GSC Roll Out cages Question????????

[slider]

kevin you might want to double the size of that plastic tub..

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

The pics are what I brought them home in but there are 37 in there.  They will be going in the brooder tommorow morning after I can clean it out!  I was not planning on bringing that many home tonight!

[cv]

The pics are what I brought them home in but there are 37 in there.  They will be going in the brooder tommorow morning after I can clean it out!  I was not planning on bringing that many home tonight!

 

[slider]

Not trying to run your business. The chicks look great..Good Luck with them !!!!

[wildergamebirds]

  I'm able  to get vinyl coated 1/2 X 1 in 24" width fairly cheap (actually got a full 100 foot roll at a flea market for $4.00 last winter).

  I love this stuff, wish it came in 4 or 6 foot widths.  Crap doesn't stick, eggs are cushioned a little, and it seems they roll easier.  I use it for transportation cages, and it is a little stiffer, which comes in handy, when carrying 50 Quail in one cage.  Stiffness in the floor of roll-out cages is very important, too.  Any sagging gives eggs a place to hang up and get trampled.

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

$4.00 Wow!  The best place I found locally in around Houston is a man that builds cages for a living Bryants Small Animal Cages.   He will sell whole rolls or by the foot but cant touch that $4.00.  Last week I bought some 1x2x24 non galvalum for $75 a 100' and some 1/2x1x24 for $145 a 100' roll.  I am going to see if he carries the vinyl coated.  Between the new Quail projects and expanding are rabbit and chicken growth we have been using some wire.  I do know I like the way the vinyl looks and I am sure its easier to clean.  As far as the sagging goes I can see a couple areas that I did not flatten out the wire enough.  It still has the roll contour gonna have to do a little pushing and manipulating there.   Thanks alot all you guys for the advice it really helps me out.   

[wildergamebirds]

  Yes, that was a good find.  Almost "FReeves" level.  Just called to check price.  It's right at $150 per running foot in 50 foot rolls.  A bit pricey, but I think it's worth it, when you consider the labor of rebuilding.

  One tip, I use liquid electrical tape to "paint" the cuts made at the ends of cages.

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

Hey, Thanks Alot thats  a good one!  I have some out in the shop to and did not even think of using it.   I am going to give the vinyl a try on the next set, we just finished some three hole rabbit breeders and it would have been nice on those.

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

OK here they are in the brooder, But now I am wondering if its gonna be big enough to last a couple weeks.   I read that chicks need .5 sq ft and mature needs 1 sq ft if this is right.  My brooder is 48" x 22" x 12"  so if my math is right I have 1056 sq " or 7.33 sq ft.  So I need 18.5 sq for my chicks is this right or is this just a guideline?  If so its time for a new brooder,  I am gonna fill my breeder cages and then put some in a grow out pen/house.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[slider]

That should be large enough to carry them to 3 or 4 weeks. If they are just a couple days old I would add some paper towels down on the floor over the news paper to secure their footing for 4 or 5 days. Looks great and I can tell the kids are excited..good for you...

[wildergamebirds]

That should be large enough to carry them to 3 or 4 weeks. If they are just a couple days old I would add some paper towels down on the floor over the news paper to secure their footing for 4 or 5 days. Looks great and I can tell the kids are excited..good for you...

  (because newspaper is too slick and can cause leg and foot problems)

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

Gotcha,  Hey thanks again guys!  Will do!  Hey Slider the fellow said that 20 of em hatched on Sat 02/07/2009 and the other 17 on 02/08/2009 so yeah they are just a couple days now.  Will keep yall updated!

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

Just a update out of the first batch of 37 we moved 36 to the breeder cages this weekend.  We had to cull one last week ( it never matured).  We added three mature Jumbo hens and a mature Jumbo rooster (Coturnix) to a breeder cage two weeks ago.  Also Sat we drove to Livingston and picked up 37 more two week old Jumbos (Coturnix) to add to the brooder that was empty.  Man this is seriously addictive,  also Sunday we drove to Grandview 4 hours north to pick up our first incubator.  It is a cabinet style modeled after a GQF however it is homemade.  It has all the GQF insides turners, electronic thermostat, with a wafer back up.  We plugged it in last night and it has been running great.  Filled the water tray to humidify the wood it was stored for a while.  Gonna let it run the rest of the week and monitor it.  Here is the best part in the words of Reeves it was FREE so no complaining here.  Previous owner said it will hold 240 chicken eggs so I need to find some Quail trays and give it a try!  Every time I go out to the bird house (our 14x24 Quail house) I feel like a kid again in a toy store!

[jimmurray3]

FREE, Must be nice to run across though kind of deals. Let me know if you find another deal like that. thank ya Jim

[Circle R Ranch Kevin Rockholt]

Jim,  You know it was kinda a diamond in the ruff.  We had been looking on Craigslist for about a month now for a incubator.  We had just about settled on a GQF 1502 out of Austin TX $350 on Sat.  Then prior to going to bed my wife checked online one more time and ran across this one in Grandview on Craigslist in the free section.  Now I know there is a difference but I am pleased.  We will one day own a GQF or a Dickey but this keeps our first year overhead down.  Technically we are luckily enough to be out off the red already.  The bad thing is you now she claims that $350 that was saved!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was eight hours worth of driving and two tanks of gas but it gave us something to do and a story to tell!  The kids enjoyed the road trip!