All poultry must be kept in proper conditions as they affect growth, development and productivity. This also applies to quails. Most often, cages are made for them, which can be installed in any suitable place. However, the best option is a do-it-yourself barn or sparrowhawk. The room should be comfortable, so production must be taken seriously.
Sparrowhawk requirement
The first thing you need to pay attention to is that quails do not live on the floor.Many novice farmers unknowingly build a regular poultry house for them, like for chickens, but this is unacceptable. Quails should be placed in special cages with tiers.
Other requirements include:
- environmentally friendly materials;
- possibility of full care of the product;
- free access to drinking bowls and feeders;
- the presence of nests and trays for collecting eggs;
- additional heating in winter;
- lamps to extend daylight hours.
The owner needs to ensure that there are no drafts or direct sunlight in the quail coop.
Drawings and dimensions
Based on the total area of the barn and the number of heads, they make from 3 to 12 tiers. The cage should be made of wood on three sides and metal mesh. This way the issue of drafts is resolved. It is important to calculate in advance the dimensions of the future home for quails.
There should be 1.5 dm per bird2. As a rule, for the purpose of growing and breeding, a family of 1 male and 5-6 females is needed. When birds are bred to produce eggs, you can stock 20-25 chickens in each cage. For fattening males for meat, the scheme is similar, but the owner must not forget about the isolator, where particularly violent specimens can be placed.
Before you make a cage, you need to create a design drawing. The following elements must be noted on it:
- drinking bowl;
- feeder;
- egg tray;
- tray for collecting litter;
- door.
An inclination of the cage floor of approximately 7-13 °C is important. The tray for collecting eggs should protrude 8 cm from the cage, and to prevent them from falling out, the structure should be equipped with small sides.
Selecting a location
The choice of location for the construction of a bird house must be approached responsibly. The site should be located away from residential buildings so that unpleasant odors do not reach them.You should not build an object in a lowland, since there is low temperature and high humidity. Birds cannot tolerate direct sunlight, so it is better to hide the building in the shade.
Like other types of poultry, quail need daily exercise. They should have a special place for walking. It is advisable that there be vegetation near this place - bushes, trees, grass, since birds love natural conditions.
How to make a sparrowhawk with your own hands
The construction of the barn is carried out in stages. Initially, they build a barn, and then begin to arrange and assemble the cages. After choosing a suitable location, it is necessary to complete drawings and determine the size of the structure.
The selected area must be carefully cleared of vegetation, including tree roots, otherwise they will begin to produce shoots that will destroy the structure. The top layer of soil is removed and the surface is leveled. Sand is poured on top with the addition of a small amount of crushed stone.
Next, blocks for the foundation are installed, the beams are treated with antiseptics. The floor covering is laid at the bottom of the base, then the frame for the walls is mounted, fixing it at the base. The walls can be sheathed with particle boards, leaving space for window and door openings. The next stage is installing the roof and cladding the facade.
Cells
After building the poultry house, you should make cages for the birds. They can be arranged in several tiers, with the first one preferably located 40 cm from the floor. The height of the latter is determined by ease of maintenance, but you should not place it near the ceiling.
The height of the cage is no more than 30 cm, since quails differ from other poultry in that they like to jump. In cages that are too spacious, this often leads to injury.The tray at the bottom of the cage will provide quick and easy disposal of litter, leftover food and other debris.
Ventilation and humidity
A ventilation system is required for a poultry house. Even the simplest design can maintain optimal humidity. It is advisable to ventilate the structure every hour. This requires automatic ventilation.
Air circulation can be carried out through windows. To do this, one window frame must open, and the second must have small holes. This will allow fresh air to circulate freely throughout the room. Another option is to install a mechanical fan. It is mounted in a window and turned on periodically.
A more complex device is supply and exhaust ventilation. This system is not cheap, but it is effective. You can do it yourself by making channels for air exchange using pipes.
Lighting
Even if the poultry house has windows and there is enough daylight, additional lighting will still be required in the winter season. The network needs to be taken care of at the finishing stage. Fluorescent lamps are suspended from the ceiling, and for dim lighting you will need an infrared lamp. It should not be placed close to the cells.
Temperature
To maintain a comfortable temperature during the cold season, heating devices are used, however, in order to reduce energy costs, it is necessary to insulate the walls during the construction stage. Foam plastic, mineral wool, and pressed wood shavings are suitable as thermal insulation materials.
Organization of walking
In summer, daily walking of birds in a specially designated area is recommended. An aviary is suitable for these purposes.Exercise keeps birds healthy and improves productivity. The area for the enclosure is chosen with grass and shrubs. It is fenced with suitable material. The top is covered to prevent outside birds from stealing food. Drinking bowls are placed on the territory.
Care and hygiene
Caring for the premises and cage involves not only mechanical cleaning of droppings, food residues, and other debris, but also regular disinfection with special means. This will help avoid infectious diseases. It is important to regularly wash the drinkers and feeders, as well as the cage itself. Disinfection is carried out once a week. In this case, the cages with birds are taken to another place to avoid poisoning of the quails.
