Quail on Deep Litter - Why it Works

[Sill]

In that case you have very little to worry about, and your birds will be quite happy with all that space. If you live in a snakey area watch out for them though, they love quail.

Doesn't everything like the taste of quail? I've had a roadrunner coming into my yard to eyeball my quail and I send my terriers after it anytime I see it. A couple of days ago something grabbed one of the white jumbos (its always the white birds that get picked on) pulled part of her wing through the half by one wire. By the time I found her upside down with her wing stuck she had lost some blood and skin but the wing looked mostly intact. Today she is eating, drinking and dust bathing. I'll put her back with the rest of her quartet tomorrow or the day after, in a new cage. It must have been the roadrunner that grabbed her since their long, strong beaks can reach into the narrow wire, and I think a hawk, owl, cat or fox would have caused much more damage to the wing than there was.

 

[GuineaFowling]

Doesn't everything like the taste of quail? I've had a roadrunner coming into my yard to eyeball my quail and I send my terriers after it anytime I see it. A couple of days ago something grabbed one of the white jumbos (its always the white birds that get picked on) pulled part of her wing through the half by one wire. By the time I found her upside down with her wing stuck she had lost some blood and skin but the wing looked mostly intact. Today she is eating, drinking and dust bathing. I'll put her back with the rest of her quartet tomorrow or the day after, in a new cage. It must have been the roadrunner that grabbed her since their long, strong beaks can reach into the narrow wire, and I think a hawk, owl, cat or fox would have caused much more damage to the wing than there was.

I hope your quail is doing well. I have a border collie who is in with the quail whenever they are in their paddock. So he either alerts me or fends off the predator. Usually it will be a cat sitting on the outside of the enclosure watching the birds.

 

[titika]

I hope your quail is doing well. I have a border collie who is in with the quail whenever they are in their paddock. So he either alerts me or fends off the predator. Usually it will be a cat sitting on the outside of the enclosure watching the birds.

i was worried my cat was going to try and catch my quail because he loves hunting birds. Apparently he is afraid of the quail. Lol

 

[Sill]

I hope your quail is doing well. I have a border collie who is in with the quail whenever they are in their paddock. So he either alerts me or fends off the predator. Usually it will be a cat sitting on the outside of the enclosure watching the birds.

Yes she is thank you. I had her separated for a few days. Quail heal amazingly fast! She is now back in her quartet and her rooster is happy to have her back. He was upset that she was nearby but he couldn't get her back to the covey. You should have seen him trying to feed her when he got her back. A good quail roo is priceless.

I've been keeping my dogs out more and put up some bird streamers. That seems to be keeping the locals away more. I've not seen the road runner in the yard since it happened.

 

[Sill]

i was worried my cat was going to try and catch my quail because he loves hunting birds. Apparently he is afraid of the quail. Lol

That's not a bad thing! Some quail can be quite bold and will peck creatures that get too close to the cages.

 

[GuineaFowling]

Quick question, do quails eat feed in the form of pellets? I noticed they are huge wasters when it comes to crumbles. Or at least my coturnix are feed wasters, the buttons are just fine. I want to switch them to pellets to reduce feed waste.

 

[Quail Jailer]

i grind my pellets for that very reason, less waste. Please post your results if you switch, I'm interested.

 

[Quailsong]

Quick question, do quails eat feed in the form of pellets? I noticed they are huge wasters when it comes to crumbles. Or at least my coturnix are feed wasters, the buttons are just fine. I want to switch them to pellets to reduce feed waste.

If you stop them from being able to kick out their feed or swish their heads far, they'll waste less.

I actually have my quail using moist pellets since they're using the same feed as my ducks. So it's basically like a dry porridge by the time they get it. Hard for them to flick it out & they can't kick it due to the feeders I have. Mine are the old style long metal feeders. One has the lid with holes for heads, the other has a twirly top that stops them from standing on top. Not ideal, but far less messy than open dishes.

 

[Quailsong]

I just made half of my hutch into the DL and left half wire. They seem to be enjoying it. Hoping i can get them on vid playing next time.

Thank you for your video!

I would say it needs a bit more litter to qualify as 'deep', but it's a great start! Make sure to incorporate more leaves if possible. Too much hay might act like straw which will make it very hard to move & turn.

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I also wanted to update everyone to say I've been away from BYC (and other birdy sites) to focus on my art & home, though I'm back here for a bit since things have slowed down. I'm still using deep litter with great results & plan to continue with this method indefinitely. I'm hoping to get a new video update of my quail in the next couple weeks, otherwise I've a few vids at my channel of the birds which you're all more than welcome to check out.

 

[violamama]

Hi All!
Sorry, I know this is an old thread, but can any of you comment on ceiling heights in a quail coop using deep litter?

Would up to 18" be all right considering the litter will generally be a few inches deep?

How have you all dealt with watering? Do you use those poulty nipples with a hose attached? Does the deep litter also affect the height of those?

We are building a coop and trying to decide how tall to make it. It will be a tractor, but super reinforced (okay well, better than chicken wire or light weight mesh) and probably parked in our enclosed garden most nights.

The plan is the coop part would have deep litter and the run would be below the coop with a very gently sloping plank between. I've read that quail don't like steep ladders (?) and won't climb around much (?). Will they jump over some kind of threshold that keeps litter in?

Thanks for answering a newbie. These are the first birds for our family since I had cockatiels as a kid!