Dealing with Poop

[USAmma]

So I'm now a month into this and love having the quail around! They are more interesting to watch than a fish tank. I have the coop set up near my patio door so we can watch them. They even figured out how to walk up and down the ramp into the roosting area, which I have filled with sawdust. Most of them love to nap and scratch up there.

So anyway, my coop, including the top area, is 20 square feet of space. I have 18 females (traded some of my males with a breeder for females-- just want them for eggs). It has a wire bottom. It sits on wheels on my patio which is a concrete slab. I am trying to figure out the best way to deal with poop and odor. They stink a lot more than I expected them too. I have noticed an increase of flies. Our house is not too far of a distance from the houses on either side. They probably won't catch the odor but they will notice the flies.

I have tried the following things:

1) letting the poop fall through the wire to wood planks which I then empty into the trash-- but then I have to hose it off because some gets dried and it's a lot of trouble. I had considered the tops of plastic tote containers but still would have to hose them off.

2) lining the coop with newspapers and changing the paper daily. This is a lot easier for me, but the quail are then walking around on their own poop. It requires daily changing of paper. So far this is what I have been doing the most.

3) Paper with sawdust on top. This seems to help with the odor and them walking around on poop, but they scatter the sawdust into their food and water, and a lot of it escapes the coop and blows around the yard. It is getting into my grassy yard and into my rock landscaped areas, and it's impossible to get it all of it. I'm sure the gardener is going to be irritated before long.

So what would you suggest as low maintenance and good for the quail too?

 

[appps]

Have you got it just on flat newspaper or did you take the paper up the sides?

My sister has ground dwelling doves and has a sheet of some sort of plastic board in the base which she bent to go a coupl inches up the sides. On top of that she had the fine shavings. She has no mess.

I'm babysitting them at the moment in a cage with newspaper flat on the bottom and then the shavings on top and I swear there is more out of the cage than in!!

So maybe try getting something to go round the bottom couple inches to help contain the wood chips.

Don't know how big a quail poop is but with these she has one of those litter tray sifting scoops and just gives the shavings a quick once over with that each day

 

[Reedgirl20]

I have plastic storage bins, the low sided under the bed type, under my wire bottom cages and have a couple of inches of shavengs in the bin. The poop doesn't stick to the bottom of the bin, and easy to dump in my compost or you can dump into the trash.

 

[quailswiss]

My quail stink a lot less since I converted to deep litter.

 

[USAmma]

If I could figure out a way to do this without too much hassle I would. Living where I do, the trees have not started shedding leaves yet. Also the litter would come out of the coop and blow around the yard. :-(

 

[USAmma]

Have you got it just on flat newspaper or did you take the paper up the sides?

My sister has ground dwelling doves and has a sheet of some sort of plastic board in the base which she bent to go a coupl inches up the sides. On top of that she had the fine shavings. She has no mess.

I'm babysitting them at the moment in a cage with newspaper flat on the bottom and then the shavings on top and I swear there is more out of the cage than in!!

So maybe try getting something to go round the bottom couple inches to help contain the wood chips.

Don't know how big a quail poop is but with these she has one of those litter tray sifting scoops and just gives the shavings a quick once over with that each day

Hmm that is an idea to consider. I will have to see what I can work out.

 

[TwoCrows]

Using some sort of litter will keep flies at bay. I have always used grass hay for the aviary floors and rabbit hutches with wire bottoms and I have NEVER seen a single fly buzzing anywhere.

 

[jzigbe]

I put 'live' ACV in their drinking water. About a teaspoon to a gallon of water. It stops the poop smelling.

 

[marksouth]

CV is apple cider vinegar?

 

[USAmma]

Ok I have sawdust down now all over the bottom. I tried to put the newspaper liners up higher to prevent it from coming out. Let's see how it goes.