New Quail Brooder

[rapid fire]

Here are some pics of the quail brooder that I made over the last few days.  It is 5' X 2' X 2'.  I divided it into two compartments with seperate hinged tops that latch to help deter varmin.  The divider can be turned over to allow a 4"X4" passthrough from the insulated side to the open air side (hole not cut yet.)  The insulation pannels can be removed to allow the entire structure to be open air.  I put a small trap door on one end for transferring birds.  I built a PVC waterer and put in 2 nipples.  I lost 2 quail trying to train them on the nipples, so I gave up and just put a regular waterer in there for a few days till' I see if they will figure the nipples out on their own.  The temps are still getting down into the 50's at night so how long should I leave the birds in this cage before moving them to a johnny house with no heat source?  They are 5 weeks old now (bob whites.)  Thanks and I hope y'all enjoy.  RF

[quailnut]

  I used something similar when I started out many moons ago

[CharlieHorse]

Looks good.   

You'll want to wean them completely off of any heat prior to putting them out. Start by turning it off during the day and lowering the temp at night until it's no longer needed before putting them out in your johnny house.  I usually have mine weaned completely off of supplemental heat by 5 weeks of age, but that all depends on your climate as to whether that's an option for you.