Putting the Quail to Work

August 16, 2024

In case you had not noticed it has been a crazy-hot summer this year. As bad as it has been here in the deep south, I know it has been even worse in other places. There was one day in July when we noticed the temperatures in Maine were worse than the temperatures here (Tim Cotton called and would like us to come get our weather and take it home!).

Quail are resilient little beasties. Temperatures down into the twenties? No problem as long as wind and rain are not getting into their enclosure. Temperatures into the upper 90s? Again, no problem as long as there is good ventilation and plenty of water for them. But temperatures into the upper 90s with a heat index up to (and over) 110 and quail living in a shed where temperatures are even higher? NOT good.

Last fall Mr. NowHere converted a large PVC-hoop greenhouse

That clear building behind him. Yes, those were the ponytail years.

into a quail shed

Nice, yes?!

and we moved the cages into it.

It worked very well through the winter. We were able to run an electric line out to it and have overhead lights and behind-the-cages shoplights on a 17-hour day timer (it helps with laying productivity).

The temperatures inside the shed rarely dropped below freezing and all was well.

But.

The July heat wave (which has endured into August) has been rough. Early on I went out and checked the Govee thermometer we keep out there and while the outdoor temperature was in the mid-90s, the shed temperature was close to 110. For the next few weeks I went out in the morning, opened the shed door, set up the large fan, and kept it running on medium-high until I went out to feed in the evening. This managed to keep temperatures under 100, but it was still rough.

After some discussion and some YouTube research (you can find so much on YouTube!), we decided we need some quail tractors. Why are they called tractors? Because you put your quail in them, the quail mow down the grass and weeds, and then you move the tractor to a new area where they mow down more weeds and grass. Put those little buggers to work!

As soon as he was able, Mr. NowHere got busy. Remember, quail need an enclosure which is no more than 18 inches high or at least 6 feet high; otherwise when they flush they could break their silly little necks. Quail also need a mere 1-1.5 square feet/bird so a tractor measuring only 6x3 is room for a maximum of 18 birds.

The roof is slanted to keep rain from accumulating

For the cost of some 2x4s, some wire (hardware cloth for the sides and top, welded wire for the bottom), a tarp to cover the whole thing, a few pickets to construct a box in the back, and a smart husband, we now have 2 tractors and plan to build another 1-4. Even better, the designer/builder took thought for garden row width and made them to fit between rows, allowing the quail to do the roughest garden work next year.