Cold weather. I moved my quail to the greenhouse.

[dianneS]

We're going to have temperatures in the teens for the next week or so. We're also having high winds that I hadn't anticipated. My quail are now 5 weeks old. They survived last night with their coop wrapped in a tarp and a heat lamp, but it's a hassle removing the tarp every time I need to get in the coop to feed and water. The tarp also blew off this morning. I don't want to deal with it for the next week, so I moved everyone to the greenhouse.

They're doing great, and it's 50 degrees in there today without a heat lamp! I know this isn't going to temper them to the cold any time soon, but hopefully spring is around the corner.

Am I overreacting? Would they be okay outside in their coop? I would just rather be safe than sorry. I also think I'm going to take this time to modify their pen for "ground birds" They do climb their ramp to the second level to eat and dust bathe, but they will not go in there at night. I think I need to enclose the bottom portion of their pen to make it more quail friendly?

 

[JaeG]

I think it was a good move. Better to be safe than sorry. Drafts are the biggest killer. They can survive the cold and are very hardy as long as they can get out of the wind, so it's probably a good idea to cover the sides under the coop part and have that facing your prevailing wind so they have shelter most of the time and from the severest weather. You could add a box of hay/straw there to encourage them to settle there for the night - it might work.

Hopefully your spring is just around the corner. I'm in the southern hemisphere and I have chickens moulting already. They moulted a lot later last year so they must know something we don't!

 

[dianneS]

I'm really liking having them in the greenhouse! They love it in there and they have so much space.
I've been reading a lot about keeping quail in greenhouses and I may just decide to over-winter them in there every year! I have a stool in there that I go in and just sit with them and watch them play. It's so nice!

I think I will modify their coop some too. My husband and I had the idea to use plexiglass (because we have some laying around and it's lightweight and my coop is portable) to make a windbreak/shelter for them. I thought that maybe since it's see-through that may encourage them to co in that portion of the coop rather than avoid it?

 

[Dani xxx]

Aww they look so happy in there ! X

 

[dianneS]

Now I'm REALLY glad I moved them to the greenhouse. They're calling for a potential blizzard here starting tomorrow night!

 

[rita2paul]

i think that is a wise move.
i have perspex around my house and run for my quails, they are still in the house at the moment, but i am thinking of moving the out next week, with their heater.

 

[JaeG]

They look really happy in there. Makes me want a greenhouse!

 

[dianneS]

I really love having them in there! I think this is going to become our winter routine. I'll just keep quail in the greenhouse to turn soil and make compost and fertilize for me for a few months. I'll just park their portable coop inside the barn so it doesn't have to endure the winter weather damage.