How much cleaning is involved

[hsinglanjin]

I'm getting close to raising just a few Coturnix quail for fun (and a few eggs). I think I'm going to put their pen on the ground on top of dirt, then packed with sand on top of that for them to roam around. My question is if I had 2-3 quail, how much clean up should I be expecting? Once a week or daily? I'm in the Northern California Bay Area, so not too cold or too hot to keep them outside all year round on the group. Let me know your thoughts on poop level and clean up. Thank You.

 

[le_bwah]

A lot of people have success with the sand method, scooping out poop and changing the sand now and then. I've had good luck with the deep litter method, raising them right in the dirt with wood shavings and mulch mixed into it (you just have to add a thin layer of substrate once a week and turn everything over daily, and you can get away with changing it about twice a year). How often you need to clean also depends heavily on how big a space you plan on keeping them in.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You need at least 5 quail, they're social, and only one rooster if any.

 

[Sara L]

If you are going to keep them on sand you will need to keep an eye on their feet. If the poop isn't cleaned often enough it will form little balls in their toe tips and cause problems. The poop balls can be taken off by soaking the feet in water and gently breaking the balls apart. Don't ever pull them off without soaking/breaking first as they are usually stuck to the toenail and you can rip the toenail off if you're not careful.
I'm not saying this to cause you to worry or change your mind about using sand, but to let you know what you should look out for and how to fix it if it happens. If the poop is removed often enough this won't happen to their feet.

 

[hsinglanjin]

Thanks Sara. I literally keep going back and forth between keeping them on the ground on sand vs in a wire floored cage. I just feel that it's more natural to keep them on the ground. I can't seem to make up my mind

 

[le_bwah]

If these will be your pets, why wouldn't you let them live on the ground? It's only a little more work for you, but so much more comfortable/natural for the birds.

 

[Sara L]

With wire you have to check their feet for bumblefoot, which is basically a cut that got infected. The foot or toes can get swollen and the nasty pus is usually hard and covered with a scab. To fix that you would soak the feet in an Epsom salt bath for about 10 min, then try to gently pry up the scab and remove the pus nodule. Then apply the type of iodine without color, I forget the correct name, and wrap the foot. Check on it in a day or so and repeat as necessary. There are several good threads/articles on treating bumblefoot on BYC.
They can get bumblefoot on sand or other substrate too, it's just more likely with wire. Basically any injury or damage to the feet can get infected. So end story is you have to keep an eye on their feet because they won't act like they are in pain or tell you something is wrong. Silly birds.

 

[Sara L]

Also as someone else said, they are social so if you just want eggs and aren't going to be hatching your own eggs, I recommend 3-5 hens. 2 hens puts you in danger of having a seriously stressed out bird if something happens to one of them. Space-wise, you want at least 1 square foot per bird, and if you have more space they would be even happier. They also like some sort of enrichment, stuff they can move around or climb on top. Rocks/bricks or brush to hide in. They sleep in groups on the ground, so no perches are needed like for chickens. They will poop in their water if you give them a chance, I have to raise mine up with a brick and they still manage to poop in it.

 

[anna-newhampshire]

Please note that they have an overwhelming instinct to scratch. In fact, scratching around seems to be their main occupation and one of the few joys in life they can have as captive birds. If you put them on wire and deprive them of that... um ...