I Modified My HQ Flight Cage (Thanks To Sally's Ideas)

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:06 pm

I decided to take the floor grate out of my HQ flight cage since I have read about them not being safe for fledglings.

I needed Hubby's help to cover up the space above the plastic tray so if I do get some Owl babies they won't get out of the cage along the bottom.

I showed him the photo Sally posted about how she covered up that space with some plastic. So he went out to his workshop and found some old white paneling that matched the cage pretty well and drilled 3 holes along the top and then put tie-wraps through them and looped them around the bottom cage bar and it came out pretty good!

Here are a couple photos of how it looks.

twhyde · Post by **twhyde** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:09 pm

Great job! Looks like it was made that way. Looks Great.

Terry

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 6:21 pm

Now all you need baby's to test it out ,good job that will do it

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 7:04 pm

That is great! Looks good. I am curious, did you do this while the owls were in there sitting on eggs?

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:24 pm

You and your hubby did a great job with the new plastic front! Nicely done!!

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:17 am

dfcauley wrote:That is great! Looks good. I am curious, did you do this while the owls were in there sitting on eggs?

Donna.....Yes...we put it on quickly and quietly. I held the board in place while Hubby looped the zip-ties through...it only took us about 2 minutes and the male Owl sat on a branch at the top of the cage and watched us. The female couldn't see us from in her nest box so I don't think it bothered her or she would have come out.

franny · Post by **franny** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:20 am

This looks great and I imagine no babies can escape when the tray is in. But what about when you take it out to clean? Doesn't that leave quite a gap? Why not add a second piece of panel on top of the first, that will extend down over the tray? Then you can close it while cleaning the tray.

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:12 pm

I was wondering about how cleaning the bottom would go as well, When I remove the tray from mine the only thing keeping the birds in was the grate which is why I have not removed it yet. I like the idea of it though, not having that grate I mean.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:45 pm

Franny & BonniesGouldians....you make a good point about the extra space and the whole bottom of the cage being open without the grate. I forgot to mention I chose not to secure the grate underneath the tray like Sally has done. We tried that and it was just too tight a fit for the tray and a bugger to get out easily.

So I got cut a piece of thin cardboard that slips nicely in just above where the tray goes so there is no open space big enough for them to get out through the bottom or sides. And I like the fact that the cardboard is light and easy to maneuver. A little more work but I am okay with that.

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:31 pm

Makes perfect sense. I like the idea and might give it a whirl if I can get Rob to give me a hand, never was very good with power tools so I will certainly need his help with that

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:01 am

FeatherHarp wrote:Franny & BonniesGouldians...
So I got cut a piece of thin cardboard that slips nicely in just above where the tray goes so there is no open space big enough for them to get out through the bottom or sides. And I like the fact that the cardboard is light and easy to maneuver. A little more work but I am okay with that.

But that means that you have to slip the cardboard in every time you take the tray out to clean? I still think that extending the door would mean you just pull out the tray, clean it and replace. Only the one step, instead of the cardboard, too. I've never seen this cage. What's under the tray? In other words, when you remove it, and if you don't put cardboard in, and assuming the birds can't slip out the gap... what is the bottom part that the tray sits on made of? Is it solid? Or is it on a grate, too? In other words, what would happen to the poop while you have the tray out?

I'm curious because I've heard a lot of good things about this cage...I may decide to get this one instead of another I was looking at, and instead of building a second one.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:01 pm

Franny....with the grate being out now if I remove the plastic tray the whole bottom of the cage is open...there is nothing else between the birds and the great "indoors".

Click on this link below to see photos of how Sally modified her HQ flight cage...if you haven't already seen this. It might help you see how the bottom of the cage looks.

Sally's HQ Flight Cage Modifications

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:08 pm

Thanks, I'll take a look.

Post by **Sally** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:46 am

I love it!! What a great way to cover that gap, and it looks like the cage came that way. The problem with using plexiglass is that I find it very hard to cut (score), and then when I try to break along the score line, it breaks crooked--and it's expensive to waste.

I have a cage unit that has removable grates, but there is no way to switch around the tray and grate. Removing the grate leaves huge gaps, and I have been putting off getting the plexiglass to fix that. Now I won't have to use plexi, I can use wood (think I might try molding), much easier to work with.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:13 pm

Thanks Sally...but Dear Hubby did all the work....I just told him what I wanted. He is so handy that way...I am lucky. If I were to do it myself I hate to think how awful it would look with duct tape...as that is about all I know how to work with...lol!