Quail survival in recall pens during the winter

[JoeB]

I am hoping to use quail to train two 5-month-old GSP puppies. I live in Western New York and, at this time of year, our average daily temps are ~25F and our overnight lows are 10-20 F. Are quail able to survive in recall pens at these temperatures? Should I wait for spring to arrive (before starting to condition quail to the pen)?
Thanks,
Joe

[Equismith]

Welcome to the forum.

I'd advise having good bedding and a windblock with rain cover. The quail can make it if you have enough of them so they can covey up with one another for warmth.

You can also get good answers here : http://www.thatquailplace.com/smf/index.php

[Mark Payton]

Joe,

While not on topic, let me strongly suggest that you do everything possible to make sure that your birds are good flyers before you work your dogs on them. Peoply say that it takes birds to make a bird dog......I don't agree totally--it takes GOOD FLYING and WILD ACTING birds to make a bird dog.

Even if you have to flush them yourself, and YOU physically go to the ones that didn't fly well and "eliminate" them from the covey......DO IT! Poor flying quail will set your training back a bunch.

I prefer homing pigeons and electronic launchers to start dogs, but GOOD FLYING johnny house birds will certainly work too.

Good luck.

Mark

[gunner]

I usually have good luck keeping numbers of bobwhites through the winter in my Johnny houses, here in central Indiana. Temps in the winter often include below zero nights.

Some ideas to help the birds survive would include supplying shallow black rubber sand filled livestock feeders that allow the birds to roost and dust in, which helps promote preening and good feathering and holds the covey's body heat.
Add suet or bird feeding station suet/berry mix to give heat and protein.
Add more corn to the feed for better winter survival.
Offer lettuce or greens. The birds love it, and will supply moisture to the birds even if frozen.
Nipple waterers will freeze first at the top, so at the bottom there may still be water available to the birds.
If using regular font waterers that freeze up change every 3 days if possible.
Adding some teramyacin to the water will help during stressful periods.
Reduce the stress and heat loss caused by too many workouts with the dogs in really cold periods.
A shallow rubber black watering dish kept on the south side of the JH will usually warm up enough on sunny days to allow some surface water.
If the JH is large enough a flake of alfalfa will offer protein and something to peck at.
Pine boughs or a board laid up against the side of the lowere portion of the pen offers protection against the cold wind.
My JH offers a south sunny facing verenda for the birds to loaf and hinged shutters to close on the N and W sides if needed.
Small adjustable propane heaters like whats used in the Surrogator units might be the ticket for northern JH"s.
I purchase 30 nine week old birds the end of august and work them throughout the winter till they pair off in April. Then I let them go to bring off broods. I won't work quail till purchasing new birds again in following late aug or sept.

Bill

[Mark Payton]

Gunner,

Thanks for reminding me about the greens..........I keep forgetting this trick, and you're right: quail love it!

And, don't tell the quail this but the "experts" say that pen raised quail won't pair off and start covies of their own. I have a friend that has 5-6 covies of quail on him now where he used to have none! And all of this is due to pen-raised quail that escaped our field trials starting 15 years ago.

Mark