Stinky, Stinky birds. Smelly Sand!

[FeatherSmith]

I decided to raise quail this year. I have 30 healthy jumbos I hatched from eggs out in a hutch. They are nearly four weeks old now and fully feathered. Anyway I'm a little worried. Half of the hutch is on wire and the inside part I have a pull out tray (little over two inches deep) that I filled with sand! In 24 hours they turned it into a stinky mess. It smelled like a neglected catbox. I dumped out the sand and replaced it with pine shavings which will be easier to clean out daily.

They absolutely love sand but I'm worried that the ammonia or vapors from the waste will hurt them. I wouldn't be able to afford to buy a $5 bag of play sand daily!
I've seen other people use a mesh or shifter. I that but that did nothing for the smell. Any thoughts? We have avian flu in my area so I didn't feel safe starting the hobby with birds on dirt this year.

 

[Nabiki]

Use plain garden dirt. They like that just as much and you can throw it into your compost after. Free bath material, and your plants will benefit.

 

[FeatherSmith]

Use plain garden dirt. They like that just as much and you can throw it into your compost after. Free bath material, and your plants will benefit.

I'll definitely be doing this... a year or so from now. But I'm spooked about the avian flu. I had a case in my county and I live directly bordering a marsh!

 

[vall]

How big is this hutch? The more space they have the less it'll smell. You can try adding sweet pdz to the sand for the odor. You'll still have to replace every so often but not every day. Another option is peat moss which you can buy in big bales from the hardware store.. probably cheaper than sand.

 

[FeatherSmith]

How big is this hutch? The more space they have the less it'll smell. You can try adding sweet pdz to the sand for the odor. You'll still have to replace every so often but not every day. Another option is peat moss which you can buy in big bales from the hardware store.. probably cheaper than sand.

It's 12 Square feet total with three sections, an outdoor area, an indoor area and a nesting box. It was meant for bantam chickens but a family member gave it to me as they never used it. I refurnished it for quail So yes, too tight in there, working as fast as I can to give them more space.

Peat moss is a great idea, I actually have some but I'm pretty much done planting seedlings for the season. Thanks!