In winter, any poultry needs special maintenance, and quail are no exception. Typically, birds are placed in the barn, but in order for animals to feel comfortable and not in conflict with each other, it is necessary to adhere to some rules on its content, which we will discuss in this article.
Requirements for the room
It is very important to organize comfortable conditions for living of birds in the barn. Consider how to do this.
Temperature
In winter, it is worthwhile to ensure that the temperature in the barn is kept constant. The best indicator for quail is +18 ° С. Even insignificant drops in both a smaller and larger direction will adversely affect the standard of living of the bird. For example, when the temperature drops, individuals will start climbing each other, as a result of which less weak birds can die. 
Content of quail in the winter in the barn without heating
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to place animals in a heated room. If the winter in your area is not too harsh, you can do without outdoor insulation. For this, the walls of the shed are covered with foam which will not let the cold inwards and will save heat in the shed. If you are only planning to build a barn, then you should choose a place that is protected from drafts and strong winds.
Important! It is not necessary to place the cells near the windows, as the frequent change of weather phenomena (for example, heavy rain, and then the bright sun), negatively affects feathery and laying rates.
In an unheated room, especially if the bird is contained without cages, it is necessary to make it a thick warm litter on the floor. To do this, you can use straw or wood chips. 
With additional heating
To ensure optimum temperature conditions for quails, care should be taken to additional heating in the barn. For this purpose, electric, water or stove heating can be used. Nowadays, most often there is the opportunity to conduct electricity in the barn, so the required temperature is achieved by means of electric heaters. It is necessary to place a thermometer in the room and constantly ensure that the indicator is always at the level of +18 ° С.
In addition to conventional electrical appliances, they often use infrared lampswhich are able not only to cope with the lighting of the shed, but also to heat the bird, exerting a bactericidal effect.
Read also about the winter maintenance of chickens, turkeys, turkeys, pigeons.
Lighting
Some breeders, in order to keep warm in the barn, build it without large windows and contain a bird without light. It should be noted that this is not a very successful method, since without proper lighting the level of egg production will rapidly fall, and as a result, the laying will completely cease. 
Still, it is recommended that there be windows in the house and daylight in the room, and besides this, it is worth taking care of artificial lighting. As mentioned above, an excellent option is to use infrared lamps. It is important that they work in a muffled mode for about 15-17 hours a day. In this way, the lack of light will be compensated for and the required room temperature maintained.
Familiarize with the types and breeds of quail: ordinary, Chinese painted; Estonian and Pharaoh.
Ventilation
In addition to lighting and a certain temperature, it is important to ensure good ventilation of the room. Usually the temperature in the cages is much higher than in the barn, so if you limit the flow of fresh air, the bird will be very stuffy. Poor airing can cause frequent illnesses, as bacteria and viruses will multiply rapidly in the room. 
Coolness and dampness can also cause disease.
Did you know? In Japan, there is a rule: before school starts, each student must eat 2 quail eggs - this is necessary to improve memory, strengthen the nervous system and maintain visual acuity.
Hygiene procedures
In order for the bird to be healthy, it is recommended to conduct activities aimed at disinfection. For this you need:
- remove the bird from the cages, while mixing birds with other species is not worth it;
- wash the cells using soapy water, rinse them with boiling water;
- dry the cells with a building hair dryer.
At the entrance to the barn should be disbarrier. It is necessary so that, entering the room, a person can stand on his feet and disinfect shoes. This minimizes the likelihood of germs entering the shed. 
Cells
For wintering birds, it is recommended to give preference to cages made of wood, as it retains heat well.
The cell must meet the following criteria:
- it is recommended to place the bird in a "dead" cage, since any external stimuli will negatively affect quails, the wildlife will be nervous, which, in turn, will lead to a decrease in the level of egg production;
- it is necessary to place the cage in such a way that too much light does not penetrate into it, since this leads to a strong aggression of living creatures. The lack of light also adversely affects the birds - they become lethargic, their egg production decreases;
- It is not recommended to construct open cells, as there is a high probability of drafts. As a result, wings fall out of birds, productivity decreases;
- in closed cells, temperature fluctuations at night and daytime are insignificant, which has a positive effect on quails;
- It is important to choose the size of the cage: each bird should have at least 1 square meter. decimeter area.
Important! Choose cells of oblong shape in order to be able to separate males and females with a septum, since they are not recommended to be kept together.
It is recommended to use for facing the ceiling. foam rubber. This is a very important point, as some individuals jump up and can damage their heads on a hard ceiling. As a litter, you can use a thick cardboard, which should be placed hay. Periodically you need to clean it and replace the top layer. It is very important that there are several feeders and drinkers in the cage, so that all birds can receive access to food and water at the same time.
Video: winter quail cell
What to feed quail in winter
It is necessary to take care of the correct diet of the bird. Some farmers prefer ready-made feed, which can be purchased at a specialty store, but besides it, it is recommended to use additional feedings that are extremely necessary in the winter period.
Quail feed should contain as little as possible rye grinding and salt.
Learn more about the content of laying quails at home.
The daily ration includes:
- wheat - 30%;
- fish meal - 15%;
- makuha - 15%;
- corn - 25%;
- grinding shells - 5%;
- Barley - 5%.
For the preparation of additional feed grains are soaked and left in a warm place. After a few days, the first shoots will appear - this means that you can add them to the feed. It is important not to let the grain dry - they should always be wet. 
In addition to the main food, birds need and vitamins. Some farmers grow lettuce and onions in boxes, which they eat quail with great pleasure. You can also add to the diet a little carrots, turnips, beets, cabbage and boiled potatoes.
Did you know? In 1990, a successful Russian-American experiment was conducted on the possibility of growing quails in zero gravity. This event was held in Earth orbit.
Video: winter keeping quail in the greenhouse
Reviews of poultry farmers on the winter maintenance of quails
The content of quails is not difficult, but it requires great responsibility and constant monitoring of animals. Observing all the recommendations for arranging the house and feeding the bird, you can boast a large number of healthy birds.
