Foul Smell?

[pterry97]

Just wondering as a first time quail owner what’s the norm regarding quail smell?
I know it’s important to clean frequently because they are known to smell, but I somewhat assumed it’d be from the faecal matter build up, like in chickens and ducks. My quail chicks are starting to develop their scruffy pin feathers and I can’t help but notice that when they cuddle by my face, they’re starting to smell like fish bait... as in that pungent maggot farm smell. I know it’s not the faeces since I clean them own three times a day at the moment, and they don’t have anything stuck to them, but it’s particularly them whenever we have a cuddle. Is the rotten smell the normal smell associated with quail, or should I be looking into this?

 

[sourland]

They appear to be healthy. What are you using for bedding?

 

[pterry97]

They appear to be healthy. What are you using for bedding?

Blue roll, I usually replace it whenever it gets dirty so 3 times a day minimum but sometimes up to 5 times. Their enclosure doesn't smell it's mostly just very noticeable during and after a cuddle as the smell clings to me and I have to give my face a good scrub because it's a pretty gross smell.

 

[HillGuy]

Damp quail poop stinks. Don't think it's possible to have it a zero while they're all crowded together in the confined space of a brooder. Some bits of it are going to be on them regardless.

Game bird starter feed is pretty stinky too.

It gets better once they're outside.

 

[FloorCandy]

Damp quail poop stinks. Don't think it's possible to have it a zero while they're all crowded together in the confined space of a brooder. Some bits of it are going to be on them regardless.

Game bird starter feed is pretty stinky too.

It gets better once they're outside.

I’m thinking the same thing, they must have poop and old food bits stuck to them. I don’t know what blue roll is, but try using pine chips, they’ll dig and bathe in them, and your babies will smell like pine, not poop.

 

[NY Coturnix]

my wife has one of those noses that she notices when the brooder starts to smell way before I do. I typically can go almost 2 weeks with first cleaning using pine chips. After that its every couple days to everyday day until they go out. If your food gets wet it will stink

 

[Ravenlover]

Use pine shavings kills the smell and u make it a couple inches deep u can just stir it to clean

 

[pterry97]

I’m thinking the same thing, they must have poop and old food bits stuck to them. I don’t know what blue roll is, but try using pine chips, they’ll dig and bathe in them, and your babies will smell like pine, not poop.

They definitely don't - I let them out to roam the room every hour for about 20 minutes and they're clean as a whistle. I just want to know if that smell I'm smelling is the expected smell that is associated with quails or not.

 

[Ravenlover]

Ask @Nabiki

 

[Nabiki]

I haven't noticed anything other than bird smells, especially if they have dirt or sand baths.