Content
Large farms usually keep chickens and quails in cages for eggs. However, now this technology is gradually becoming in demand in private households. The reasons can be very different: lack of space to keep a large number of livestock, one barn for poultry and pigs, etc. It is not difficult for a private owner to master such technology, but in order to make it a reality, it needs to be done chicken cages laying hens or quails.
The positive side of cage-free chickens
There are many opinions about cage keeping of birds per egg. Everything is clear with quails. There is simply no other way to keep a wild bird at home. Why should the chicken suffer? Let's look at the advantages of cellular content:
- the cage completely allows for control over the laying hen;
- an enclosed space allows for optimal conditions for year-round egg production;
- the cage protects the chicken from predators and also facilitates veterinary care of the livestock;
- You can build a battery from the cages, which will allow you to keep many layers in a small area;
- Saving feed due to the fact that it is not eaten by wild birds.
It is when laying hens are kept in cages that 100% safety of eggs is ensured. In the yard, the bird finds a nest in any secluded place, where humans are often unable to reach. The eggs are simply left to disappear somewhere under a pile of firewood or are eaten by other animals.
In the video, cage keeping of chickens:
Why is a closed life bad for laying hens?
It is not difficult to build cages at home and place chickens in them. How will the closed space be appreciated by the laying hens? Let's look at the negative aspects of caged chickens:
- A moving bird is oppressed by limited space. Being without movement, the hen does not waste her energy, which means she eats less. Saving feed is a plus, but metabolic disturbances occur, which affects a decrease in egg production.
- In an enclosed space, the laying hen does not have the opportunity to obtain vitamin D from the sun. This affects the quality of the eggs. When kept in cells, the yolk loses its rich color, acquiring a dull white hue.
- In the wild, chickens peck fresh grass, scoop worms out of the ground, and catch insects, but when locked up they are deprived of this opportunity. Reimbursement of mineral components to laying hens occurs through artificial additives, and this already affects the taste of the eggs.
If you only like to eat homemade chicken eggs, cage-based laying hens are not for you. When there is absolutely no other choice, you can solve the problem by improving bird care.Firstly, laying hens can be transplanted into cages for the winter, and provide them with maximum space. Secondly, chickens should always include greens in their diet, and vegetables in winter. A good result is obtained by arranging a solid floor with bedding in the cage, although caring for the bird becomes more complicated.
The video shows a cage battery for laying hens:
Types of cage designs for laying hens
It is not difficult to build a drawing of a cage for laying hens with your own hands. The appearance of one design resembles a rectangular mesh box. If desired, they can be connected in several tiers into a battery, as shown in the photo.
Before you start making the structure, you need to correctly calculate the dimensions of the cage so that the hen feels comfortable in it. It is considered normal if one cage is inhabited by seven laying hens. For such a number of birds, a mesh structure is made with a length of 60 cm, a width of 50 cm, a height of 45 cm. With such dimensions of the cage for laying hens, the total floor area is 3000 cm2, and 428 cm falls per bird2 free space.
Any cage design requires its manufacture from a mesh with small cells. Only the front wall needs to be made of coarse mesh so that the hen can reach the food and water with her head. The only significant design difference is the floor. It is made solid and flat for laying bedding or sloping from a mesh.
Chicken cage with bedding
When making any cage for laying hens with your own hands, first make the frame. However, when arranging a solid floor, you will need to reconsider the dimensions.The width and depth of the cage are left unchanged, but the height is increased by 15 cm. This is due to the fact that part of the space is taken up by the floor, assembled from boards 2 cm thick. Plus, the thickness of the litter is added to this.
The procedure for making a cage for laying hens is simple:
- A rectangular frame is assembled from a steel profile or wooden beam.
- The side walls and ceiling are covered with a mesh with small cells. The front wall is attached to hinges made of mesh with a cell size of 50x100 mm.
- The floor is covered with edged polished boards.
The feeder and drinker are attached to the front wall so that all laying hens can easily reach them.
Cage for laying hens with inclined floor and egg collector
The most convenient for laying hens are cages with an egg collector, whose whole secret lies in the inclined position of the floor. As soon as the chicken lays the egg, it does not lie on the floor, but is carefully rolled into a tray located outside the front wall. The convenience of this design also lies in the fact that the mesh floor does not require cleaning and laying bedding. The droppings fall through the mesh cells directly into the tray, from where the poultry farmer periodically throws it out.
The photo shows a multi-tiered cage with an egg collector and a sloping bottom. This option is convenient for keeping laying hens at home. A structure of three or four tiers can be built on a solid frame. When making such a cage for laying hens with your own hands, you can use a wooden beam with a section of 50x50 mm, a steel profile or a corner. A galvanized profile for drywall is quite suitable, but for the rigidity of the structure you will have to add additional jumpers on the sides and on the floor.
The requirements for a multi-tiered structure are the same as for all cages for laying hens:
- Hard floor. The mesh should be made of wire 3–5 mm thick, this is the only way it will not sag under the weight of the chickens.
- It is advisable to make the side walls and ceiling not blank. It is optimal to use a mesh with a cell size of 25x50 mm.
- The front wall is made of mesh with cells 50x50 or 50x100 mm. Instead of a mesh, you can fasten rods at a distance of 50 mm.
The photo shows a diagram of one cell. The rest on a common frame are made using the same technology.
So, we have the frame ready, let's start making the cage itself for laying hens:
- First, we attach any mesh horizontally to the frame. This will be the first floor. On the diagram it is indicated under No. 5. On this grid there will be a tray for collecting litter. The second inclined floor is made of fine mesh and attached to the frame at an angle of 8–9O. On the diagram it is indicated under No. 4. About 15 cm of the inclined floor mesh is extended beyond the front wall, and the edge is folded over. Now you have a tray for collecting eggs.
- There must be a gap of at least 12 cm between the first and second floors. This is needed to insert the pallet. When the floor is ready, the walls and ceiling are installed from the mesh. The front wall made of rods or coarse mesh is fixed with hinges so that it can be opened. In the diagram, the front wall is shown as No. 2.
- At this point the design is almost ready. Now the drinking bowl is fixed to the front wall. In the diagram it is designated No. 1. A feeder is attached below the drinking bowl. It is shown at number 3.
At this point, the cage with the egg collector is considered ready. All that remains is to make a tray with sides from a sheet of metal and install it between the first and second floors.
The video shows a cage with a litter removal system:
Features of quail cage design
Now many poultry farmers have a desire to breed laying quails instead of chickens. These birds lay small eggs, but they are much healthier than chicken eggs. At home quail cages made from any materials. Plywood, steel mesh, and even plastic vegetable boxes are used. A tray is installed in front of the cage to collect eggs. Laying hens are given more space, but cages for quails left for fattening are limited in height. This allows the birds to gain weight faster and their meat becomes more tender.
The size of quail housing is calculated based on the number of livestock and the purpose of the birds. The photo shows a table from which you can take such data.
As for making a quail cage, it is practically no different from the design intended for laying hens, only the size is different. We will not consider housing options made from plastic boxes and other available materials, but will simply focus on a design with a sloping bottom and an egg collector. The photo shows a drawing of such a cage, where you can see that it is designed in the same way as for chickens. The basis is the same frame. The cage can be used as an independent structure on legs or mounted on a common frame by folding a multi-tiered battery.
If desired, you can make a frameless cage for the quails. To do this, simply draw a pattern on the mesh, after which a rectangular box is bent out of it.
The photo shows a drawing according to which you can cut out a frameless cage. But even in such a design, you need to remember about the need for a pallet, and provide a gap for it under the inclined floor.
In the video there is a cage for quails:
As you can see, you can organize housing for laying hens at home without any problems. The main thing is to have the desire and at least a small place where you can install the cages.
