Quail on Deep Litter - Why it Works

[Aeonir]

i plan to keep quail on my balcony, will deep litter work there? or will i need to put in some initial soil microlife to start the composting process? they'll be on tiles on top of the concrete balcony to allow water to drain away

 

[CindyinSD]

You may be able to get composting going since it’s summer but tbh, I don’t think it’ll work. The only place I’ve been able to get it cooking is in broiler and waterfowl brooders where I wasn’t trying. They poop so much it can’t help but heat up.

That doesn’t mean deep litter/bedding won’t work to manage quail hygiene though. (It didn’t stand up to broilers or waterfowl brooders unfortunately.) I think it’ll work for quail, though. Whether it’ll save you work, I don’t know. Depends on your set-up. It saves a lot of work with chicken coops and works great even though my coops have floors and no composting has happened there. It makes a nice cushy, warm floor for them and absorbs all the ammonia so long as the coop is big enough and you keep adding new layers as needed.

You’ll need to make the cages tall and stout enough to easily accommodate the thickness of bedding you want to end up with (and its weight), plus space for you to comfortably maintain it. (It’s no fun sprinkling in carbon materials while scraping your wrist & arm on cut edges of HWC and dodging feeders, waterers, dust baths, etc.) Make it tall enough that you’ll be comfortable. You’ll be glad you did.

You’ll also need to make allowances to easily remove it when time comes to change it out. If/when I start my quail project I’ll most likely use deep bedding. I don’t like the idea of them on wire all the time. That said, I think there’s probably good reason people like to raise them on wire.

You might enjoy this convo: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quail-hatch-along.1276785/

 

[702Quails]

i plan to keep quail on my balcony, will deep litter work there? or will i need to put in some initial soil microlife to start the composting process? they'll be on tiles on top of the concrete balcony to allow water to drain away

I would go with a wire bottom and use wood shaving on the poop tray to help absorb moisture and odors. You can use kitty litter too, if you just plan on throwing away the manure. A solid bottom with deep liter can get fairly moist, due to decreased ventilation. If you don't constantly turn or add new litter to a set-up like that, a lot of flies will be attracted to it. Just think of all the flies that will get inside every time you open your balcony door, not fun.

 

[Aeonir]

if i were to go with wire cages, every one visiting here would complain about it, i'm from the netherlands and standards are a bit different, even professional farmers don't use wire cages anymore. mostly because grocery stores aren't allowed to sell eggs or meat that came from wire cage farms. not sure on the current rules for hobbyists but they are making the rules stronger on animal keeping. (and going in the wrong direction with it)

also i already ordered a run, i'll need to add a roof and something to keep the wind out, but its a little over 1 square meter, (roughly 11 square feet)

 

[ketojenn]

i plan to keep quail on my balcony, will deep litter work there? or will i need to put in some initial soil microlife to start the composting process? they'll be on tiles on top of the concrete balcony to allow water to drain away

Do you have horse stall pellets available there? I use these in my brooders and it works amazingly well at keeping down odor. I hatched out 60+ quail last Monday and haven't needed to change it yet. They just stir it up and the poo falls to the bottom and stays covered. If you do try deep litter, I'd definitely add dirt to the mix. My adults are on bare ground. Again, I never need to do much, just turn the dirt over now and again. No smell or bugs hanging around.

Babies on pellets.

In my opinion shavings smell awful very quickly and need constant refreshing/changing.

Aviary with dirt floor. There was greenery until they arrived, now it's pretty barren. lol It does not smell. At all.

Good luck!

 

[Aeonir]

i looked up the pallets, they should be possible, deep litter has my preference though as it looks natural.

can i use potting soil for the dirt? i'll mix some hemp chips (more absorbent than wood and a bit less sharp.)

 

[Kusanar]

i looked up the pallets, they should be possible, deep litter has my preference though as it looks natural.

can i use potting soil for the dirt? i'll mix some hemp chips (more absorbent than wood and a bit less sharp.)

Don't use potting soil, it has a ton of chemicals added and stuff you don't want them eating with their food. Maybe if you can find an organic potting soil, don't know what you have available there. They even sell topsoil in bags here, that would be a good option, or maybe a piece of sod in the bottom, they will kill the grass pretty quick, but then you will have the soil that was around the roots still.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Yeah, you want topsoil, without any additives or fertilizers. Garden centers sell it. Filler dirt may work if you can't get topsoil, but you want topsoil, ideally- it has all your good bacteria in it.
Also, go find a big pile of dead leaves or leaf litter, scoop up a bunch of that, and throw it in. It'll contain plenty of composting bacteria, and also bugs for the quail to peck.

If you're starting from scratch on a non-dirt surface, I'd aim for dirt, and then a layer of leaf litter across the whole thing if you can manage it.

Regardless of situation, fallen leaves are great to add to your deep litter. Just throw them on top in a big heap and let the birds do the spreading. Compost ingredients, plant material to get worked in, bug habitat, all the good stuff.

 

[KatsPlace]

I’m starting from scratch as far as my quail run. I know it’s not an active thread but This information has helped a lot.
Anyone from hot AZ or hot climate area have success with the deep litter? We have dirt and a lot of trees on our property so this to us would be an ideal method.
I have them in a brooder inside with pine shaving and I will skip this one because of the smell when wet.

 

[CindyinSD]

I don't keep quail, but @muddy75 may have some suggestions for you though her climate is not so dry. @Nabiki is in a very dry climate, so she also might be able to offer some ideas.