Coop/Cage Pictures? - Deep Litter

[FloorCandy]

I have a main cage that stays in place, right now it has sand, I put cinderblocks around the outside and I’ve been planting things in the holes lol for a more natural look. The cinderblocks keep the sand in. Before the sand I did litter until the grass died, the cinderblocks kept that inside too.

That’s an early pic, I replaced the patio blocks with cinder blocks early on. Also since I’m short I stand on the cinder blocks to get in and out when I clean haha I can crawl thru the door but it’s ridiculous if the neighbors are watching.

here’s my temp breeding cage, I move it every day when in use, and I store it under the deck when it isn’t.

 

[Eonflux]

@Nabiki Awesome "tractor" setup! Do they bug your plants much? I'd be worried mine would peck plants to death! The duck certainly shreds everything soft...

They won’t bother none, cuz they’ll kill all your plants. Even if they don’t pick it, the poop will. I raise mine on the ground, the grass didn’t last long, only took them a day to poop all over. I tried to hose the ground down every day but that didn’t help. I just went with wood shaving and start deep litter, that’s what I have now in my breeding pen and there is no smell.

 

[HeatherN]

Wow @le_bwah, it almost looks like you need a pair of doves or something in that gorgeous aviary.

I would love to keep them on the ground, but I live in CA so no real grass to speak of in my tiny backyard, just rocks. I keep my duck on lots of hay to deal with the poop

 

[le_bwah]

Wow @le_bwah, it almost looks like you need a pair of doves or something in that gorgeous aviary.

I would love to keep them on the ground, but I live in CA so no real grass to speak of in my tiny backyard, just rocks. I keep my duck on lots of hay to deal with the poop

Thank you! I'd rather not keep birds who live to fly—little ground birds like quail seem to do much better in captivity. But don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind...

Would a raised garden bed be an option for quail? As long as you don't keep a ton for the space allowed, they stay clean pretty much on their own.

 

[maadroj]

We used a curved PVC greenhouse design and adapted it as an aviary, using hardware cloth instead of plastic. What little grass used to be in there is gone now, but they enjoy the dirt and mulch, and we've slowly learned which plants survive inside: lavender, peppermint, Rosemary, lemongrass, breath of heaven, and butterfly bush. While they leave the peppermint alone, they devoured several other kinds of mint! Lemon verbena and citronella do ok but have been near trampled to death. They love using boxes to hide in or climb on top.

 

[Quailobsessed]

We used a curved PVC greenhouse design and adapted it as an aviary, using hardware cloth instead of plastic. What little grass used to be in there is gone now, but they enjoy the dirt and mulch, and we've slowly learned which plants survive inside: lavender, peppermint, Rosemary, lemongrass, breath of heaven, and butterfly bush. While they leave the peppermint alone, they devoured several other kinds of mint! Lemon verbena and citronella do ok but have been near trampled to death. They love using boxes to hide in or climb on top.

Looks nice! I have a coop made with pvc pipes and bird wire. It doesn't look quite as nice though

 

[maadroj]

Looks nice! I have a coop made with pvc pipes and bird wire. It doesn't look quite as nice though
View attachment 2286915

What are you talking about, yours looks really nice!

 

[Guille]

Question for those having cages/coops over the ground. I have mine over some grass, and wanted to move it as little as possible. It´s an area of 80cmx70cm (a bit over 5 square foot I think) for just 3 females.

What can I do to break down the droppings in the grass? Is there anything non-toxic I can spray around every now and then?

 

[FloorCandy]

Question for those having cages/coops over the ground. I have mine over some grass, and wanted to move it as little as possible. It´s an area of 80cmx70cm (a bit over 5 square foot I think) for just 3 females.

What can I do to break down the droppings in the grass? Is there anything non-toxic I can spray around every now and then?

Some people hose it down everyday, and having a small number in a large space helps as well. My breeder cage is a 3x3 ft hoop style tractor. When in use, I move it every day or the grass dies. The cage is 9 sq feet in the run, with approx 2 sq feet additional added by the house part. There are normally 4-5 birds in there, and even 4 birds in 11 sq ft is a lot of poop every day.

 

[Guille]

Does that moving around affect their laying? I brought these girls home and they appear to be starting to lay again (I just found an egg this morning after 5 days in blank), but I´m afraid to sort of ruin their adaptation process.

Also, dont care much about the grass. Mainly want to move them the least to keep them healthy and comfortable.