That Quail Place Forum
Raising Gamebirds => Build It Yourself => Topic started by: quailer370 on January 24, 2005, 12:56:29 AM
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hi all
quail are currently recovering from a bout of bumblefoot and it er, 'reminded' me that i needed new wire cage floors. i have experimented with several different types of wire but finally settled for inch by half inch.
my cage floor isnt supported by strips of wood like some of the more well-built ones ive seen, because the cage itself is not that large. theres a metal tray about two inches underneath the wire floor that i just keep lined with newspaper, held by right-angle peices of metal so it can slide out (man i wish i knew how to put pictures up...). to give the quail a surface to walk on while i replace the wire i boosted the tray up to cage floor level by putting a two by four on top of the metal pieces, and then i filled it with wood shavings. needless to say this creates quite a mess since they are in my garage for the winter...
before i replace the wire, i was wondering if i should keep the inch by half inch type. they are coturnix, so their feet would probably slip through inch by inch, and smaller wire is a pain to keep clean. however i have had experiences where a hen will be walking around the cage and either catch her foot of sort of slip through...for the most part the wire does its job but who uses a different type, and what are the benefits?
thanks
-quailer370
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What you should od is get 1/2 by 1/2 and put some strips of wood for support. And you should have a section of the cage solid bottomed like plywood with shavings on top so they can give thier feet a rest.
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I agree w/Tomm, I've always used 1/2 inch by 1/2 hardware cloth (for my birds on wire) with no problems. I use 2x4 boards for support and these require a once a year powerwashing but other than that I have no problems. I also have a small cage that I use for a nursery cage (to care for injured/sick birds) that is actually a rabbit cage. It has a tray under it that is supported by angle aluminum so I imagine it looks similar to the one you are describing (rough dimensions 2ftx4ftx18inches). I like the removeable tray since this cage is inside my shop in an air conditioned/heated room and cleaning would be a mess otherwise.
David
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but isnt half inch by half inch a pain to keep clean?
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No its quite clean dropping fall threw it just fine. If you were to use 1/4 by 1/4 then you would have trouble. But half by half works great.
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I use 1/2" wire (or shavings) for adults, 1/4" foy young birds, and towel when they're very young. If your having a problem keeping wire clean try using a pressure sprayer, usually though 1/2" wire can be cleaned with a brush.
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thanks :) theres also this stuff called Poop-Off ive seen in pet stores that i might use. now time for a trip down to the hardware store...good ol' diamond K.
by the way last time i went there to pick up some wire for a trap (humane!) im building they said they were low on all their wire because the metal that goes into it is being used up by the war (ammunitions i guess) :shock: that was a surprise. thers some quote floating around in my memory now about how war affects all aspects of society...gamebird owners included!
-quailer370
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seems alot like a thread in brooding and raising... but reguardless
I use 1/2"x1/2" like others are saying.. however, I use vinyl coated wire for the bottom, you can pick it up at home depot here.. not sure about nationwide, they sell a 3'x5' roll for about 10 bucks.
I started with galvanized wire, and not only did they get crap built up on their feet, but also the crap sticks to the wire... with the coated wire, this doesn't happen. I swear by this stuff since I have started using it.. have some birds on it for 6 months now and not a single place has built up or had anything stick to it.
Ned
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Vinyl coated wire sounds like a good idea.
Do the birds ever pick at the vinyl on the wire?
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Nopers.... never seen em do anything with it other than walk and poop on it.
My experience with that wire goes way back several years to when I had ferrets and built a cage for them out of it, stuff is better than teflon cookware :)
Them ferrets were horribly messy animals, but that wire held up for about 3 years with them without ever showing any signs of deteriation.
One of the local hardware stores here also sells a type of it, but theirs is 5/8"x5/8" (actually I think it's based on a metric measurement 10mm) and is also a thinner gauge wire.. I've been able to buy that in like a 20' roll 5' wide I think.. but, it's not very strong at all, I've used it for the sides of cages in the past, but had some dogs jump at the cage and grab it with their teeth and tear a couple of the little squares on it, so I've not gone back to using that anymore, the stuff from Home Depot is pretty strong its 19gauge, and with the vinyl coating it gives it even more strength.
Ned
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thanks Nedley :)
-quailer370
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I went and got some of the vinyl wire at a Home Depot opening celebration. 3x5 19 gauge, 0.5x0.5 mesh.
I'll be using it on the bottom of three cages. Thanks for the tip.
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As a followup, are you both using rabbit style pans under the cages? Do the dropppings stick to them?
How often do you need to dump them and how hard is it. Does it require scraping, scrubbing and/or pressure washing?
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yup, i use the rabbit pans. i line them with newspaper, which helps a lot. once a week i dump out the old newspaper and put in some new. unless my birds have been extra messy that week i dont have to do much else. once a month i clean it really well with a pressure hose. of course, how often you clean depends on how many birds you have. i currently have three. (:wink: used to have a lot more-long story)
-quailer370
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OK. Sounds like it helps to have a liner.
A liner I can compost is preferable.
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I am leaning towards kraft brown paper. It's apparently compostable.
It may not break down very fast in a crumbled wad, but I probably won't feel like shredding it finely by hand. :?
I hope to have more than three but that depends on my hatching and brooding skills - an unknown quantity. So it may be once a day that I am dumping or changing liner.
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I use sawdust from a local cabinet builder. Easy (think FREE) and plentiful. Heck he even bags it up and sets it outside for me.... Only request I have for him was to exclude any sawdust from CCA treated woods. It seems to wick the moisture out quickly and keep the odor down. Once soiled, the whole thing goes in the compost pile or directly into the garden.
Note: I only use this in my inside cage because that's where the odor problem is. Don't have enough hours in the day to take care of my outside pens the same way.
David
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hey, just got the vinyl coated wire it looks great and youre right nedley nothing is sticking to it :D
thanks everybody
-quailer370
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quailer370,
Glad you liked it... I don't often stick my neck out and make suggestions .. but thats one thing I've found that has made an amazing difference in my cages.
Nedley
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Newspapers works very well with the cleanup alot, but WD40 or a cooking spray will also make claenup easier. I only coat with WD40 between broods (when there are no birds in brooder) so the fumes have time to clear up before I put in more birds. WD40 also deters corrosion.
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Yes, I think your quail will do much better if you use the vinyl coated wire.