of manure in the pan. And, as a result, it will be easier to maintain cleanliness in the cage.

The survival rate of birds of this age category is higher, so here it is already possible to make all the walls mesh. The size of the cells in them may be higher than in the floor grid. The main thing is that the chicks do not jump out.

Cages for adult birds

They are made entirely of mesh, and with three closed sides, leaving the mesh only for the end side. In order to reduce the cost of construction, a plastic mesh is used. In a cell type closed on three sides, plywood or fiberboard is taken on the sidewalls and the back wall.

Depending on the purpose of adult quails, cell designs for them will vary slightly.

Cages for laying quails are equipped with a device for collecting eggs. It may be a continuation of the bottom of the cell. In this case, provide a bottom slope of about 8 degrees. If you do more, then the quail will be uncomfortable. If less, then the eggs will not roll into the tray.
A mesh of 24x16 mm in size is taken at the bottom of the cage, and 48x32 mm on the side walls.
Quails raised for meat need lower cages than laying hens. This ensures their low mobility, which will increase the rate of weight gain. And also because of the low activity, they enter puberty later, which has a positive effect on the quality of the meat.

The cell sizes in these cages are the same as in the laying hen cages.

Cell examples

Consider do-it-yourself cages:

from a grid on a wooden frame;
from plywood;
from plastic.

Mesh on a wooden frame

The strength of this structure is wooden frame, to which a grid is attached on four sides. The build sequence is:

Wooden bars are connected to each other at right angles with self-tapping screws, forming the outline of the box. To prevent loosening and increase the strength of the structure, overhead corners are screwed into the joints of the bars.
All wooden elements are treated with an antiseptic and varnished, which will increase the life of the wood. This must be done, as it will be under the influence of aggressive substances (litter, water).
The mesh is cut in accordance with the dimensions of the formed sides of the frame. The resulting mesh fragments are sequentially nailed to wooden blocks with nails. At the same time, it is well stretched.

After tightening the frame, an egg collector is installed below, and a steel pallet is placed under the floor mesh to collect the litter. At the final stage, inspect the finished cage and make sure that there are no sticking sharp ends of the net or nails. Otherwise, the birds will get hurt about them.

Mesh frameless cage

This is easier than the previous method of building a small bird house. This method does not involve the manufacture of a frame. Its essence is the bending of the grid. The sequence of actions is as follows:

First, a rectangular box is bent out of the grid, which has no side walls.
Then two mesh fragments are cut out and they are attached with a wire in place of the missing side walls. One wall is fixed tightly, and a door is made in the second.
After that, the bottom is cut out, the continuation of which will be the egg collector. For the bottom take a fine mesh. Fix it at an angle of 8 to 12 degrees. Eggs will roll over it. To stop their movement, a limiter is needed. It can be a wooden block, a bent end of the mesh. You can soften the blow with a foam pad.

From plywood

The advantages of plywood houses over mesh ones are that it is easier to maintain order in the room where they are installed. With the side and rear walls closed, all debris goes into the tray, and not onto the floor around it. In addition, quails are shy, and so they are calmer and more comfortable.

The sequence of actions in the manufacture of a plywood house is as follows:

First make the frame. It is made in the same way as for a mesh cage on a wooden frame.
Then sheathe the resulting skeleton with thin plywood. Make holes in it for ventilation. Their diameter is 30 mm.
After that, make a door frame from the bars. Cut the mesh according to the size of the door. Attach it to the frame. Nail the awnings and put the doors.

A fine mesh is used as the floor. She is also an egg collector. A pallet is installed under the mesh bottom.

In the same way, you can make several sections and install them one above the other. The result is a stacked battery as shown in the following figure. This will significantly save space in the room, and facilitate the care of cells.

Made of plastic

Now the variant of the house for quails from plastic boxes has become popular. This is a very low budget option. But not the best. It's only good for a short stay. And yet, you still need to pick up something more solid.

To make a plastic cage, you need three boxes. One high and two low. Install them one above the other.

Below is a low box - it will be a litter tray.
The second box is high - it will contain quails. Where you hang a drinker and a feeder, you need to increase the holes. Otherwise, the quail will not reach them.
Above is again low - it is the ceiling of the structure. A door is cut into it.

As you can see, making cages for quails from various improvised materials is not a very difficult task. And, most importantly, financially profitable. If you are just starting to breed quails, then it makes no sense for you to give a lot of money for a finished cage. It is better to wait and decide whether this is your business or not.

it drawings of a three-tier cage for quails. It is not worth doing more tiers, since it will be quite difficult to care for the inhabitants of the upper “floors”. You can build a similar structure from wood, mesh, or a combination of these materials.

How to make a quail cage with your own hands: step by step instructions

In one of the previous articles, we talked about. As practice has shown, cells only made of wood are not the best choice.

Firstly Wood is not the cheapest material.
Secondly- in such a cage you will have to think about how to make lighting, heating and ventilation.

The best option would be to make a cage based on a wood frame, which will be covered with a metal mesh.

For, to make a quail house yourself, you will need:

Wooden planks, at right angles, connect the corners together. You can also make corners yourself from a profile.
Fix the corners with screws or nails.
Pull the net outside the resulting frame so that the bird does not get hurt.
The mesh is fastened with nails. Drive half of the nails into the wooden planks, and bend the other half so that they keep the mesh taut.
Be sure to examine the structure for protruding nails, self-tapping screws, sharp pieces of mesh. They should not be otherwise the bird will get hurt.
Treat wooden structures with varnish. Place pallets and egg collectors under each cage.

Some poultry farmers make cages from boxes. It's also a very workable option.

Features of keeping quail

When installing cages, consider the following factors:

The lowest cage is set at a level not lower than 30-40 cm above the floor or ground.
Quails do not like prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
When installing a quail farm, place the cages in library order (end side to each other).

Video: how to make a quail cage yourself

You can grow quails even in a small area, because these birds do not take up much space, consume little feed, but are highly productive. Do-it-yourself quail cages are a great way to provide the birds with optimal conditions of keeping, and at the same time save money on buying the necessary equipment, especially since you can make them yourself according to the drawings, using improvised materials.

In this article you will find drawings and step by step instructions for making cages from mesh, wood and plywood.

Is it possible to make a quail cage with your own hands

To make a quail cage with your own hands, you must follow step by step instructions, which describes in detail all the stages of production.

Several important factors must be taken into account during production.(picture 1):

Number of birds that will be kept on the farm;
Trays for collecting eggs and litter trays, which greatly facilitate the care of birds;
Places for fastening drinkers, feeders and additional heating equipment.

You also need to prepare the material from which the structure will be made (plywood, metal mesh or wood), and select the tools needed for the job. For assembly, you will need metal scissors, a hacksaw, self-tapping screws for the frame and a stapler for attaching the mesh.

Figure 1. The main types of cages for quails

According to the step-by-step instructions, the design is made like this:

Cut out the blank for the back and side walls, and the cover of the future cage.
Make a frame of wooden beams and fasten it with screws or nails. The wood is sanded and treated with an antiseptic so that the birds do not accidentally get hurt.
The front wall is made of a metal mesh with large cells so that the birds can freely stick their heads into it and reach for food or water.
The floor is made of a mesh with small cells, and a litter collection tray is installed under it.

To simplify the collection of eggs, they equip a special tray with a curved edge, which is a kind of continuation of the floor.

Varieties

Regardless of the number of birds kept on the farm, each age category needs its own cages: for newborn chicks, young animals, laying hens, birds intended for slaughter and individuals for breeding.

Before starting work, it is necessary to take into account the age of individuals(picture 2):

For little chicks equip a brooder with an artificial lighting and heating system. It is a box with transparent (preferably glass) walls and a lid. Such a brooder constantly maintains a stable temperature and humidity, which is necessary for growing healthy young animals.
To young birds and adults do not need enclosed space, so they can be kept in small cages with mesh floors. The older the bird, the larger the cell size can be.
adult birds, intended for breeding or slaughter for meat, contain in small structures made of plywood, plastic or wood.
For laying hens equip special houses with a sloping floor for rolling eggs.

Figure 2. Types of structures made of mesh, plastic and plywood

In general, all models have the same design. The only exceptions are models for meat breeds: they should be small and low in order to restrict the movement of birds, slowing down their puberty and increasing live weight gain.

Requirements

Since quails have a restless nature, they are easily frightened by harsh sounds, the main requirement for equipment is the safety of birds.

All materials that are used for manufacturing should not have sharp corners or bumps so that the birds do not accidentally get hurt. It is recommended to cover the floor with a net appropriate for the age of the birds, through which droppings and debris will fall onto the pallet, but the legs of the birds will not get stuck in the net.

In addition, you need to choose materials that are easy to clean and disinfect. For this purpose, you can use sanded wood, plywood, metal mesh or plastic.

materials

The most popular materials are metal mesh and plywood. They are easy to process, clean, and their surface is smooth enough and safe for quails.

For manufacturing, drawings are used that allow you to make a design of the desired size. As a rule, a wooden frame is first made, which is later sheathed with mesh or plywood.

Note: Even if the cage is made of plywood or wood, its front part is made of mesh, as it is much easier to attach feeders and drinkers to it.

To simplify cleaning, the upper part is made removable or provided with hinges so that, if necessary, the cage can be easily opened for cleaning and disinfection.

Make a quail cage with your own hands: diagram

The scheme of the quail cage is very simple. It consists of a frame and sheathing, which is fixed around the entire perimeter.

This design allows you to quickly produce a product from improvised materials with minimal labor. Drawings for construction are shown in Figure 3.

You can find more information about building quail cages in the video.

Place to build

Figure 3. Basic drawings for manufacturing

In summer, cages can be placed in the shade of trees and other buildings, away from noise, and in winter they can be moved to a heated shed with ventilation. Since quails are rather restless birds, it will be better to place them in a quiet place with some shade.

Making quail cages with your own hands: video

Details of the manufacture of quail cells are shown in the video. From it you will learn how to choose the right materials for construction, and in what order the assembly should be carried out so that the finished product is strong and durable.

How to make a quail cage out of wood

Wooden products are most often used to keep a small number of individuals. This material has several important advantages. Firstly, it is environmentally friendly and will not harm the health of birds. Secondly, wood is a relatively inexpensive material that can be easily processed and polished.

To properly make a wooden cage, you need to take into account some features of its manufacture.

Construction features

Depending on the number of individuals, they can be single or combined in sections. Single ones are made on the basis of a frame, which is simply sheathed with sheets of polished wood.

Multi-tiered ones are also made on a frame, but the side and upper compartments are attached wall to wall.

Schemes: wooden cage for quails

Do-it-yourself wooden structures are made according to drawings, with which you can comfortably accommodate all the birds (Figure 4).

To begin with, they knock down a frame of a suitable size, and then attach the side walls, floor and top cover to it. For ventilation, small holes are drilled in the side walls. The front door is made of a mesh fixed on canopies so that it is convenient to clean inside, and a feeder and a drinker can be hung on the mesh.

Figure 4. Examples of making wooden models

It is advisable to cover the wooden floor with a mesh at a short distance from the boards. It is better if the floor is retractable (like a pallet) so that accumulated litter and debris can be quickly collected. In case they contain laying hens, the floor is made at a slight slope, and at the end they make a small chute for the eggs.

Location selection

Wooden cages, in comparison with similar mesh products, are quite massive, so before making them, you need to immediately decide on the place where the birds will be.

They are best placed on multi-tiered racks in a room with good supply and exhaust ventilation. Quail perfectly tolerate such content without reducing egg production, so they can be placed in any building, and if there is one or two birds, even on a balcony in a city apartment.

How to properly place quail

Improper keeping conditions negatively affect the egg and meat productivity of birds. To avoid such difficulties, you need to correctly place the livestock, focusing on the age of the birds.

Young animals up to 10 days old are placed in brooders - special boxes with heating and artificial lighting, where they adapt to new living conditions.

Models for laying hens should be spacious enough, since with a complete lack of movement in females, egg production is significantly reduced. Meat birds, on the contrary, are kept in small and low cages. Individuals intended for breeding are kept in pairs.

Do-it-yourself plywood quail cage

One of the best construction options is considered to be made from plywood. It is an inexpensive and practical material that is easy to work with, and the finished product is easy to clean and disinfect.

Making a plywood cage is easy if you know certain manufacturing features.

Construction features

As in the case of sanded wood, plywood models are made on the basis of a frame to which the walls are attached. The frame can be made from polished wood treated with an antiseptic (Figure 5).

Also, reinforcement is used for the frame, but in this case, you need to make sure that the rods are not rusty and do not stick out inside the cage, since birds can easily get hurt about them.

Construction scheme

The scheme for manufacturing a plywood cage is very simple, and its construction will not take a lot of time.

It is done in several stages.:

Cut out wall blanks: side dimensions 350 * 200mm, back 700 * 200mm, ceiling - 700 * 350mm.
Ventilation holes are drilled in the side walls.
Details are treated with an antiseptic or varnished.
The blanks are attached to the frame with the help of corners and self-tapping screws.
A mesh is laid on the floor at a slight slope. The size of the cells depends on the age of the birds: the older they are, the larger the cells can be.
A mesh door is attached to the front wall.

Figure 5. Manufacturing of plywood structures

At the final stage, a feeder and a drinking bowl are installed on the door, and you can start settling the birds.

Material calculation

By counting the number of cells according to the schemes, you can independently calculate the amount of materials, guided by the schemes above.

How many quails should be in a cage

On average, for a cage with a floor area of 20-30 cm, it is considered normal to keep 5-6 adult birds. But it is considered optimal when a cage measuring 150 * 50 cm contains up to 80 heads.