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Large farms are usually engaged in keeping chickens and quails in cages per egg. However, now this technology is gradually becoming popular in private backyards. The reasons can be very different: lack of space to keep a large number of livestock, one shed for poultry and pigs, etc. It is not difficult for a private trader to master such technology, but in order to make it a reality, you need to make cages for laying hens or quails.
The positive side of caged chickens
There are many opinions about the cage content of birds per egg. With quails, everything is clear. A wild bird simply cannot be kept at home in a different way. Why should the chicken suffer? Let’s look at the advantages of cellular content:
- the cage fully allows you to exercise control over the laying hen;
- closed space allows you to provide 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 cells, which will allow you to keep many layers in a small area;
- feed savings due to the fact that it is not eaten by wild birds.
It is with the cellular content of laying hens that 100% safety of eggs is ensured. In the yard, the bird finds a nest for itself in any secluded place where a person is often unable to reach. Eggs simply remain to disappear somewhere under a pile of firewood or they are eaten by other animals.
On the video, the cell content of chickens:
What is bad closed life for laying hens
At home, it is not difficult to build cages and populate chickens there. And how will the closed space be evaluated by layers? Let’s look at the negative aspects of the cellular content of chickens:
- A mobile bird is oppressed by a limited space. Being motionless, the laying hen does not waste her energy, which means she eats less. Saving feed is a plus, but there is a metabolic disorder, which affects the decrease in egg production.
- In an enclosed space, the laying hen does not have the opportunity to receive vitamin D from the sun. This affects the quality of the eggs. With a cellular content, the yolk loses its rich color, acquiring a dull white hue.
- In the wild, chickens peck fresh grass, shovel worms out of the ground, catch insects, and locked up they are deprived of such an opportunity. Compensation for laying hens of mineral components occurs due to artificial additives, and this already affects the taste of eggs.
If you like to eat only homemade chicken eggs, the cellular content of laying hens will not suit 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 period, and provide them with maximum space. Secondly, greens must be constantly included in the diet of chickens, and vegetables should be given in winter. A good result is obtained when arranging a solid floor with bedding in a cage, although bird care becomes more complicated.
The video shows a cellular battery for laying hens:
Varieties of cell 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 proceeding with the manufacture of the structure, it is necessary to correctly calculate the dimensions of the cage so that the laying hen is 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 cage sizes for laying hens, the total floor area is 3000 cm2, and 428 cm falls on one bird2 free area.
Any cage design provides for its manufacture from a grid with small cells. Only the front wall needs to be made of coarse mesh so that the laying hen’s head can reach the feed and water. The only significant design difference is the floor. It is made solid and even for laying the litter or slanted from the grid.
Chicken cage with bedding
In the manufacture of any cage for laying hens with their own hands, a frame is first made. 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 a wooden beam.
- The side walls and ceiling are sewn up with a mesh with small cells. The front wall is hinged from a mesh with a mesh size of 50×100 mm.
- The floor is covered with edged polished board.
The feeder and drinker are attached to the front wall so that all laying hens can easily reach them.
Cage for laying hens with sloping floor and egg collector
The most convenient for laying hens are cages with an egg collector, in which the whole secret lies in the inclined position of the floor. As soon as the hen has laid the egg, it does not roll on the floor, but gently rolls 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 the litter. Litter falls through the cells of the grid directly into the pallet, from where it is periodically thrown out by the poultry farmer.
The photo shows a multi-tiered scheme of a cage with an egg collector and an inclined bottom. It is this option that is convenient for keeping laying hens at home. A structure of three or four tiers can be built on a solid frame. In the manufacture of such a cage for laying hens with your own hands, you can use a wooden beam with a section of 50×50 mm, a steel profile or a corner. A galvanized drywall profile is not bad, but for structural rigidity, additional jumpers will have to be added on the sides and on the floor.
The requirements for a multi-tiered structure are the same as for all laying hens:
- Hard floor. The mesh should be made of wire 3–5 mm thick, the only way it will not sag under the weight of the chickens.
- The side walls and ceiling should preferably not be deaf. It is optimal to use a mesh with a mesh size of 25×50 mm.
- The front wall is made of mesh with cells of 50×50 or 50×100 mm. Instead of a grid, you can fix the 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, we proceed to the manufacture of the cage for laying hens:
- First, we horizontally attach any grid to the frame. This will be the first floor. On the diagram, it is indicated under number 5. On this grid will lie a pallet for collecting litter. The second sloping floor is made of a fine mesh, and is attached to the frame at an angle of 8–9о. It is listed as #4 on the diagram. About 15 cm of the sloping floor mesh is released outside the front wall, and the edge is folded. Now we have a tray for collecting eggs.
- A gap of at least 12 cm must be maintained between the first and second floors. It is needed to insert the pallet. When the floor is ready, the walls and ceiling are installed from the grid. The front wall of rods or coarse mesh is fixed with loops so that it can be opened. In the diagram, the front wall is shown under No. 2.
- On this design is almost ready. Now a drinker is fixed to the front wall. It is labeled #1 on the diagram. Below the drinker, a feeder is attached. It is listed under #3.
On this, the cage with the egg collector is considered ready. It remains to make a pallet with sides from a sheet of metal, and install it between the first and second floors.
In the video, a cage with a manure removal system:
Features of the device cages for quails
Now many poultry farmers have a desire to breed laying quails instead of chickens. These birds carry small eggs, but they are much more useful than chicken ones. At home, quail cages are made from any materials. Plywood, steel mesh, and even plastic vegetable boxes are used. A tray for collecting eggs is installed in front of the cage. Laying hens are given more space, but cages for quail 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 such data can be taken.
As for the manufacture of a quail cage, it practically does not differ from the design intended for laying hens, only the size is different. We will not consider housing options from plastic boxes and other improvised materials, but simply focus on a design with an inclined bottom and an egg collector. The photo shows a drawing of such a cage, where you can see that it is arranged in the same way as for chickens. The same frame serves as the basis. The cage can be used as an independent structure with legs or mounted on a common frame by folding a multi-tiered battery.
If desired, a frameless cage can be made for quails. To do this, a pattern is simply built on the grid, 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 the need for a pallet, and provide for a gap for it under the sloping floor.
On the video cage for quails:
As you can see, it is possible to organize housing for laying hens at home without any problems. The main thing is to have a desire and at least a small place where you can install cages.