Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Predators will find a way to feast on your poultry. It is not uncommon for raccoons to
scale wire 10 feet up and drop in from a small hole in a hayloft. They will then kill the
birds and try to drag them back up the wire to get them out into the open again. Prepare
for this to happen.
Sometimes it's best if you just go out and sit down by the facility and study all of
the possible ways an unwanted visitor might get in. The types of wire you use will be
crucial. If the wire used to cover openings is very flimsy, low-grade poultry netting,
you may end up with problems with raccoons, skunks, and other predators, as they can
tear through it without much difficulty. It's better to take some time and make the pen
predator-proof and not hastily throw together a structure and immediately get wiped out
by the local varmints. See
chapter 26
, Dealing with Predators, for a detailed predator-
proofing discussion.
Cages
Although it can be unpleasant to deny birds the freedom of large open spaces, for some
folks living in the city or in gated communities the only poultry housing option is a cage.
Certain breeds and varieties are better adapted to this than others. Bantams, for example,
find the living more to their liking than do some of the larger, brown-egg-laying types
of full-size chickens. Check the chart for space requirements on
page 23
and be careful
that you don't deny them their required space, whether designing and building, or buy-
ing. If you want to keep six hens, you'll need to buy or build a cage that's at least 12 to
15 square feet (1-1.5 sq m) or 3 feet by 4 feet (1 × 1.25 m) to 3 by 5 feet (1 × 1.5 m).
Don't cut corners.
Cage Living for Quail
If you're raising quail for eggs, they are best housed in wire cages kept off the ground so
that predators cannot chew their feet. Cages can be hung from the ceiling with fencing
wire and nailed to a back support wall or placed on brackets either purchased or made
from 2×4s (5×10 cm). Collect the droppings underneath the cage in a pan and use them
as fertilizer for your garden or flowerbeds.
Cages for quail are easily built with 2×4 (5×10 cm) lumber and quarter-inch (0.6
cm) mesh hardware cloth stretched over the openings. Use 2×4s (5×10 cm) for corners
Coturnix Quail, for building details). Even the least handy of us can build some sort of
usable cage. However, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can buy rab-
bit cages at most farm stores. They work just fine for quail but you may need to modify
the door opening so the quail can't get out easily. You want the door to open out, not in,
by switching the clips or making an entirely new smaller-size door.
