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Author Topic: Floor wire size??  (Read 13513 times)
acannon
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« on: June 27, 2009, 01:05:25 AM »

     I'm getting ready to start incubating my first batch of quail ever. I'm going to start work on my pen tomorrow. I was wondering if 1/2" mesh wire would be to hard for the birds to walk on. Also, I put a raised 1/2" mesh floor in my homemade incubator because I was told it holds the eggs well. Is this going to make the chicks fall through or get stuck when they hatch? Thanks in advance. Looking forward to learning from some experience.
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CharlieHorse
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« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2009, 01:11:52 AM »

Hatcher/incubator should be 1/4" wire.  There heads will even fit through 1/2".

Read this: 

http://www.thatquailplace.com/smf/index.php?topic=6087.0

http://www.thatquailplace.com/smf/index.php?topic=4534.0

There are numerous other threads on this very topic.

Good Luck!
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Bill Woods
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« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2009, 11:23:31 AM »

Hope this is of some help.

Raise lots of quail in northern state.  I will talk about a pen here only (pen being a cage type which can be as large as can be and is typically raised with limited flight capability versus a flight area). I use both in my operation. For pens for quail 4 weeks and older - I use 1/2" vinyl coated. I know viyl is more expensive but you don't ever have to woryy about rusting, tearing off old, and putting on new and loosing the use of the pen (not sure how many you plan but quail produce fertile eggs for 10 plus months and man you run out of pens fast).

Mmake sure you have the cabability to cover/enclose pen with OSB for winter - they are pretty hardy. But left more then half open during winter - they are stupid and will "over-huddle" and suffocate/break neck.
If pen is in enclosed building for winter no need to cover - even if dips well below zero.

Main thing - make sure you build your pens large enough to prevent canablism. BW quail are notorous for getting bored. Especially in spring, typical start of breeding season (unless to add artifial light to enhance egg laying) you will get "ankle biting" and many a bird will have mjor sores. And they will chew off their own foot. If they live they are pernament cripple.
Put some cover(like cubies, tree branches, sand/dis-infected clean dirt) - anything to prevent boredom. Most below will split out the males from the femailes until breeding. But even in these pens where all males will ankle-bite each other. females will do the same. Eliminate boredom. If I have the space and money, I try to keep raised pens at 1.5-2 sq.ft/adult bird. Anything less than 1 sq.ft/adult bird - your asking for trouble.

Raised pens should be around 32" off the ground/floor. I typically put a sheet of OSB (chipboard) cover with plastic to ease cleaning (weekly) manure. (save manure as it makes a great compost mix a couple of years down the road. Too 'hot" to use right away. Great weed/grass and graden killer if use right away). You want to prevent flies - so use strips near by pens - away so birds can't reach - if pen is covered.

If pens are in pole shed during summer make sure you have good ventilation - quail can not take high heat (90 F and above). I use fans strategically located to give a "cool" air. Aim so birds can move freely into and out of wind tunnel. DO NOT BLOW HOT AIR ONTO. Learnt the hard way by putting on an overhead ceiling fan 16' up and blowing down. I was sick to find several nice fat birds dead. Of course it had to be the nicest ones.

As for outside pens - the raised raised pens I have are surrounded by a perimeter fence for predatation control (the raised pens I have use 1"netting on top with a hard top 6-10" above for shade/rain prevention).
I haven't had a problem with coon, cats, owls,small pred. this way. Likewise haven't had a problem with coyotes or stray dogs. Though supposedly an occasional wolf sightings in area - not sure how far that fence will go. These are all things to keep in mind.

Hope this helps.
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Bill Woods
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« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2009, 11:35:00 AM »

Hi again -

Forgot to mention on incubator/brooder wire size.

Incubators - 1/8 hardware cloth that has a good galvanize coating. Coating should be slightly rough (do't sand to roghen or you loose coating), Various stores sell it around here and you can tell whats good and whats a piece of junk. DON"T USE VINYL in incubators or brooders. Heat of these can cause vapors that might kill your hatchings. Second(ly) - smooth wire surface allows feet to slide and you will get spradle very quick - remember bird legs are still forming memory for the first 2-3 days. Liewise in brooders - no slipper surface. Once quail read 3-4 weeks old, I transfer onto 1/2" square hardware cloth. Again I usually avoid viynl here. After 6 weeks I move them to adult pens where the flooring is 1/2" sq. vinyl.  I time it along with the feed type changeover. (PS -can't remeber I posted a reply on a post of wet quail chics dying in brooders. You may want to read it).

Good luck.

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