I think maybe mdees?( forgive if I’m wrong or mispelled) recently had posted about using pvc coated wire for the grate underneath because the poop slides off better, and also some informative info about grate placement in regard to supports, because poop accumulating there seems to be common.
Besides that, as my chicks grew into maturity their poop has changed, they started having these huge sticky brown tar poops, and if someone stepped on one and then walked over his buddies, he left poop stamps on them. I was also having issues with poop gathering on their feet, I thought it had been because I spilled food and they stepped in it, but even 3 days after cleanup, they were still getting caked.
I looked it up, and it seems gross sticky poop that smells is fairly common in quail and many videos and sites suggested new food or fermenting. Since I had about 40 lbs of food I decided to ferment, and within 24 hours their poops were totally different. They are smaller, white and medium brown like when they were chicks, if they step in it, it just falls off into the sand on the floor when they walk, the other poops made cement poop sand shoes lol.
I don’t find they eat less, I have no waste, but I go thru food faster than before, is that because they’re still growing, or did they hate it and only ate enough to stay alive before? I’m not certain, mine have ground access and eat bugs and worms and whatever they catch so I can’t even be sure if it’s just a couple big ones gobbling it up, I see them all gather to eat it when I refill. I keep dry food in the coop too, they only eat it if they run out of mush at night. I’ve found that fermenting really cut down how often I add bedding to cover high traffic areas, there’s very little visible poop in the outdoor area of the pen, and before there were areas I put fresh chips over every day to cover the poop.
