Two questions, almost ready to build my pen :)

[soldsoul4foos]

Hi! Going to give the laying girls 1 foot per bird or maybe a bit more. I'm trying to think how big I'd want a cage (more small ones, one large one with 15 or 30 birds. I guess egg collecting and stuff would be easier to reach in a smaller cage. My main question however is this....If say I build a cage 4x4 for 15 birds, how big should I build a little 'house' for them when its' winter time? I'd like to be able to put a light bulb or heat bulb in there when it's extra cold. Will they huddle together in the house?

Question 2: For people in cold weather climates, do the eggs freeze if you don't pick them up right away? Not sure how to handle that when egg laying in the winter.

Thanks! Can't wait to get started!
Bill

 

[iwiw60]

Hi! Going to give the laying girls 1 foot per bird or maybe a bit more. I'm trying to think how big I'd want a cage (more small ones, one large one with 15 or 30 birds. I guess egg collecting and stuff would be easier to reach in a smaller cage. My main question however is this....If say I build a cage 4x4 for 15 birds, how big should I build a little 'house' for them when its' winter time? I'd like to be able to put a light bulb or heat bulb in there when it's extra cold. Will they huddle together in the house?

Question 2: For people in cold weather climates, do the eggs freeze if you don't pick them up right away? Not sure how to handle that when egg laying in the winter.

Thanks! Can't wait to get started!
Bill

If you build a cage 4' x 4' that is 16 square feet....humanely you should only have 4-6 birds max in there...talk about crowded.

What part of the country do you live in? Putting in a heat bulb in there with just 6 birds will be asking for health problems. Chickens do not need heat. They need good ventilation and air flow, even when it's -20 in the winter. Chickens generate a lot of body heat naturally...if you have that many birds in that tight of a space the humidity in there will spell disaster for illness and likely death.

How many hens do you have? What part of the country do you live in? Can you post pics of your current setup so we can better help you?

 

[soldsoul4foos]

I don't have a setup at all right now. That's why I'm asking questions. Now, from what I've seen online, no cages that I see are giving birds 4 square feet of space PER BIRD. I have seen alot of references to 1 sq ft per bird. 4 birds in 4x4' of space seems like ALOT of space. I'm sure if I could give them 100' per bird, that would be awesome, but not really all that practical. I'm in Maine, it gets cold.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[iwiw60]

I don't have a setup at all right now. That's why I'm asking questions. Now, from what I've seen online, no cages that I see are giving birds 4 square feet of space PER BIRD. I have seen alot of references to 1 sq ft per bird. 4 birds in 4x4' of space seems like ALOT of space. I'm sure if I could give them 100' per bird, that would be awesome, but not really all that practical. I'm in Maine, it gets cold.

Thanks,
Bill

Bill, 1 square foot per bird is like housing them in chicken factories!


I'm sure you do not want to treat your hens like battery hens. I mean, think about it....tape off 4 feet x 4 feet with some tape on your floor. Now visualize 15-16 hens housed in that space....eeeegads!

And you haven't even gotten to all the space that roost bars/poop trays, nesting boxes, feed stations and waterers take up!

Sorry, I don't mean to come off "stern" but I'd hate to see you start off your venture in chickens on the wrong foot.

 

[soldsoul4foos]

I'm talking Coturnix Quails, not chickens. I am in the quail forum right? I thought Quails didn't roost also, or so i've read. Not true?

B

 

[funsized72]

coturnix quails dont roost. Yes you are in the quail forum. I think Iwiw60 was on new posts and didnt see that she was on the quail forum. 4x4 is good for 15 quails. Coturnix are good to freezing temps but if it gets under that you might need heating light thing (sorry i dont know what its called cuz I live in cali so its not very cold here). Quails puff up and huddle together when its cold or a least mine do all you really need is a wind blocker but I don't know how cold Maine gets. I put a little house in my cage but they dont really use it

. For the egg problem you could always just put in a nest box to see if that helps

. Coturnix tend to just lay eggs everywhere though. Another solution is just to house them in the garage or something at night where is warmer. If you are scared of eggs freezing what the heck are you going to do about their water supply. I pretty sure people sell heated water bottles for poultry somewhere on the internet. Hope this was helpful cuz I'm still pretty new at quails. Good luck

 

[iwiw60]

I'm talking Coturnix Quails, not chickens. I am in the quail forum right? I thought Quails didn't roost also, or so i've read. Not true?

B

So sorry!!

 

[shotgunrem14]

reading the first few post on here had me lmao!!!

 

[Gray Goose]

I'm anxious to see how your pen comes out! I'm new to BYC and I'm planning to order my first batch of quail eggs this afternoon. I've enjoyed reading your posts because I've never tried hatching quail before and I have no pens built specifically for them. Yet. I'm getting bobwhites because they're native here in Kansas and I know they can take the cold winters. I appreciate your questions as I'm learning a lot from your inquiries

 

[Gray Goose]

Oh, and btw, I found some great ideas for pens on pinterest!