Quail in Cool, Wet Winters

[Newfoundlander709]

My wife an I are currently looking into getting some quail. We'd like to build a stand alone outside hutch. Trouble is we have these very cool, wet winters up our way. One day it could be -7 or -8 Celsius, the next day it could be +2 and windy with sideways rain or sloppy snow. I've watched some videos where people have said quail are fine in cold weather as long as they have a place to get out of the wind. None of the people in the videos I've seen seem to be in places that have wet winters, and they don't really address the issue of the quail getting wet. If it rains in the day and the Quail are out in it then it freezes overnight are they likely to die, or have Quail adapted to these kind of conditions? Am I better off just keeping them inside altogether in a place like a shed in the winter and having a separate outside hutch for summer?

 

[Lady_Bat]

We have ours on the ground in a mobile run/coop set up. We had a heat wave in October that saw temps over 100 degrees for a week straight. They didn't much care for that but survived. Thankfully this Winter hasn't been as bad as last year but we have had days in single digits & lots of snow. We need to fix the roof of our run because snow is getting in but hopefully these pics will help you decide if it'll work for you. They have 2 coops to get into (one yellow, one gray), 2 dust baths, lots of little guinea pig houses, a heated mat (the black thing leaning on the yellow coop), heated waterer, & a radio. We put a heat lamp in there but haven't used it yet. We are learning as we go. You may have to do the same to see what works best for your situation.

In answer to your question about them getting wet, I'm pretty sure that's really bad. If their feathers get soaked they can't keep warm.

 

[JurassicBawk]

Mine are in a raised long hutch with 5 separate areas that are about 2x2 each. It's totally open 1/2" wire with a metal corrugated top. I always have little houses (chinchilla baths are great since they can see out) in each section, and for winter have put cardboard on the ground wire with shavings on top for them to snuggle into. The back of the cage is against my house brick wall. When it rains or is extremely cold, I cover the front and partially the sides with clear plastic shower curtains. When it's nice, I just fold the curtains back up over the top, and take them off completely once it's nicer weather. It's currently flooding with another 7" predicted before Sunday, and temps in the 10s-80s so far this month. (Tennessee sometimes has all 4 seasons in one week.) They're doing fine, and like being up off the ground so they can see. I originally had them in rabbit hutches with solid bottoms until a friend was selling this giant cage, and think I'll probably keep the bottom wire covered with something for them to have shavings or leaves to play in instead of just standing on wire.

They can handle cold as long as they are acclimated, but not wet. I've also got bees, and a lot of the winter maintenance for both bees and quail is keeping proper ventilation while also keeping moisture out. Be sure you've got them covered from the elements, but still plenty of room for moisture/air to escape and circulate.