How do you keep your button quail clean?

[Imapsychowhoa]

I have 11 button quail and i've kept them out side all spring and summer in a large pen.They didn't smell at all then i brought them a big three story cage and put them in the house for the winter and they smell awful.I have tryed using hay and wood shavings but i still have to clean them every day.What do you keep your quail's in for the winter and how do you keep them clean?

 

[Stellar]

Well first of all, you need to pair up your buttons. They are monagamous.

I use a bedding called yesterdays news pelleted and unscented. It keeps Odor under control ESP when you have a lot of birds.

 

[Rozzie]

Pine pellets made for horse bedding do a pretty good job, too.

Keeping the room they are in on the cool side of normal for a house helps, too.

I can tell a big difference in my aviary room (where my button quail are) when the temperature is a few degrees warmer or cooler. The garage is less noticeable, but the summer, well, it is a bit tougher!

 

[shelleyd2008]

My buttons almost never smell, usually it's because they've spilled their water or something. I also use the pine pelleted stall bedding in all my cages/brooders, the only ones that stink are the nasty coturnix

ETA: I'm seriously considering getting some Sweet PDZ to put in their boxes!!

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
Believe it or not, since I changed to the pine pelleted bedding for my coturnix, I don't have ANY odor with them. And, since they are inside my garage, it is somewhat noticeable when there is odor. (Of course, I "did" switch after summer was over. So, I may change my tune some next year.)

However, I do scoop bedding daily for my grown coturnix, just as if it were a cat pan. That also lets me get that out into the compost working for my garden. The younger coturnix (month olds) produce a fraction of the poo of the 2 year olds. So, they aren't as critical to "scoop" daily. I still try to get the most obvious stuff.

 

[Stellar]

I have the poop pans, that I have to empty every day or else it will be impossible to take it out! But the pelleted bedding is the way to go (in my opinion). For the CBBQ (the buttons), I change their cages 1x a week and they are not the stinky ones. The sale bin is stinky but I am selling one pair and putting another pair on auction (so look out for a perdy pair

) Since I house the excess males together before the bloodshed starts )hoping females start popping up before that happens. But yeah, pelleted bedding, thumbs up

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Believe it or not, since I changed to the pine pelleted bedding for my coturnix, I don't have ANY odor with them. And, since they are inside my garage, it is somewhat noticeable when there is odor. (Of course, I "did" switch after summer was over. So, I may change my tune some next year.)

However, I do scoop bedding daily for my grown coturnix, just as if it were a cat pan. That also lets me get that out into the compost working for my garden. The younger coturnix (month olds) produce a fraction of the poo of the 2 year olds. So, they aren't as critical to "scoop" daily. I still try to get the most obvious stuff.

I use the pelleted bedding for my indoor coturnix and they still smell. I have to clean their brooder out at least twice a week.

 

[JJMR794]

Its Easy--- I Just Drag A Garden Hose And A Wire Bristle Brush Into The House And Stand In Front Of The Cage And Say Quite Loudly In A Threatening Tone While Shaking The Brush At Them... "now If Y'all Dont Start Scrubbin' Your Stinkin' Lil Butts Everyday--- I Will!"


They Take 4 Showers A Day After That..... Oh Wait A Minute Maybe That Was The Kids??? Cant Remember For Sure (hey I Was Beer Sexing My A&m's That Day) But Anyways It Works

On A Serious Note Now That The Comic Releif Is Done... Poo Tray, Deep Poo Tray, Filled With Scoopable Cat Litter Workes Wekk For Me When I Had Them Inside. Had To Be Scooped Daily, But No Odors.

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
Believe it or not, since I changed to the pine pelleted bedding for my coturnix, I don't have ANY odor with them. And, since they are inside my garage, it is somewhat noticeable when there is odor. (Of course, I "did" switch after summer was over. So, I may change my tune some next year.)

However, I do scoop bedding daily for my grown coturnix, just as if it were a cat pan. That also lets me get that out into the compost working for my garden. The younger coturnix (month olds) produce a fraction of the poo of the 2 year olds. So, they aren't as critical to "scoop" daily. I still try to get the most obvious stuff.

I use the pelleted bedding for my indoor coturnix and they still smell. I have to clean their brooder out at least twice a week.

It's probably good for me to mention how spoiled my birds are. Right now, I have 4 birds in one 16 square foot pen & 5 younger coturnix in another 16 square foot pen. It takes 60 pounds of pine pellets to get it to a depth I like. At least once a day - sometimes twice or more - I go out and scoop with a plastic spoon.

Yup, I'm officially

Edited to add: We'll see what happens when I have the next batch ready to go into cages. I have 20 more in the incubator. I do have 3 pens empty but they are most definitely not 4x4 in size. (2 are wire bottom, 4x2; one is solid bottom & will get pine pellets. It's 20" by 3' & will probably be for whoever doesn't play well with others.)

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have my buttons in pairs, my cages are bigger ( that most button cages ) and there-for they have alot more space to run around on and I don't have to clean them out but maybe every 2 wks or so. I am using Pine Shavings at the moment.