You have to be careful when using dirt as it can cause poop balls on the feet. So keep everything really dry. I like to use sandy soil that won't stick no matter how wet or poopy it gets.
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Not sure what is happening with your FF. They go crazy when they first get their feed in the morning but eat their fill and seem contented to pick at it all day. I usually add finely shredded carrots which they love and other veggies sized for the quail with their FF.Hi Sill
I tried fermenting and things went berserk. Quails got so hungry the only thing they wanted to do was eat eat eat. Dying for food ALL time. Soon egg production also dropped. Maybe I did something wrong.
Whats your laying percentage?
I'm wondering what kind of feed you started your FF with? I live with single digit humidity most of the year coupled with summer temps over 110 for months and their FF never got cement-like, and I only feed the FF once a day. Some feeds that are high in soy can get very pasty when fermented, maybe that can dry to a cement-like state? But then the birds continually eat the surface of the wet/damp feed down so it really shouldn't have the chance to dry.I use aviaries for my quail and set them up with brush piles and other things that mimic a natural environment. Each bird has at least 10 square feet per bird just because I enjoy doing it. I have kept quail for about a decade and I am now winding down on them so I don't have many quail left. I am now working on building up my chicken flocks.
But yes, my quail get all kinds of greens, veggies and fruits once a day. I will cut things up or quarter the fruit so it is easier to eat. They get a tray of it in the morning to start their day. They get gamebird food with a few wild bird seeds thrown in each day as well just to keep eating interesting and boredom to a dull roar.
I add probiotics or ACV occasionally for a good tonic. I rarely add vitamins to their water or diet. Too much vitamins can throw off the balance they get in their regular quail feed. However during the summer when it is hot, during molting or if someone is sick, I will add vitamins to the water occasionally.
I tried fermenting feed for my chickens and quail and because my climate is so arid, I had a hard time keeping it moist and not turning into cement. LOL But this is a great way to feed your birds. Use your own judgement on your flock if it works for them or you.
Sill, I think you are on to something here. My chickens love damp wet feed. And I have noticed that some feeds get stiff no matter how much I water them down during the day. Where as some feed stays moist all day long even in those 6% humidity days with only one or two dampenings.I'm wondering what kind of feed you started your FF with? I live with single digit humidity most of the year coupled with summer temps over 110 for months and their FF never got cement-like, and I only feed the FF once a day. Some feeds that are high in soy can get very pasty when fermented, maybe that can dry to a cement-like state? But then the birds continually eat the surface of the wet/damp feed down so it really shouldn't have the chance to dry.