My quails and their hutch:)

[lisameow]

This is their hutch. It's the first one that me and my brother have made so it's not perfect but I think we've done a pretty good job.

These are my King Quail. On the left is Milo (m). In the middle is Silver (f). And on right is Coco (f). She's still a baby only three months old

Some more photos of them just hangin

 

[DK newbie]

Looks nice and spacious How high is the cage? If it's below 5-6 feet, you might want to pad the top if you haven't already, as they could boink into it and get seriously hurt or even kill themselves.
I'm curious to hear how the newspaper works for you? I'm assuming they are likely to slip on it if they are running too fast, but how about keeping their feet clean when they are stepping in their own feces, is that a problem?
In a smaller cage, I would definitely not try newspaper, but with this size, their feces might be likely to dry out before they step in it, so it might not be a problem, except for the slipping.

 

[lisameow]

Thanks Yeah the roof is below that but I haven't had problems with them hitting their heads because i guess they haven't been scared enough... Do you think foam or a yoga mat would work alright or do they need something softer?
Newspaper seems to work and i haven't seen them sliding but maybe it only happens when i'm not around? I haven't had any problems with their droppings getting stuck on their feet because like you said i think it dries out before that becomes a problem. I'll usually change the newspaper every few days but every day I get an old dustpan and just sweep up the dried droppings where they seem to accumulate.
I haven't tried anything else but i will try soon. Maybe a layer of hay or sand or wood chips? What do you use and what seems to work best for you?

 

[Binki]

Cool! I use hay for mine - they love pecking through it for clover bits etc. and making nests in it, it also helps keep the poo off their feet by drying it faster and the old poo falls between the hay making it cleaner longer than newspaper

You could get a huge bale of hay for like 4 or 5 dollars and it would last you probably a year with changing it once a week it's packed so tight that it's super efficient ground cover! Smells great too ^^

All you need to do is get to where they're selling hay (we find ours on Kijiji, a local online buying selling site) and a place to keep it dry as you use it

I use a little tall tote to transfer my hay around to the cage so I don't have hay bits dripping everywhere

 

[Binki]

Oh I also use newspaper on the bottom of the hay but only about two ply

 

[Binki]

I use a wooden fruit box (you buy nectarines or something in them at the grocery hehe) to put their grit, food and dry treats into (they love finch seed!). They scratch it around feeling fulfilled but it doesn't shoot everywhere and get wasted

There's a cardboard tray that held Pepsi cans under the "loft" there, it's filled with sand for them to dust bathe in, they go nuts over dust bathing!! they need something taller so they don't waste the sand hehe

 

[lisameow]

Thanks for the info! That sounds very good so i'll try what you do I haven't given them a dust bath yet but do you think you could use sand from the beach and then like heat it up in the oven to kill anything in it?

 

[DK newbie]

I like sand for bedding, in dry surroundings. It has anti bacterial properties, is very natural for their feet, turn the entire cage into a dust bath and is super easy to clean with a cat litter shovel, terrariums shovel or similar - no need to throw out and replace all the time, just remove poops and add a little extra sand when necessary.
During winter, in outside cages, the poop seems to dry too slowly and they get pooballs on their toes, so I switch to shavings - the poop gets buried in the shavings so they are less likely to step in it and it absorbs moisture so the poop dries out faster.
I might give the hay a shot, possibly combined with sand or shavings. I've tried grass that dried out as it was in the cage, but that ended up as a nasty, sticky grass and poo blanket - I guess the grass had too much moisture.

As for beach sand, I'm worried there is too much salt in it. They are quite likely to eat some every day, so where as a little salt might be a good thing, I think the amounts might become too high.

 

[Binki]

You're welcome lisameow and great reply DK

Good point about the salt - I have been using "playsand" which I get for about five bucks a bag and it says it's sterilized. I got it at one of those home and hardware stores.

I've been considering doing all sand and just straining and replacing for a time as you described especially for the babies as they're growing in the brooder... Do you guys think it would mess up their feet as they are growing?

I'm also looking for a good source for wood chips

 

[DK newbie]

I've been reading different opinions about sand in brooders, but I don't incubate eggs - my buttons do it themselves - and I haven't tried having chicks in an all sand cage. But what I read is, some say it works great, others say the chicks might eat so much sand they don't have room for actual feed or it's hard to clean. Personally, I doubt they will eat that much, but perhaps you can keep them on paper towels for the first few days so they know what food is, before you switch to sand..