Do-it-yourself quail cages: dimensions and drawings. DIY quail cages: drawings, dimensions and step-by-step instructions DIY quail cage
This drawings of a three-tier cage for quails. It is not worth making more tiers, since the inhabitants of the upper “floors” will be quite difficult to care for. Build similar design you can use 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, cages made only 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 that, to make a quail house yourself, you will need:
- Connect the wooden planks at right angles with corners. You can also make corners yourself from the profile.
- Secure the corners with screws or nails.
- Stretch the mesh outside the resulting frame so that the bird does not get hurt.
- The mesh is secured with nails. Hammer half of the nails into the wooden planks, and bend half so that they hold the mesh taut.
- Be sure to examine the structure for protruding nails, self-tapping screws, sharp pieces of mesh. There shouldn't be any, otherwise the bird will get hurt.
- Treat wooden structures with varnish. Place trays and egg trays under each cage.
Some poultry farmers make cages from boxes. This is also a completely workable option.
Features of keeping quails
When installing cages, you should take into account the following factors:
- The lowest cage is installed 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 (ends facing each other).
Video: how to make a quail cage yourself
You can even grow quails on small area, because these birds do not take up much space, consume little feed, but are highly productive. DIY quail cages - great way provide the birds with optimal living conditions, and at the same time save money on purchases necessary equipment, especially since you can make them yourself according to drawings, using available 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 need to follow the step-by-step instructions, which describe in detail all the stages of manufacturing.
During production there are several things to consider important factors (Figure 1):
- Number of birds that will be maintained on the farm;
- Trays for collecting eggs and litter trays, which greatly facilitate bird care;
- Places for attaching 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. Main types of cages for quails According to the step-by-step instructions, the structure is made like this:
- Cut out the blank for the back and side walls, and the lid of the future cage.
- Make a frame from 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 injured.
- The front wall is made of metal mesh with large cells so that birds can freely stick their heads into it and reach food or water.
- The floor is made of a mesh with small cells, and a tray is installed under it to collect litter.
To simplify the collection of eggs, they equip a special tray with a curved edge, which is a kind of extension 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 the individuals(Figure 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. In such a brooder, stable temperature and humidity are constantly maintained, necessary for raising healthy young animals.
- To young birds and adults do not need a closed space, so they can be kept in small cages with mesh floors. How older bird- the larger the cell size can be.
- Adult birds animals intended for breeding or slaughter for meat are kept in small structures made of plywood, plastic or wood.
- For laying hens equip special houses with an inclined 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 must be small and low to limit the movement of birds, slowing down their puberty and increasing live weight gain.
Requirements
Since quails have a restless nature and are easily frightened by sharp sounds, the main requirement for equipment is the safety of the birds.
All materials used for manufacturing must not have sharp corners or uneven surfaces so that the birds do not accidentally get hurt. It is recommended to cover the floor with a mesh appropriate for the age of the birds, through which droppings and debris will fall onto the tray, but the birds’ legs will not get stuck in the mesh.
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 handle and clean, and their surface is quite smooth and safe for quails.
For manufacturing, drawings are used that allow the construction to be made the right size. As a rule, first make wooden frame, which is later covered with mesh or plywood.
Note: Even if the cage is made of plywood or wood, its front part is made of mesh, since it is much easier to attach feeders and drinkers to it.
To make cleaning easier, top part 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 design of a quail cage is very simple. It consists of a frame and cladding, which is fixed around the entire perimeter.
This design allows you to quickly produce a product from scrap materials with minimal labor costs. Drawings for construction are shown in Figure 3.
You will find more information about the construction of 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 barn with ventilation. Since quail are quite restless birds, it would be better to place them in a quiet place with some shade.
Making quail cages with your own hands: video
Details of making quail cages are shown in the video. From it you will learn how to select the right materials for construction, and in what order the assembly should be carried out so that finished product It turned out to be strong and durable.
How to make a quail cage from 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 relatively inexpensive material, which is easy to process and polish.
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 into sections. Single ones are made on the basis of a frame, which is simply sheathed with sheets of sanded wood.
Multi-tiered ones are also made on a frame, but the side and top compartments are attached wall to wall.
Schemes: wooden cage for quails
Do-it-yourself wooden structures are made according to drawings, with the help of which you can comfortably accommodate all the birds (Figure 4).
First, knock down the frame suitable size, and then attach it to it side walls, floor and top cover. For ventilation, small holes are drilled in the side walls. The front door is made of mesh, attached to the awnings, so that it is convenient to clean inside, and a feeder and water bowl can be hung on the mesh.
Figure 4. Examples of making wooden models It is advisable to cover a wooden floor with a mesh at a short distance from the boards. It is better if the floor is retractable (like a tray) so that accumulated droppings and debris can be quickly collected. If they will contain laying hens, the floor is made at a slight slope, and at the end a small trench is made for the eggs to roll down.
Selecting a location
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.
It is better to place them on multi-tiered racks in a room with good supply and exhaust ventilation. Quails tolerate such conditions well without reducing egg production, so they can be placed in any building, and if there is only one or two birds, even on the balcony of a city apartment.
How to properly place quails
Improper housing conditions negatively affect the egg and meat productivity of birds. To avoid such difficulties, you need to correctly place the stock, 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 quite spacious, since with a complete lack of movement in females, egg production is significantly reduced. Meat birds, on the other hand, are kept in small, low cages. Individuals intended for breeding are kept in pairs.
DIY quail cage made of plywood
One of the best construction options is considered to be made from plywood. It's inexpensive and practical material, which is easy to work with, and the finished product is easy to clean and disinfect.
Making a cage from plywood 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 of sanded wood treated with an antiseptic (Figure 5).
Reinforcement is also used for the frame, but in this case you need to make sure that the rods are not rusty and do not stick out into the cage, since birds can easily get hurt by them.
Construction scheme
The manufacturing process for a plywood cage is very simple, but its construction will not take a lot of time.
It is done in several stages:
- Cut out the wall blanks: side size 350*200mm, rear 700*200mm, ceiling - 700*350mm.
- Ventilation holes are drilled in the side walls.
- The parts are treated with an antiseptic or varnished.
- The blanks are attached to the frame using 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 drinking bowl are installed on the door, and you can begin to move in the birds.
Material calculation
Having counted the number of cells according to the diagrams, you can independently calculate the amount of materials, guided by the diagrams given 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 animals.
In this article we will tell you in detail how to make it yourself comfortable cells for quails. Step-by-step master classes with photos and drawings will help you quickly make convenient designs for keeping and breeding birds. Cages are used for breeding and keeping quails on private farms or at home. Larger poultry breeding farms, for example farms, use cage batteries for the same purposes.
For feeding birds, there is a removable feeder of capacious dimensions, which is attached to the front wall and occupies its entire width. Due to the large volume of the feeder, there is no need to add food more than once every 2 days. To prevent feed from spilling, the side of the feeder is made high, which allows you to use feed sparingly.
Quails are planted and removed through specially made doors, which can be located in different parts cells, as a rule, upper, or lateral, or anterior.
Birds drink water from nipple drinkers, the water from which appears when the valve is pressed. The nipple is installed on a pipe connected to a container of water, so the birds always have water. The water consumption is minimal: with the valve open – 40-80 ml/min, with the valve closed – about 0.1 drops/min.
In the literature, the recommended cell base area per adult is 1-1.2 sq.dm. In practice, the planting area is slightly larger - 1.5-1.7 sq. dm per individual. Closer housing results in fewer eggs laid and slower weight gain. If you plant the quails more freely, then the available space will be used irrationally.
The height of the cages should reach 20-25 cm. In lower cages, the birds will be cramped, and higher ones will cause a waste of material and space. The lower cells, as a rule, are located at a height of 30-40 cm from the floor. If you arrange the cells in tiers with small gaps between them, then blocks of 4 tiers will take up approximately 150 cm in height, and blocks of 5 tiers will take up approximately 180 cm.
For convenience, the cells are often doubled. In a block of such double cages (about 1 sq. m. area) 60-70 quails are usually planted, that is, a block of 5 tiers can accommodate up to 350 quails. Knowing this, you can easily calculate the number of livestock that can be placed in a certain area.
Depending on the area of a particular room, cages can be placed along the walls or in rows, placing them with their back walls facing each other. In this case, there must be passages between the rows of at least 70 cm. The block is usually made with dimensions of 50x200 cm. Having calculated the number of blocks that will fit in the available area, it must be multiplied by 280 for a 4-tier arrangement or by 350 for a 5-tier arrangement. In this way, the total number of quails for a certain room is calculated.
Cells, drawings homemade designs for quails:
- click on the photo and expand master classes, drawings
How to quickly make a cage with your own hands for keeping quails at home. Detailed wizard class with photos of work stages.
We will need the following materials:
- one piece of metal mesh measuring 70x35 cm for the floor with a cell size of 1 by 1 cm, another piece of metal mesh measuring 105x100 cm (cell size 2 by 2 cm),
- pliers and wire.
- click on the photo and expand step-by-step master class
♦ VIDEO LESSONS
Quails are very easy birds to raise and care for; they practically do not get sick, are quite hardy and unpretentious. But even here you need to follow certain rules - maintain temperature regime in the range of 21-23°C, daylight hours should be 17 hours, and cages for quails should correspond to their size and number. Aviaries are bought in specialized stores, but in order to save money, you can make them yourself. Experienced poultry farmers independently develop house drawings based on individual calculations. This is the only way to achieve the maximum optimal conditions for raising poultry.
What to consider
When making a quail cage with your own hands, you should take into account several requirements that affect the further health and development of the bird. The list includes:
- the absence in the enclosure of material that absorbs moisture and odors that promote the development of bacteria;
- correspondence of the size of the mesh cells to the age of the bird, so that the birds do not fall out and get stuck in the bars;
- compliance with the ratio of the dimensions of the structure to the number of quails to be stocked;
- correspondence of the shape and size of the cell to its purpose.
First of all, you need to select the material. As a rule, mesh is used as the main raw material. But here it is important to decide on the size of the cells, which will be suitable for chicks, grown-up or adult birds, depending on the age of the birds.
The mesh material can consist of galvanized steel or plastic. Most the best option for quails, a structure made of mesh, particle board or plywood is considered.
Dimensions and arrangement
To guess the size of the house, you should take into account that for 10 heads when raising a parent herd there should be 16-18 sq.dm. But if the bird is raised for the purpose of producing eggs or meat, then 10-12 sq.dm will be enough.
Standard size in cm for planting quails from the parent flock and for fattening
Drawings of a quail cage include drinking bowls and food containers. For chicks you need to make brooders with 24-hour lighting, it creates additional heating. Such structures are covered on all sides except the front part with sheets of plywood, the floor is covered with mesh material with 1x1 cm cells, and the ceiling is covered with cardboard. As for the front area, it is equipped with a net, and feeders with drinkers are installed inside. Chicks live in brooders until they reach 3 weeks of age.
For young animals as flooring material The same mesh material is used, only with holes 1.5x2.3 cm, for all walls 2.4x2.4. Adults are placed in combined enclosures with closed walls with chipboard or mesh. In this case, it is allowed to use plastic material, this will reduce costs.
If you construct a cage with your own hands for laying quails, then in the drawing with calculations you need to provide a bottom with a slope of 7-9º in relation to the egg collector and drinking bowl. The egg collector can be arranged as an extension of the bottom, but here it is very important not to forget to make a limiter so that the product does not fall out. The mesh cells should have dimensions of 1.6x2.4 cm, but for the side walls the parameters increase to 3.2x4.8 cm.
Cages for meat breeds are made 5-7 cm lower - such quails move very little and slowly, and additional restriction accelerates weight gain.
VIDEO: How to assemble a bird house in 45 minutes
Net houses
With an estimate for 20 individuals, we will consider the features of creating a quail cage from a mesh. In this case, you will need to create a frame base with dimensions of 70x35x20 cm. It is to this that the bottom, roof and sides made of mesh material will be fixed. If you plan to use wood beams for the frame, then it is better to give preference to building materials with dimensions of 2.5x5 cm, in the case of metal corners - 2.5x2.5 cm.
A drawing of the simplest cage made of a wooden or metal frame, on the front side and on the floor there is a fine mesh chain-link, where 1 is wooden or metal frame; 2 - drinking bowl; 3 - door; 4 - feeder; 5 — groove for receiving eggs; 6 - floor covering; 7 — tray for litter
The grid is used with the following cell sizes:
- for the bottom - more than 1.6x2.4;
- roofs and walls - 3.2x4.8.
With these parameters, the bird will not get stuck in the cells and will be able to safely stick its head through the mesh into the feeders.
Step-by-step instructions and photos on how to make a quail cage with your own hands:
- Need to prepare 4 metal corner or wood blocks with dimensions of 500 mm, 300 mm and three units of 700 mm. Wooden parts are fixed with self-tapping screws, metal corners are welded or bolted.
- Cut the mesh with dimensions corresponding to the dimensional parameters of the walls. Secure the sections with a construction stapler from the outside. If the frame was made of metal corners, the mesh is secured with wire.
- When making a sparrowhawk with your own hands for laying hens, you need to take into account the angle of inclination flooring 7-9º, as well as an egg collector with sides and a length of up to 100 mm. In order for the eggs to freely fall into the collection, you need to leave a gap of 30 mm in the lower part of the front wall.
- A hole is made in the middle of the front side to install the door. rectangular shape. The dimensional parameters of the passage will be such that the poultry farmer can easily touch any area of the cage with his hand.
- To collect litter, you need to build a tray from metal sheets or buy a ready-made plastic one. This material can be cleaned and does not absorb odors.
Ready enclosure
After fastening, the wooden frame is cleaned with fine sandpaper and impregnated with an antiseptic that is safe for birds. You can release the birds only after 5-7 days, when the impregnation has completely dried and the smell has disappeared.
Frameless cage made of mesh
A frameless enclosure is considered a more simplified option. The dimensions of the quail cage may be identical to the previous drawing.
In this case, a piece of mesh is bent in two places, the side parts are secured with wire or clamps. Here you need to use material with large cells.
Collection of eggs design characteristics considered a continuation of the floor covering with a slope of 7-9º. As facing material A fine-mesh mesh is used for the bottom. Doors and tray are made of plastic or metal.
Plywood house
You can make wooden enclosures with your own hands using a free drawing provided on the Internet. Such cages are used for a small number of birds kept on a summer cottage or in apartment conditions. The structure is assembled both on the basis of a frame and without it.
Plywood house
- Side parts with dimensions of 35x20 cm are cut out of sheets of plywood or wood chip material, the roof is 70x35 cm and the end covering is 70x20 cm. Small holes are cut out in the side walls; they will act as a light source and ventilation system. The diameter should be 3 cm.
- Before fixing, each element used is treated with an antiseptic and coated with water-based varnish.
- The parts are fastened with self-tapping screws or wood corners. You can also additionally use an adhesive composition.
- Take a piece of mesh with cell dimensions of 1.6x2.4 cm and overall dimensions of 70x35 cm. It is fixed to the box with furniture staples. Here it is important to take into account the angle of inclination for collecting eggs, which is 7-9º.
- Canopies are attached to the front wall and a mesh door is already installed on them.
Plastic aviary
Modern farmers use plastic enclosures as cages for quails. They differ in long service life, an increased level of hygiene due to the lack of ability to absorb odors and the possibility of regular monitoring.
To build such a cell you will need three plastic boxes for vegetables, 2 of them should have a low height, one should have a standard height, but not less than 170 mm.
All drawers in the upper area have their corners cut off. The large one is placed on top of one of the small ones, which will act as a pallet. The second one is placed upside down on top of the large one. This is the roof.
Here it is very important to select parts that match the dimensional parameters. Everything is fixed with wire. The door is cut out on the top drawer, but one of the four sides remains uncut. The slits are enlarged on the front side; they will serve as openings through which the birds will reach the feeder.
VIDEO: Quail cage for 50 heads
Cages for quails are very diverse - for any number of birds and with a different set of functions. Those that are sold may come with built-in drinkers and feeders, and additional accessories such as a notepad for keeping records. If the cells are made independently, then there is even more variety. What they don't do modern masters made of metal, plastic and wood!
Construction of a quail cage
When it comes to cages, the mind immediately imagines a standard design for keeping parrots or rabbits. But if we talk about quail cages, they are a little different.
The first difference is the ceiling height. Usually in such cages the ceiling is low (18-20 cm) so that the birds cannot fly up. If the ceiling is high, the bird will hit its head against it trying to fly out.
The floor is always sloping. Usually it is made lattice and slightly inclined. The droppings fall down through the bars, and thanks to the slope, the eggs laid by the birds roll out of the cage and stop at the outer, curved edge. All that remains for the breeder to do. Go through and collect the testicles at this edge.
Feeders and drinkers are located outside the cage, otherwise the birds will smear them too much and this can cause illness, diarrhea and other problems.
What kind of cage should a quail have?
Also check out these articles
Quail is a small, useful bird. In order for her to produce a lot of eggs, and subsequently tasty meat, she needs comfortable living conditions. What criteria must quail cages meet?
What do the stores offer?
Buy good cage for quails in stores is not as easy as it seems. In appearance they all look almost the same, but what is hidden from first glance can be very different. As mentioned above, a quail cage must meet many parameters, the problem is that not all manufacturers know about this. When purchasing cages in stores, you need to check them thoroughly.
- The material must be good. If some bar looks flimsy, then most likely it is, and you shouldn’t listen to annoying salesmen that this is the latest technology.
- If sellers are trying to sell a disassembled structure, you need to persuade them to assemble it in front of you. There may be missing details, and what is in the picture does not always correspond to reality.
- Well, safety is very important point. You should not buy a cage with a lot of sharp and unreliable parts; it is unsafe for either the birds or the breeder.
One of the most convenient and practical on at the moment, are Italian cages for quails. When disassembled, they do not take up much space and are convenient to transport. They assemble quickly, in 15-20 minutes.
How to make a cage with your own hands?
To be confident in the design of the cage, you can make it yourself and it is not as difficult as it might seem.
The size of a quail cage depends on the number of birds that will be kept in it. The cage can be with or without legs, but the main thing is that it stands securely and does not wobble. A typical quail cage consists of the following parts:
- frame (metal or wood);
- floor (sloping, mesh);
- a chute for rolling eggs (usually part of the floor);
- door (usually located on top);
- a tray (made of wood or plastic to collect droppings and various debris from birds);
- drinking bowl and feeder (always located outside).
If a breeder makes a multi-tiered cage for quails, then all the parts of the floors must be securely fastened together, and the structure itself must be screwed to the wall so that if something happens it does not fall to the floor.
The first step is to cut the blanks for the back and side walls, as well as the ceiling. The frame is usually made from wooden beams, which are fastened together with self-tapping screws. The wood is sanded and covered with varnish or paint. The side walls, back wall and ceiling are then attached to the frame.
Now you need to make the pallet, floor and front wall. The last two are made of metal mesh. The floor should be the size of the structure, but there should be a curved bar at the end so that the eggs do not roll down to the floor, but stop at the side.
Floor and front mesh with wooden walls and the frame can be fastened using furniture staples, this is the most reliable option. All that remains is to attach the tray. It is located directly under the floor at a distance of 5-10 cm from it. It is very simple to make if the structure is located on legs. Down on each leg with inside nails are driven in, and a simple wooden plank is placed on them. That's all, the quail cage is ready. Now a feeder and drinking bowl are attached to the outside. The latter can be nipple-type so that the water does not become polluted.
VIDEO - Quail cage in 45 minutes
