Raised quail coop but with deep litter?

[sarabeth485]

Wondering if others have any experience with creating a raised coop but using the deep litter method in it? As long as all the starter components of the litter (shavings, ash, grass clippings, etc) were present does it actually have to be in contact with the ground to work well? Also, people mention having to worm the quail if they live on the ground - is this pretty standard? Would it also apply to a deep litter coop that was up off the ground? Thanks!

 

[el dorado quail]

It would need native soil most likely...the reason deep litter works is because it's kind of like an active compost pile? But not as hot. It needs the soil micro organisms to break down the carbon and nitrogen. At least that's what it needs in theory. You also don't want the deep litter sitting directly on wood if I'm not mistaken.

Hopefully someone will come along and give firsthand information

 

[Fishkeeper]

I mean, people do worm bins and little off-the-ground compost bins and get compost. I think if you put a big handful of dirt in, that'll help. You'll probably need a good six inches of litter, though, too thin and it won't work so well.
And it IS a compost pile, essentially. It doesn't get as hot because there's less material.

Why do you want it raised?

 

[sarabeth485]

I was thinking of having it raised for a variety of reasons. Improved ease of reaching everywhere in the coop to feed, gather eggs, clean, etc. It would be predator proof without having to bury wire. Our backyard is a tiny, shaded, city lot with large pine trees and uneven, root-filled ground. We finally gave up on grass last year and just mulched the whole darn thing but digging and/or leveling anything would be a challenge. None of these are insurmountable but just seems like for a small flock raised would be the way to go.

We're planning to build a custom set-up from scratch though so suggestions are definitely welcome.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You could possibly get something like a Christmas tree bin, one of those long, fairly shallow bins, and use that (with support) as the floor. If you can turn the floor of the pen into a nice deep bin, that'll do the trick.

Be sure it's proofed against predators that can climb, and in particular make sure you have a lock on the door that raccoons can't open. They can undo those little latch-bolt dealies. They can't grasp a large carabiner well enough to open it, though.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Yes i do this! One of my trios i have in a very large bin, i cut one side off , leaving 4 inches on the bottom, and put hardware cloth, roof is screen and the floor is sand with straw and dirt. The only problem is water, if they tip their water and flood their land you have to start again! And just from them running through the water causes lots of trouble too. So i keep their gravity water raised on a upside down round cake pan and then another right side up cake pan on top then the gravity feeder, the kind you use in brooders. This keeps any spilled water in the cake pan and i can rinse it as needed, and it being raised keeps the quail from filling it so bad with debris. But i still have to dump it out every couple months so it isnt a true deep litter i guess. They will without fail knock their water over occasionally so i have to dump it out. I dump it into the chickens they go crazy for all the spilled food and sand.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You could cut small holes in the bottom or low on the sides of the bin and cover them with hardware cloth, then cover that with weed block cloth, and then the water would drain out.
Or I guess just go under it with a drill and poke some holes in it.

 

[June2012]

This is what I am in the middle of doing too!! I definitely agree about the water draining thing, it is what I am planning to do. Good luck!

 

[SDTulip]

I've had a raised coop with deep litter for almost 3 months now with no major problems / major smells. I had a leaky water cup but fixed that and just mixed up the shavings/grass/etc and it dried out pretty fast.

 

[PoultryAnna]

I have a deep litter brooder which is a big terrarium that I keep adding litter to, basically. It composts the bedding same as in my worm tubs. Speaking of worms, it has worms and a lot of other bugs in it that the chicks eat. In between batches of chicks, I throw some seeds and a bit of soil and mulch on top so that the next batch of chicks has sprouts to eat.