Watering Quail In The Winter

[@tullyriverquail]

I love the quail flight pen in your back yard. It's nice that the kids can also jump on it (to help bounce the droppings off)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sorry but i am confused. Are you talking about the trampoline? that is just for the kids, the quail don't get to use it. But you gave me some ideas now that the kids are out of the house.

[@jecriggs]

another "full of good tips" video - thanks for sharing.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you liked it.

[@ronstrobel9227]

Every time I watch one of your amazing quail videos, I tell my Dear Hub how great it would be to get some of those little critters. I'm trying to convince him to get a little "herd" of 'em. He especially appreciates how clever your approach is to solving problems you have with them, like watering in winter. You have the heart of a teacher, and you present things in understandable language for those of us who still don't know what we're doing! In our house you are known as "Quail According to Chris" (reference to The World According to Garp)! Thanks for another good one! ~ Kir in Tennessee

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am so glad to hear that my videos are helpful to you.

[@papasbackyardgarden2564]

My fist year with quail. I built my hutch very close to your design. Thank you. Bought the Jumbo Wild from Zack at MYshire. I designed/built a 2 gallon quail waterer a few weeks ago. Last night the temperature dropped to 18F and the water did not freeze. I'm still testing but it does look promising. It cost me about $10 to build. I just posted a video today if you are interested in my design. I only use a 60 watt light bulb which is on an outside temperature thermostat. It goes on automatically when temperature drops to 34F.

[@Militantoh9]

Raising quails in Canada, I've been putting snow in a feeder tray as their water source. They just eat the snow, no risk of frostbite on their beaks or feet like with liquid water. Only works if you have enough snow on the ground, doesn't look like Slightly Rednecked has nearly enough to fill trays without a big effort.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a great idea but like you said, nowhere near enough snow. This was the biggest snow we got this winter.

[@amandabarnes5235]

That's an awesome idea.

[@BAJPN]

THANK YOU SO MUCH - great idea solving my extreme worry about how to keep my quail watered without endangering them!!!

[@JOECorsoNova]

By the way Chris, thanks for your continued support and devotion to what you do, you’re a great guy!! Thanks again for your videos.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments.

[@rhondasnair9304]

Just got 1 of my automatic water systems set up I love it and the quails caught on pretty quick. I put a light in their cage from 6-8 and found out I have a rooster after all. So excited thank you so much for your videos wouldn't know what to do with out them

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. SOunds like things are coming along well. Congratulations on your success.

[@rhondasnair9304]

@@Slightlyrednecked thank you so much. I'm not going to say success yet until I'm hatching out eggs that came from the quail I'm raising. I'm getting close though 😊

[@JOECorsoNova]

I use a five gallon bucket with the red watering cups screwed into it, since I run lights to help with laying during the short daylight hours and already have a cord run for that I put a fish tank heater in the bucket and it keeps thing thawed out and running nicely!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Nice. I don't have power out to my hutches or I might do the same thing.

[@patriciadean5452]

Thanks for such an easy idea. I was surprised with how easy you made this.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad that you found this video helpful.

[@rhondasnair9304]

I got my 1st quail egg this morning a week of 14 hour days for them and Turkey starter wish I could post pictures on here so excited lol

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Awesome. congratulations on the new eggs (I am sure you have gotten more already).

[@rhondasnair9304]

@@Slightlyrednecked yes I've been getting 2 a day now lol I wasn't sure until then how many hens I had my next batch is hatching now started yesterday I got 4 and it looks like today I'll have 4 so I'm hoping for a 50% hatch rate which is way better than last time thanks to you

[@Slightlyrednecked]

So glad to hear that. Congrats on your hatch. I am sure it will go very well.

[@huntfishexplore7636]

It gets down to -40 celsius where I live. I have zero experience bit so far I am thinking to run a heat bulb in an enclosed portion of their cage, and contain the water system, possibly year round inside the heated space.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is pretty cold. Heat bulbs can be pretty dangerous though. I am not sure it is a good idea to leave one running all the time.

[@huntfishexplore7636]

@@Slightlyrednecked good point, one more thing to look into, that's why it's called the research phase. The goal would be just enough warmth during those 2 coldest months to make it more like your winter. Other ideas I have are an aquarium heater in the bucket, deep bedding and of course just bringing them inside for a couple months.

[@Steve-ps6qw]

That is crazy how they will get wet and then get stuck and rip their own feathers and skin off....good stuff, thanks Chris!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much for watching. I am glad you liked the video (and my shirt) :)

[@machinegreen1911]

Thanks. This will be my first winter with Quail. I need to know this stuff.

[@sweetolyve]

That's a great waterer idea! It just hit me that I can do that for my ducks, too, but using a larger size container.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am sure it would work for ducks too. I am not sure you have to worry about them freezing though. They are much better equipped to deal with cold water than quail are.

[@sierradates5672]

Yep! That's what I've used. :-D It's food grade and meant to freeze. My only concern is that my quail would somehow find a way to squeeze into a big rectangle hole. I cut a bunch (about 6-8) 1.25" holes with my drill and a hole saw bit.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is probably how I would have done it too. My wife actually made this one and it has worked just fine so I found no need to change it up.

[@sierradates5672]

@@Slightlyrednecked ahhh, that makes sense. 😉 I was wondering because I based my ice cream tub design on your feeders.

[@lindseypie23]

You could also put your water dish on top of an inverted heating bowl so it only uses it as a platform, and doesn’t freeze up.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good suggestion. I don't have power out to my hutches though so I would have to run extension cords.

[@donaldmiller8629]

How about if you used one of those seed heating pads using solar powered batteries as your power source ? For my chickens , I use a 55 gallon drum located inside of the chicken coop . It is filled with water from the roof of the coop. Then water is gravity fed from the barrel to a five gallon bucket fitted with poultry watering cups. A former toilet bowl valve controls the water flow into the bucket . So far the combination of chicken body heat and the volume of water has kept it from freezing. Oh , and I also insulated the chicken coop as I was building it .

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good idea but I don't know of a solar-powered heater that would be able to keep up. I would think it would need a very large solar panel and battery. I may be wrong though.

[@donaldmiller8629]

@Slightly Rednecked , I saw one of those heating pads just recently that is being sold as part of a seed staring kit. It shows that the pad draws 13 watts. Well within the capacity of most solar panels . Even the ones from Harbor Freight . You would need an inverter though as I'm pretty sure that the pad would be A/C.

[@212acres3]

Thanks for the video! Have a good day!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching.

[@jimsgardensandrabbitry]

Great information Chris. Don't be surprised if this year you might see some quail on my channel. many blessings to you and your wife.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks so much. Blessings to you as well. And would love to see quail on your channel too. :)

[@amandabarnes5235]

Thanks for this! It gets SUPER cold here in SE Wyoming. Yesterday we were -35 with the windchill. So watering the quail in the winter time is a concern for me.

[@amandabarnes5235]

Speaking of which, what do you suggest for keeping quail warm in that kind of weather without using a heat lamp. I live in a trailer park, so putting a heat lamp in the close quarters of a cage is kind of a fire risk.

[@fredflinstone3173]

Amanda Barnes Line the shelters interior walls with reflectix, and maybe some hay on the floor.

[@amandabarnes5235]

@@fredflinstone3173 thank you. :)

[@jecriggs]

@@amandabarnes5235 We use chick brooders /electric hens from TItan Incubators in our quail houses. They are much like the Brinsea EcoGlow chick brooders and Premier's Chick Brooder Heating Plates. The advantages of these products are: they are fully enclosed, so not a fire hazard, they're easy to clean, they use very little electricity (ours use 20W). As an added bonus, our quail tend to prefer laying their eggs in the little nests they make underneath the plates (we use chopped straw bedding in our quail houses), so because it's a popular spot for the hens to hang out, the eggs don't freeze as fast as those laid out in the run.

[@amandabarnes5235]

@@jecriggs, awesome! Thanks!

[@Steve-ps6qw]

But your T-shirt is the answer!! I have some excess "stored energy" because of spoons, not my fault at all, lol. Love that shirt. Sorry I missed your live broadcast, should be there this Thursday. Now back to the video!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol. You and me both man. I have plenty of stored up energy. Those darn spoons. :)

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Can I give my quail tap water or should I boil it first

[@donnapeitz8737]

I bought 2 quail in September, don't know age after hatching 12 my hen died, I put a hen from hatch with the male he was lonely all other eggs hatched males I butchered. Now my male is sick afraid he will die I have no other quail. I feed game and wild bird feed. What can 8 do it's a new experience. I put heat over cage. Thanks for your videos. Donna from Quincy Illinois

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so sorry to hear that you are having those troubles. Unfortunately, I am not sure that there is much you can do. Sometimes quail get old and die and there isn't much you can do about it. They only live about 2 to 3 years anyway. Hopefully, you can get some more eggs out of your hen and incubate them before that happens.

[@donnapeitz8737]

@@Slightlyrednecked thanks for replying usually no one does, how should u get more so I didn't wind up with old I ha e a 24 egg incubator just don't want taken like before

[@frankbellinger905]

Solar warmer?

[@rileybohannon373]

Thank you

[@thepredelite4961]

I wonder do round ice cream bucket work or does it have to be a square ice cream bucket

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't see why round wouldn't work just fine.

[@liftoffthecouch]

Hey, great idea! I'm gonna have to steal that for my situation. LOL! My girls have a heated cat dish they drink out of cause I don't mind running the extension cord out to them. They've jumped in a few times, but no one has gotten frozen yet, but it's a concern, so I was thinking how was I going to put a lid on it. I might just set it inside a milk jug and cut an access hole for them. Thanks!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is exactly what I would do. Thanks for watching the video and I am glad that you found it helpful.

[@marysunshine8371]

lots of valuable unused space under the cage, I'd enclose it, with maybe corrugated metal, drill a few holes, pvc pipes and surround with compost.....that way you don't have far to go for the manure and the decomposting will help keep em warm throughout the winter....also like the insulation idea, Fred Flinstone mentioned

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That is a good idea. I don't find that they need that much heat though. The toughest part is just to keep the water from freezing but that is only for a few days here and there during the winter. It rarely stays below freezing for more than a week at a time so it isn't a big deal for me.

[@marysunshine8371]

@@Slightlyrednecked I get it, just saying you said yourself the birdies were freezing to the wire....that's cold enough for me...kinda reminds me of those sticky mouse traps, a heck of a way to die....like the plastic container idea, I keep em for all kinds of diys

[@robertmacleod7587]

thanks 4 the info

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching.

[@jessicapabon2105]

Okay so my Quail are very experimental in other words it's an educational thing for me cuz I want to learn more about them the do's and don'ts first of all before I start raising them for meat and so forth. Now the quill I have are from almost a year and a half they've been living in a garage which is not ideal I know. I finally got a pop-up Coupe that's what I call it it's huge it has no bottom but there's a lot of room and there's only five of them and they have logs to roost on jump on or dig under as well as some edible herbs that they can nip at or destroy whichever they want as well as some fresh lettuce which I know will be in the vigorously. But I have herbs and salad greens planted on either side of the coupe which means I can give them some clippings from time to time and make them happy. My question is I have construction sand and diatomaceous earth mixture is that okay or do I have to have play sand? There are some little tiny little bits of rocks in there like extremely small Pebbles but it's a bird and I figured birds in the wild get onto contact of every single kind of sand and dirt and grits Etc my question is would it be advisable here in Texas which it gets pretty hot to give them a platter of water to cool down and get whatever they want or is that not a real thing for a quail I mean I observed doves and doves absolutely love getting into the water which is a platter that's maybe an inch and a half deep if that and they go to town. Do you think that the quail would do the same and bathe in that as well like most Wildlife Birds?? Still learning but I think I might go ahead and do it just to see the reaction and to see what they do LOL. They've been living in a wire cage which is spacious for them again what does coupe the pop-up Coupe that I put up for them is ridiculously big and I like it cuz they can run and forage and dig to the little hearts content. Now I do plan on putting some rocks around a couple of herbs and lettuces where they can pick it and eat it but they can't dig it out or rip it out so I can continuously grow for them. What do you think? I'm trying to be educational here for myself and I'm excited for them for their freedom of having a better life and possibly then laying more eggs that are healthier for me then in a cage that gets no fresh air or sunlight..... I would think that that would be healthier for egg Gathering down the road

[@jodyflores601]

Thank you Chris, I appreciate the great information. Give Max a pat for me, I adore him. lol I would be willing to share our "white stuff" from IA, I'm so very much done with it and ready for it to be shipped off. Blessings :)

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Lol. I admit that I would like at least one good snow before it is all over. We didn't get any more than what you saw in the video so kind of disappointed. But at the same time, I am ready for spring as well.

[@pabloteran7082]

Hey Chris i have a situiacion i am having problems with my hatching I don’t know if you know the reason why the chicks grow but they died when is time to hatch they even brake the egg but they died inside the egg i put like about 80 eggs and only 17 hatch the rest died I will appreciate if you have a suggestion for me thank you.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I am so sorry to hear about those issues. Most issues with poor hatch rates are related to temperature. The incubator may be reading a degree too low causing the eggs to develop slow and the chicks to be too week to hatch. I would start with getting a few calibrated accurate thermometers (make sure they are calibrated and accurate) and verify that your incubator is reading the temp correctly. I am betting that is the issue. I hope that helps.

[@pabloteran7082]

Thank you I will try that, and thank you i appreciate that you answered my question

[@JustinAbroad]

How do you like living in Southern Missouri?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I like it very much. But this is where I was raised so I might be a little biased.

[@quailypoes]

Will definitely give this a try, thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you found it helpful.

[@quailypoes]

@@Slightlyrednecked Very. I've watched a lot of your videos since hatching my first quail, have appreciated all of them. Thank you so much for sharing all of the hard work you do, your experiments, solutions, problems, all of it!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks you so much. I am so glad to hear that.

[@saleemhussain3110]

Do they laying egg in winter?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

As long as they have about 14 hours a day of light they will continue to lay all winter long.

[@saleemhussain3110]

@@Slightlyrednecked Thanks. What if i put a led light to compensate rest of hours? Cause now we have only 10hours day light

[@bunn.cosplay7903]

What do u do if the lock freezes? I'm going to breed rabbits soon and I kinda need to know so i can still have access to them

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Heat it up to thaw it out. That is about the only thing I know to do.

[@jimcheng22]

Hey Chris, at what temp do you start collecting eggs for hatching? It is still quite cold in central Canada. We are counting down the days when Spring comes and begin our first 2019 incubation. Thanks

[@Slightlyrednecked]

As long as the eggs aren't freezing I collect them for incubating. Hope that makes sense.

[@buydirtnorthidaho]

Genius! Thank you!

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thanks for watching. I am glad you found it helpful.

[@aaronharr6553]

Awsome video love what you do. God bless

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you so much for the kind comments.

[@GrownManGames]

can you use this same idea for food? because the problem i have with my quails is that they are so messy eaters that my bird feed meaning the the food itself tends to get wasted a good majority of the time man, i think thats the nature of dealing with raising these birds, however i would like to reduce that as much as possible because my turkey game starter feed of 28% protein i buy from amazon comes in a 50lb bag and it doesnt have priority next day shipping, and i found my self going thru that whole bag in like 2 months between 7 birds,.... and the watering bowls u mentioned in the beginning gets wasted entirely which causes me to have to clean it every day and refill every day, which is a major hassle. i have them in a 2 tier rabbit hutch, 3 birds up top, 4 birds at the bottom isolate from one another. maybe i should make a youtube channel so i can show them on video, and have you watch it at your leisure so you can critque it, and i will gladly pay you to review it so i can make adjustments, because i swear, maintaience is a pain in the ass.. lol but i will be going to the store to try out this new watering system you showed however i will have to find a smaller size because it will cramp the cage too much....can this be done differently with some kind of tubblewear product of the same shape but smaller scale size? however, i will try this because they need a new watering system badly that doesnt has to be refilled or cleaned so much super often.

[@Hi-rs4km]

Hey Chris, my humidity 48% is that too low? i am just a little anxious because it's almost lock down :(.......

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It is a little low but nothing to worry about. You do want to bring it up during lockdown though. You may need to put a soaked sponge in the incubator (not on the eggs themselves) to help boost it up if the water in the trays isn't doing the job.

[@Hi-rs4km]

Ok thank you very very much!

[@getoffyourbassandletsfish7651]

I’m just going to cook mine then buy new egglayers in the spring.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

That works too.

[@willdwyer6782]

If you want a good snow come to Michigan.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol. yeah, this ended up not being much more than what you see in the video. Pretty disappointing really.

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Use a reptile heating pad under the water container

[@deidreanderson8968]

Love that idea

[@therrienmichael08]

Trying to get in the weekly chat 3/7/19

[@Slightlyrednecked]

michael therrien sorry. Having some technical difficulties. Can’t get it to work tonight.

[@PartoftwotwentyyouthAtWGBC]

Ever jump on that trampoline?

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol. no, that is for my step son.

[@SBECKTRADITIONS]

Just realized my container size comment was posted in the next video that played instead of this one. Sorry.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

It's no problem. I look at the comments and not really what video they are posted on.

[@caseymorse8158]

Ok thought I saw rubbermaid in other video u had. I can't use that big of container, but I love cottage cheese and same kind of plyable plastic as the ice cream dish. I bed the cage floor with hay and change every day since it got chilly but not super cold yet as they get it soled since I have open plastic crocks, this should help bunches thank you soon much!!! my first winter with them and this answered my major issue mine are in a shed and yes cat the same as warmer months justiffy on how to adjust baby's now

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Any container you use should work just fine. The key for me is that it has a lid.

[@robertbradley5333]

You sure don't sound like you came from Missouri!? Do like your videos though. 😀

[@Slightlyrednecked]

lol. I am not sure what I should sound like but I can assure you I am from Missouri. :)

[@robertbradley5333]

@@Slightlyrednecked 😊

[@willdwyer6782]

I don't have quail but I have electric heated water bottles for my rabbits.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Nice. I just use crocks for the rabbits.

[@johnfortener4216]

Nice shirt

[@Slightlyrednecked]

Thank you.

[@tulipsmoran5197]

Why are you struggling with freezing water? Your operation isn't that big, invest in a warming bucket for your birds. In areas that water does freeze hard, a one day refresh of the water bowl is not enough for the birds to maintain body warmth.

[@bouvieaaaron4571]

But he said that he does it twice a day... Once in the morning and again in the afternoon. I water my birds twice a day and they are doing fine as it takes a bit for the water to freeze.

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I don't find it necessary to run heat to my birds. And I don't want to run extension cords out to the hutch. Where I live it rarely stays below freezing for a week at a time so it isn't that big of a deal to deal with it when it is freezing.

[@tulipsmoran5197]

@@Slightlyrednecked I live in Tennessee about 625 miles south of you and we've had a very cold winter this year it's been below freezing much of January and the last half of February into March. Birds have a higher metabolism then mammals and they really can't go without water for long periods of time

[@bluntteazo9391]

Please get chickens

[@Slightlyrednecked]

I may some day.