Being Prepared for Winter When Raising Quail

When raising quail and maintaining a flock during the winter months. There will be some preparations to be made. Obviously, it’s better to have some type of quail that avoids cold winter drafts. As you know from raising quail chicks, cold drafts can be a big enemy when raising quail.

If a quail house is not available, you will need to protect your quails from the elements in another way. You could build a small boxed enclosure in the quail pen with an opening large enough for the quail to climb in and out. This would help give your quail a place to gather and avoid the winds for a bit.

You should have a minimum of 15 to 20 quail per pen to create a heat flock. Also if you are not raising your quail in some type of quail house and have them on wire off the ground. You will definitely want to at least take a tarp and drop it completely around the chicken coops from ground level to the ground. It will help prevent drafts from going up the bottom of the cage. This is very important. On very cold and windy days, it would be a good idea to cover the entire cage. Just make sure you allow some ventilation.

You can also place low wattage bulbs in the area of ​​the quail flock. This can offer them some help with warmth. I prefer a closed colored bulb, so they can’t come into contact with it.

Another problem with quail farming in the winter months is the formation of ice on the water. You will need to keep an eye on this, to ensure that your quail always have water available. Never add anything to the water just to keep it from freezing, the additive would likely kill your quail.

Hay usually makes excellent winter bedding for warmth, but it should be changed at least once a week. As you must know, the problem that can cause the accumulation of falls. It shouldn’t be much of a problem in the winter, but why take a chance on your quail?

In the wild, they gather in very thick shrubs and grasses to avoid the elements. The closer you get to creating that kind of environment, the better your quail will do.

You’ve probably raised quail from eggs and have been watching them ever since. If so, then you should have some kind of insight into your actions, if there is a problem. Quail have a way of letting you know when they are under stress and need some kind of attention. Learning to read them is part of raising quail.

So when preparing your quail for the cold winter months, use a lot of common sense and observation.

Provide quail with protection from drafts, rain and snow. Make sure they have drinking water, not ice, and enough quail in the same pen to create a flock. Giving the quail a little help with a man-made heat source would also help.