➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[BullChick]

Ditto, not sure what I'm going to do with the quail. They can't survive another winter outside.

Depending on what kind of pen I end up building, I plan on straw deep enough they can really snuggle down in to start. Plastic sheeting, and/or maybe a wooden bench on its side for a snow block. If nothing else, I do have the storage area in the big coop. I don’t want to clean it come spring, but if I must. It just depends on what I have to face weather wise.

It’s still early yet!! Winter isn’t for like... months still!!



X2



Already!?



Then bring them inside, silly!!

I’m not in a good situation. Winter means heating oil I cannot afford.

 

[CindyinSD]

Then I have a dozen stinky, messy quail inside all winter. I don't have an appropriate indoor pen for them. I'm thinking of a compromise where their permanent pen is right by the basement door and they get brought inside on days/nights that are below zero, but get kicked out again in temps above that.

I know “Slightly Rednecked” (YouTube) keeps his quail in their outside coop all winter. I don’t know whether that would work for me. I think he’s in MO, which is obviously a lot warmer than here, but it might work for you, Banty, depending on where you are.

 

[BantyChooks]

I know “Slightly Rednecked” (YouTube) keeps his quail in their outside coop all winter. I don’t know whether that would work for me. I think he’s in MO, which is obviously a lot warmer than here, but it might work for you, Banty, depending on where you are.

At least as cold as you guys, maybe colder. Last year I didn't see temps above zero day or night for about two weeks straight in the middle of winter. It snows a lot too. I think our very lowest lows aren't as bad as yours, being in a more wooded area, but the sustained cold we get is still plenty!

P1310445

• BantyChooks
• Sep 18, 2018

Winter of 2017--2018

 

[BullChick]

I’m guessing this year will be a snowy Halloween. Now I’m cold!!

 

[BantyChooks]

Depending on what kind of pen I end up building, I plan on straw deep enough they can really snuggle down in to start. Plastic sheeting, and/or maybe a wooden bench on its side for a snow block. If nothing else, I do have the storage area in the big coop. I don’t want to clean it come spring, but if I must. It just depends on what I have to face weather wise.

I’m not in a good situation. Winter means heating oil I cannot afford.

Straw definitely helps. I need a way to keep their water from dumping out and freezing it into the shavings. I have a few things to try.

 

[CindyinSD]

We had a naaasty winter. I was shoveling 18” of heavy wet snow to move my meatbird tractor on the 2-3rd day of spring. And yeah... really cold too. Weeks at a time I just kept the coop door closed. If it got above 0*, I opened it so they could see actual daylight. That’s an unusual situation here though. It’s not normally quite that bad.

 

[BantyChooks]

At least as cold as you guys, maybe colder. Last year I didn't see temps above zero day or night for about two weeks straight in the middle of winter. It snows a lot too. I think our very lowest lows aren't as bad as yours, being in a more wooded area, but the sustained cold we get is still plenty!

P1310445

• BantyChooks
• Sep 18, 2018

Winter of 2017--2018

Last year I had only a few quail, so I put them in a pen in the main coop and insulated it with hay and shavings. It worked okay but they still barely made it. I lost one, my favourite. (Of course.)

 

[BantyChooks]

We had a naaasty winter. I was shoveling 18” of heavy wet snow to move my meatbird tractor on the 2-3rd day of spring. And yeah... really cold too. Weeks at a time I just kept the coop door closed. If it got above 0*, I opened it so they could see actual daylight. That’s an unusual situation here though. It’s not normally quite that bad.

Ah, yes, April blizzards. That's usually about the time I consider selling all my ducks!

 

[CindyinSD]

Last year I had only a few quail, so I put them in a pen in the main coop and insulated it with hay and shavings. It worked okay but they still barely made it. I lost one, my favourite. (Of course.)

Well, that’s good to know. I was thinking about setting them up in my chicken coop or the turkey house I’ll be building. Maybe not such a good idea, that...

 

[BantyChooks]

Well, that’s good to know. I was thinking about setting them up in my chicken coop or the turkey house I’ll be building. Maybe not such a good idea, that...

It was definitely a better idea than putting them completely outside, but I think they need slight supplemental heat. Maybe a heating pad on the side of their pen?