Leaving light on in quail pen all night?

[_Randall_]

I've got 48 BWs in a 5' x 12' x 3' high pen, and am wanting to put a 250 watt heat lamp in there for the really chilly nights. (I live in north central Ms.) The pen has 1/2" hardware wire in the bottom, and wanted to get by without putting hay for bedding in there to keep the poop-buildup problem down. The north, east, and west sides are covered from the wind. If I put a heat lamp 2 ft. or so from the bottom, is this not good having light on them all night long? In other words, don't they need some dark time to rest, or will they rest when they're ready regardless of the light? I've noticed when I had a 25 watt red light in their smaller pen, they were up rambling and eating all hours of the night. Seems like having the light off allowed the ones getting harrassed and pecked more rest time, and they did better. The 60 sq. ft. pen is plenty big, I think......so the pecking shouldn't be as bad. Just didn't know if the heat lamp light on all night was a bad thing

 

[JJMR794]

How Old Are They? If I Was Going For Heating Them Yes I'd Use The Red Heat Lamp For Them....

 

[_Randall_]

Quote:
They are what I consider mature (6 months old).

 

[Pavo Royale]

I have some cotornix that are still in the brooder with thier red 85W red light and they are laying every day and seem to be thriving.

 

[Emilys3guppies]

I really don't know about bobs.

I keep my coturnix under 24 hours of white light (13 watt bulb) so that they lay. Occasionally on the really cold nights they get a 250watt red heat lamp too. They do just fine, but they aren't bobs so I don't know.

I hope someone with more experience pops in!

 

[_Randall_]

So, to ask it differently........What is considered a stressfull condition (temperature or wind-chill wise) for grown bobwhites? I know they eat more in cooler/colder conditions, but at what temperatures do y'all try to put a little heat on them in an open pen in an outside environment to keep the stress down? (By open pen, I mean wire bottom and maybe open on one side of the pen).

Thanks for the replies

 

[canter6]

I can't answer the general questions, but if you want to use a light bulb for heat. I would suggest an inappropriately named yellow "bug light" as a heat source.

As for what stresses bobs...Pretty much everything.

 

[JJMR794]

6 Mos Old Bobs Should Be Able To Withstand A Great Deal Of Cold. If Its Cold Outside Now I Would Start The Transition Slowly--- Remove The Light During The Day And Add It Sparsely At Night For A While, Then Gradually Rmove The Light. If Going From Inside To Outside Start Moving Them Outside During The Day And Bring Them In At Night.... As Far As General Housing Outside (permanent Living Quarters....) Make Sure They Have Something To Go Into To Get Out Of The Wind And A Place To Stand Off Of The Wire And They'll Be Fine. But With Bobs Make Any Warm To Cold Transition Slowly As They Tolerate It Well, But They Arent Fond Of It

 

[JJMR794]

Also, 48 Bobs In 60 Sq/ft Pen..... Thats Awful Small Space For That Many( Bobs Are Way Different Than Coturnix)--- Remember They Are The Junkyard Dogs Of The World.... Some Of Them Are So Mean And Nasty That They Dont Even Like Themselves! Since Its Not Breeding Season You May Be Alright With It, But Once Spring Hits---- All Bets Are Off! So Keep An Eye On That! Another Thing You Can Do Is Add Distractions To Their Pen..... Places To Sand Bathe, And Small Hideouts--- Easily Made Of Plywood Or Other Mateial. These Should Help Til Breeding Season...

 

[_Randall_]

Quote:
I just put them in this pen this past weekend. I figured that would be big enough since they have been in a 27 Sq/Ft pen since they were 4 weeks old. I thought at least 1.25 sq/ft per bird was sufficient based on what I've read about crowding. Yes, it's probably considered a minimum, but they now have twice the room they did have, and I've got some brush (pine limbs and such) in one end that they seem to love to get up under and fly up on the branches to perch. Also, I'm about to put a dusting (sand) box in there. I did this in the small pen, and they pile on each other like mad trying to get down into the sand. (It was a small Tupperware dish about 9" x 14") I know that's too small, but it was just something I tried to see how they liked it. Of course, they had all the sand kicked out in about a day's time!!

Thanks for everyone's input.

Randall