HOT, HOT, HOT!!

[Coturnix Quail]

Hey.. I've got some bad news.. Today I woke up to find one of my quails in a cage dead... He overheated from the sun shining directly on them.. I didn't realize that the sun came out at 8, but it did. His friend was lying on the floor, panting, so I bathed him in cold water. He's okay now, and I buried the overheated one.. I'm wondering what I can do to prevent overheating since quail don't like water. I put a shallow tray of ice cold water with ice inside and I also put ice in their drinking water. Its not just the sun though. The heat in the air is 90 degrees f. So, how do I keep them cool? Also, they're getting VERY thin. I can cup them in my hands now, is that something that has to do with the heat? Is it normal to being to be thinner? Okay, well, I covered the side of the coop with sun with a cloth. I don't know what to do!! Please help!

 

[geniash]

I put tarp over the enclosure to partially block the sun. I'm sure you could experiment with different things to shade the cage.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Okay thanks.

 

[HUGHES555]

I fill with water and freeze 20oz bottles and place then in their cages. If they get hot they can lean on it or sit on it to cool off. so far that works for me. I also use 2 liter bottles for my chickens. i have a extra deep freezer i keep them in because they will get nasty and you dont want that any where close to your food. i found it on craigslist for less than $50.00.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

That sounds good! I'll try that, thank you!

 

[centralcaligirl]

Be careful what kind of tarp you put up...I put up an old tarp for shade one day and it absorbed the heat from the sun and ended up making the run even hotter! So I bought a length of sun blocking shade cloth on Amazon for about $20 and that is working out much better. Some people install misters and fans near their runs. Making sure the birds are well hydrated is important also. Maybe moisten their food with some water to help them take in a little more? Just a few ideas...I'm new at this but I'm also getting ready for a big heat wave this weekend.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

I can't soak their food in water, it gets moist and crumbly. Heat wave, good luck! I see on your cover you have an Australorp and a Buff Orpington? I do too! Well, for some reason I decided to put the coop under a tree, so there isn't much light as it is, it's mainly just the hot air. Thanks, though!

 

[centralcaligirl]

Thank you! Yes, we are forecasted for 104 on Saturday, 105 on Sunday and then five more days over 100. I will be experimenting with heat reduction methods all week!

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Well, good luck!

 

[Binki]

If possible, move their cage into some brush, the earth will be cooler there from the constant shade.

Be careful with just putting a cloth on the cage - it can blow off so make sure it's very secure or you could have another preventable death.