Pre-fab house made of cedar

[gummylick]

I'm looking for something that can be used:

• as an outside brooder temporarily, since garage is too hot
• a place to separate a broody mom and her chicks
• a small run to give the covey some fun pecking the yard every now and then

I like the below because it fits all these (bottom tray and wheels removable). I plan on painting it to try to up it's weather resistance, but I realize it's cheap and will likely only last a couple yrs at most and that's fine. My main concern is it says it's of cedar wood and I've heard of the dangers of cedar wood with quail. Would this hold true even for an enclosure like this?

 

[Nabiki]

Cedar is not good. It can make your birds sick.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Cedar is an aromatic wood, which is why cedar chests were used to keep moths at bay. Freshly chipped cedar gives off a lot of fumes that are noxious to moths and quail, which is why cedar bedding is not recommended. I’m not sure on your hutch though, especially if it is outside and you either paint or seal it with something, you’d probably want to wait a couple weeks to a month after sealing it to let all fumes (paint and cedar) dissipate and outside you’d likely have decent ventilation. I think as long as you seal it with something you’ll be okay but exposing your birds to raw or fresh wood isn’t a good idea.