Coturnix and the Cold

[le_bwah]

Wanted to state for any fellow worrywarts searching for answers—Coturnix on the ground can handle freezing temps. They huddle together at night (when it's in the teens here), but are otherwise active during the day. Tarp up their enclosure (with ventilation!) to keep the wind off and give them fluffy bedding. I shouldn't have worried—they do better in the cold than in the heat.

No clue how they deal with sub-zero temps, but I'm at least certain that they can make it through a Southwestern Idaho winter just fine.

 

[nchls school]

Mine have gone through teen temps with no harm done. Long term teens I do not know.

 

[BReeder!]

This is interesting. Thanks for starting the thread. I have read things elsewhere on BYC where some say they can handle winter and some say they cannot. Winter for me near Chicago, IL can be windy, wet at times but dry once the cold sets in, and it's easily possible to get several days in a row between 0F-20F with wind chills in the negatives.
I am just getting into quail right now. I am thinking about converting my shed into a two section coop now - quail in the front on wire (cleanliness and maintaining separate colonies are my reasons) and then chickens in the back with access to an outside run. The chickens and quail will also be separated by a hardware cloth wall. Now I know the chickens will be fine in the shed next winter (they are surviving just fine this winter in their coop that is very well ventilated), but I am wondering about the quail. I am raising TX A&M and Jumbo Brown. I will not be heating the shed, but there will be 7-8 chickens in the back section and 4 large quail cages holding up to 100 quail in the front section. Each quail cage will have a mini coop built in as well (just a large wooden box basically), for the quail to huddle in. I am thinking that body heat alone should keep the ambient temp in the shed several degrees above outside. I'm wondering it that is enough though. There is power in the shed, so I will likely add a few lights in there as well - I'll purposely use crappy bulbs (maybe 60 watts) that put off some heat as well as light.
Thoughts?

 

[nchls school]

I believe you will find that your setup will work fine. My quail continue to lay even in extended freezing temperatures. The quail and bantams share the same coop space without problem. I often use bantams to hatch quail eggs.

 

[le_bwah]

This is interesting. Thanks for starting the thread. I have read things elsewhere on BYC where some say they can handle winter and some say they cannot. Winter for me near Chicago, IL can be windy, wet at times but dry once the cold sets in, and it's easily possible to get several days in a row between 0F-20F with wind chills in the negatives.
I am just getting into quail right now. I am thinking about converting my shed into a two section coop now - quail in the front on wire (cleanliness and maintaining separate colonies are my reasons) and then chickens in the back with access to an outside run. The chickens and quail will also be separated by a hardware cloth wall. Now I know the chickens will be fine in the shed next winter (they are surviving just fine this winter in their coop that is very well ventilated), but I am wondering about the quail. I am raising TX A&M and Jumbo Brown. I will not be heating the shed, but there will be 7-8 chickens in the back section and 4 large quail cages holding up to 100 quail in the front section. Each quail cage will have a mini coop built in as well (just a large wooden box basically), for the quail to huddle in. I am thinking that body heat alone should keep the ambient temp in the shed several degrees above outside. I'm wondering it that is enough though. There is power in the shed, so I will likely add a few lights in there as well - I'll purposely use crappy bulbs (maybe 60 watts) that put off some heat as well as light.
Thoughts?

Keeping drafts off them and putting insulating bedding in their "coop" will be fine into the teens, at least. I've heard of people supplying heat when it hits 0F—my setup lacks electricity, so I'll be shoving them all in a ventilated doghouse if it gets that cold here .

Only thing I'd worry about with the proposed setup is ease of disease transmission from the chickens to the quail. Some people have no trouble, but others have lost their flocks. Worth doing research on.

 

[BReeder!]

Keeping drafts off them and putting insulating bedding in their "coop" will be fine into the teens, at least. I've heard of people supplying heat when it hits 0F—my setup lacks electricity, so I'll be shoving them all in a ventilated doghouse if it gets that cold here .

Only thing I'd worry about with the proposed setup is ease of disease transmission from the chickens to the quail. Some people have no trouble, but others have lost their flocks. Worth doing research on.

I have heard of the disease transmission. I've read it can go from quail to chicken via quail droppings the chickens forage in. Didn't know it might go the other way. It certainly is a concern though. I'm trying to figure out if there's airborne illnesses that are transmitted between them, or if the worry is just physical contact with the other species' droppings, body, meat, fluids, etc. Physical contact between them is easier for me to avoid than transition of airborne illnesses. I'll just have to keep researching.

 

[itsy gritsy]

I have heard of the disease transmission. I've read it can go from quail to chicken via quail droppings the chickens forage in. Didn't know it might go the other way. It certainly is a concern though. I'm trying to figure out if there's airborne illnesses that are transmitted between them, or if the worry is just physical contact with the other species' droppings, body, meat, fluids, etc. Physical contact between them is easier for me to avoid than transition of airborne illnesses. I'll just have to keep researching.

I was speaking to a friend of mine last week. She is my "crazy chicken lady" friend. I am new to birds myself. Our conversation included her telling me that Marek's is transmitted through the bird dander. So while not airborne so-to-speak it is passable by dander floating from one place to another on air currents. This is something to keep in mind.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I have heard of the disease transmission. I've read it can go from quail to chicken via quail droppings the chickens forage in. Didn't know it might go the other way. It certainly is a concern though. I'm trying to figure out if there's airborne illnesses that are transmitted between them, or if the worry is just physical contact with the other species' droppings, body, meat, fluids, etc. Physical contact between them is easier for me to avoid than transition of airborne illnesses. I'll just have to keep researching.

Unfortunately, the diseases quail can pick up from chickens aren't limited to ones that require direct dropping contact, etc. Even having them on the same premises with or without pretty intense decontamination zones between them can be a concern.

Some people are lucky and are fine, some aren't