How do you handle the smell?

[lagpmgdsls]

I currently have 3 quail pens and they all have pull out trays that catch the droppings. They smell really bad and always seem to be moist..mostly from the water bottles that may drip occasionally. I empty them once a week and at that time I hose them down and lay them in the sun for a few minutes to dry. I just did this all on Monday and today they already stink.

2 of the pens have 5 quail and 1 just has 1 quail.

Would it be better to just let the dropping fall to the ground and then rake it up once a week?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Probably, do you use any type of bedding in the pans? I would use some pine pellets, they absorb a lot of moisture, and would soak up the water from the bottles very well. Plus, once they get wet they smell even better!

So either let the droppings fall, or put some type of bedding in the pans. If you have the bottoms of their cages fenced in you can just get some lime to sprinkle under their cages, no raking needed. That's my plan

I mean the area under their pens, not the bottom. I would hope you'd have the bottoms fenced!

 

[lagpmgdsls]

parden my stupidity but what does Lime do exactly? The bottoms of the cages aren't fenced in.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Lime would make the poo break down, so it wouldn't smell. Some people use this in their outhouses (don't ask how I know that

)

I think I should clarify, I mean lime, like the powdery stuff you can get at the feed store (I believe) not limes, like the little green things that are good with Jose.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
DEHYDRATES AND ELIMINATES THE SMELL BY DRYING AND CALCIFYING THE POO.

INSTEAD OF RAKING TRY TAKING THE PANS OUT, AND JUST PLACING THE RUBBERMAID TOTES UNDER THE PENS TO CATCH IT. THEN YOU CAN MOVE THE TOTE , MPTY THE POO ON YOUR FAVORITE GROWING SPOT, AND JUST HOSE OUT THE TOTE AND REPLACE.

I HAVE WIRE FLOORS IN MY GAMEBIRD PENS AND THE POO JUST FALLS ON THE GROUND.... THEN COMES THE JANITOR CREW--- FULL SIZE LG BREED CHICKENS THAT LIKE TO "ROTOTILL" THE POO PILE IN SEARCH OF GRUBS, WORMS, ECT... I DONT HAVE A SMELL PROBLEM SO LONG AS THE BIG GUYS ARE ALLOWED OUT TO "CLEAN UP"--- POST NOTE HERE! ALL MY GAMEBIRDS ARE RAISED HERE, FROM HATCHING EGGS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE GROUND--- THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ELEVATED ON WIRE FLOORS, SO I DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PASSING PARASITES FROM THE QUAIL TO THE CHICKENS...

 

[mtnhomechick]

I just started using lyme and it seems to help, especially in this terrible heat wave.

 

[lagpmgdsls]

whats the difference if I catch the poo in rubbermaid totes or the pans that came with the cages?

 

[shelleyd2008]

I don't think there would be any difference, they would still smell. Do you use any type of bedding in the pans? Even shavings would work, or shredded newspaper, something to help it dry up.

 

[lagpmgdsls]

I have used newspaper in the past but it didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Yeah, it probably wouldn't make all that much of a difference.

I would try using the pine pellets, you can get them at your feed store (should be able to) or you can buy some wherever they would sell them for pellet-burning stove. You can wet them a little to get them to break down some, and you would probably need to stir the bedding every few days, but it should help. I believe the stove pellets are around $4 or $5, and they should have them at a hardware store, or something like Home Depot or Lowe's. Other than that, the lime (lyme?) would be your best bet, you just wouldn't be able to use the droppings for anything.