Keeping quails in winter in a barn without heating: how to prepare a room

With the advent of the cold season, year-round quail farming requires increased attention and a rational approach from breeders. In the conditions of southern latitudes with a mild climate, keeping quails in winter is also possible in a barn without additional heating. To ensure comfort for heat-loving birds, it is necessary to prepare the room for wintering in advance.

Choosing a house building

An unheated outbuilding, in which it is planned to keep quails in the winter, must meet a number of requirements. In the poultry house, the following conditions must be provided:

warm;
temperature constancy;
maintaining optimal air humidity;
no drafts;
presence of a ventilation system.

The barn is best placed in a territory closed from the northern winds. Suitable construction of boards, modern block building materials, OSB panels with a wooden or concrete floor. Walls, roofs, floors should not have gaps, cracks, cracks. It is necessary to prevent precipitation and groundwater from entering the poultry house.

The development of birds is affected by the length of daylight hours, the optimal duration of which is 16 hours. The window in the room is usually located on the east side, at a level of 1 meter from the floor. It is also necessary to conduct electricity in the barn, place sources of artificial lighting at the rate of 40 watts per 20 square meters.

To limit the flow of cold air into the house, it is recommended to attach a small vestibule. To supply fresh air, the room is equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation.

Preparing the premises for the winter period

First of all, the barn is inspected and cleaned. If necessary, they replace rotten boards, caulk cracks, putty cracks, treat surfaces with disinfectant solutions from mold and mildew.

Before placing quails in an unheated poultry house, it is necessary to thoroughly insulate the walls, ceiling and floor. Work is carried out in the following order:

Cover surfaces with a layer of vapor barrier or membrane material.
Mount the crate of wooden beams.
Synthetic insulation with high thermal insulation performance is laid in the cells.
Coated with a layer of vapor barrier material.
Cover surfaces with fine finishing materials.

To keep warm, it is recommended to insulate the door and vestibule. In some cases, they are limited to external insulation. The optimum temperature for keeping quails is +18 °C. Lower limit of admissible value: +15 °С. In adverse conditions, birds will not rush and gain weight. The critical indicator at which the case of quails begins is considered to be a temperature of +5 ° C and below.

You can keep quails in the house on the floor, but more often farmers install cages, which allows them to additionally retain heat. With the floor method, the territory is limited by constructing a corral. Place a bedding layer of peat, sawdust or hay on the floor.

Cages are placed at a height of 50 centimeters from the floor. The design of 100 × 100 × 30 centimeters can accommodate 15-20 heads. If there are fewer birds, a partition is installed. A layer of bedding 5-10 centimeters thick is also placed in the cages, and foam rubber is fixed on the ceiling.

In regions where outdoor thermometers drop below -10 °C, it is recommended to install space heating devices for keeping quails.

Ventilation

The ventilation system avoids the accumulation of gases and maintains an optimal level of humidity, which is 70%. There are several ways to ventilate the house.

The easiest is to mount the supply and exhaust pipes. An air inflow pipe with a diameter of 10 centimeters is installed near the front door at a height of 0.2 meters from the floor. The outflow pipe is placed under the ceiling in the opposite corner of the room. The openings of the pipes are closed with overlays with valves. Cold air coming in from below pushes warm exhaust air up.

The ceiling ventilation system is considered more efficient. A pipe with ventilation holes and a built-in fan is installed under the ceiling of the barn. Fresh air enters the house and exhaust air is expelled outside.