It is time to set up your Johnny houses and Phantom Quail Kennels if you have not already done so. Abilene, Texas is a relatively mild winter climate and the farther north you go the earlier this process begins. I like to have 12-16 week old birds in the house 45-60 days before the first freeze. If the birds are not acclimated to the weather they will not survive harsh conditions. I have reserved my birds well in advance from a reputable gamebird breeder. Remember that most game bird breeders only raise birds that are contracted. I will be getting 50 birds for my Phantom Quail Kennel. In order to prepare them for the upcoming training season I will sanitize the entire unit. This process is essential as I will have $250 invested and want to give them no preventable reason to die. Here is the list of what I will be doing in preparation.

1. Move the existing birds to another location
2. Remove main section and recall section feeders
3. Remove water barrel and automatic watering dishes
4. Move the entire unit over to a fresh piece of ground away from accumulated droppings
5. Leave all doors open and spray the entire inside of the unit with a  mixture of 1 cup chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water with a pump up garden sprayer
6. Take the feeders, barrel, and waterer home and sanitize with bleach/water mixture
7. The clear vinyl tubing usually has algae growing inside and I will discard and replace

Please stay tuned as I will be posting pictures of this process and will follow up with training the new birds.