quail advise please

[Marigold]

I meant you could put some tarp over the pallets so they didn't get splinters or get their legs down the spaces between the slats. A tarp wouldn't work as a roof because when it rained you would get huge heavy puddles of water bulging down and when you pushed them up to get rid of the water, it would go all over the place and flood the run worse than ever. (That's something else I learned the hard way, before getting a roof on the run!)
A sort of false floor of covered pallets might actually be a good idea to try, to keep them up above the mud, perhaps at one end for a start to see how it goes. Have a look at Tarpaulins Direct, their Monotex tarps are very good, light and strong, easy to cut to size, either clear or green, and last for years. You might use a spare bit of clear tarp to help protect the front of the quail cage from incoming wind and rain, maybe. See
https://www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk/tarp ... -tarpaulin
Or try covering pallets with permeable weed membrane, this might be better as the rain wouldn't puddle on the top of the pallets so much. Nail it tight over the tops of the pallets and budge them up together close enough to make a false floor.
If the roof of the chicken run is entirely uncovered, is there anywhere other than the coop where the birds can go to get out of the rain? how do you keep the feed dry? If roofing the run isn't an option, could you maybe make them some lower-level shelter, perhaps an old door or fence panel between some kind of supports? More pallets? If you could find an old table, and cover it with Monotex tarp, stitched down the sides to make a fitted box cover, with an open front, that would be good. I made one for my quail run when I had them out on grass in the summer and it worked really well.

[dye29]

just a idea marigold if i was to keep my quail in my garage out of the cold bear in mind my garage has no windows so its pitch black what would i need a uv tube like you use for lizards

[dye29]

could i just rig some led lights up on timers or does it have to have actual sun rays and day light

[Marigold]

If you kept them in the darkness in the garage you would need a daylight spectrum bulb left on a timer for 14 hours a day. An ordinary bulb wouldn't give them the kind of light they would need if it was their only source of daylight, but that shouldn't be a problem as daylight spectrum bulbs are easily available. I'm assuming you have power in the garage? and that you never drive a car in there so there would be no fumes?

[dye29]

garage has no cars in at all just thinking keeping them in there few months out of cold , where will i pick one of these bulbs up

[Marigold]

Go on Ebay, enter Daylight Spectrum Bulb in Search box. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... b&_sacat=0
Not sure how you would set it up - I think outside the cage would be better than inside. Or put it in an anglepoise lamp, pointing downwards in front of the cage, don't shine it in directly into their eyes. Put the lamp on a timer and give them 14 hours. Decide what you're going to plug the bulb into before buying it, and then get the correct fitting, either a screw or a bayonet depending on the type of lamp or socket you intend to use.

[dye29]

thanks marigold ive got my quail in garage today in 4 ft long by 2ft plywood box that i rear chicks in ive used the heat lamp holder and changed the bulb for a 50w spectrum lizzard daylight bulb for now but ordered a 11w one from net ive just hung this at one end of box facing down and set plug timer to come on at 6am and go off at 8pm will this be fine

[Marigold]

That sounds fine. They will be very thankful to be indoors and off the allotment in the much colder, windy weather that's on the way for your part of the country. They'll get the light they need, also they'll stay used to having a proper night time, and you should find your first eggs quite soon.
However, you'll have to keep checking them especially first thing in the morning, as I found that the boys seemed to realise their male hormones got charged up overnight and several times I came down to a cage splattered with blood from females they had roughly mated.
i hope this won't happen to yours but if it does, you might consider just keeping females as they will live peacefully together and lay better if there are no males to bother them. There's no difference in outward appearance between males and females so you might just as well keep all girls.

[dye29]

oh great ill keep an eye out , they dont need heat do they , ive put straw in also a little guinipig hide . last thing i was thinking rather than my light hanging what about them angle lamp holder screw to side of box so its like a sun i think it will give more light rather than straight down what do you think

[dye29]

oh another little question marigold whats best to feed these to increase chances of laying they have a constant supply of quail pellets then every day i give either meal worms or kale , small bit of lettuce really whatever scraps i have in house