Coturnix Quail (like most domestic poultry) are slobs, between dust bathing, waterers, scratching, and feces they make a big mess which is one of the biggest issues in poultry keeping: how to keep pens dry and clean without going nuts. How to minimize smell and adverse health effects of dirty/wet bedding. I opted for solid floored pens with bedding instead of wire floors, because that was the best available option in our situation and the birds seem to prefer it though it takes more time and maintenance to keep clean. What I hadn’t counted on was how wet and yucky it gets right under the water bottles. Was there a way to keep the water station clean and dry for more than 5 minutes? I’ve tried a variety of waterer types, different bedding options, and even tried a few ‘mini sewer’ options, here’s what I discovered:
Our quail set up: basically two large dog crates divided into two pens top and bottom.
Traditional rabbit water bottles: some drip, occasionally one will leak and flood the pen, have also had the ball get stuck and birds couldn’t get water. The birds like them and they are pretty easy to fill and keep clean.
Plastic drinking cups: birds like them but hard to keep clean and awkward to refill without spilling, also birds can still make a mess.
A side drinker type waterer: the least mess of them all, easy to fill and keep clean. Easy to adapt a variety of containers for watering birds but must be able to stick your hand inside. Birds didn’t like them. Most containers have to sit inside the pen taking up valuable floor space. Lids not very secure for many containers.
Dismataceous earth drying stones: usually used for bathroom sinks or dishes, maybe these porous stones could absorb extra moisture? They work for about 5 minutes then just get gross!
Homemade ‘drain:’ chicken wire over a plastic lid. Did a great job for about a day then filled up with soggy bedding. Also birds would move it or might catch themselves on wire. A bowl of pea gravel would have similar issues.
Reusable Guinea pig cage liner: absorbed water until soggy then just sat there and smelled bad. Putting it in the whole cage was a pain, maybe a small one under the waterers swapped out daily?
Have been using pine bedding, tried some hemp which is supposed to be much more absorbent but after a little testing they are equally absorbtive with the pine costing far less.
Conclusion: in solid floored quail cages (at least our set up) traditional rabbit water bottles are the best option for the overall health of the birds, changing out soggy bedding daily is the best option for minimizing odor and adverse health effects of dirty/wet bedding. Quail are just slobs and it is part of raising them! There is no ‘magic bullet’ but plain old fashioned good husbandry.
Update: apparently compromise and meeting in the middle applies to poultry as well as life. I took those Guinea pig cage liners and cut them into quarters, then using my ninja quilting skills (level 0, ha!) I used an old shower curtain to put a binding on the raw edges, giving me 8 reusable mats. I put them under the water bottles, throw a few shavings on top and every couple days toss them in a bucket with any soiled bedding and replace with new. Dump the shavings, rinse and dry the mats and it cuts cage maintenance down to minutes a day. I’ve even used them in the brooder (much more sturdy and stable than paper towels, not sterile but clean, there’s a great study on washing and drying towels in dairy cows that found reusable towels were as sanitary as disposable if properly washed and dried, and after two batches of new chicks we haven’t had any health issues yet). We’re also using a combination of water bottle types, depending on cage set up, bird preference, and resulting mess. It will be interesting to take them through the winter and see what needs to change.
One of my quartered mats. Notice the professional binding(!).
Mat in use, can easily change out front quarter of the cage as needed.
Our quail set up: basically two large dog crates divided into two pens top and bottom.
Traditional rabbit water bottles: some drip, occasionally one will leak and flood the pen, have also had the ball get stuck and birds couldn’t get water. The birds like them and they are pretty easy to fill and keep clean.
Plastic drinking cups: birds like them but hard to keep clean and awkward to refill without spilling, also birds can still make a mess.
A side drinker type waterer: the least mess of them all, easy to fill and keep clean. Easy to adapt a variety of containers for watering birds but must be able to stick your hand inside. Birds didn’t like them. Most containers have to sit inside the pen taking up valuable floor space. Lids not very secure for many containers.
Dismataceous earth drying stones: usually used for bathroom sinks or dishes, maybe these porous stones could absorb extra moisture? They work for about 5 minutes then just get gross!
Homemade ‘drain:’ chicken wire over a plastic lid. Did a great job for about a day then filled up with soggy bedding. Also birds would move it or might catch themselves on wire. A bowl of pea gravel would have similar issues.
Reusable Guinea pig cage liner: absorbed water until soggy then just sat there and smelled bad. Putting it in the whole cage was a pain, maybe a small one under the waterers swapped out daily?
Have been using pine bedding, tried some hemp which is supposed to be much more absorbent but after a little testing they are equally absorbtive with the pine costing far less.
Conclusion: in solid floored quail cages (at least our set up) traditional rabbit water bottles are the best option for the overall health of the birds, changing out soggy bedding daily is the best option for minimizing odor and adverse health effects of dirty/wet bedding. Quail are just slobs and it is part of raising them! There is no ‘magic bullet’ but plain old fashioned good husbandry.
Update: apparently compromise and meeting in the middle applies to poultry as well as life. I took those Guinea pig cage liners and cut them into quarters, then using my ninja quilting skills (level 0, ha!) I used an old shower curtain to put a binding on the raw edges, giving me 8 reusable mats. I put them under the water bottles, throw a few shavings on top and every couple days toss them in a bucket with any soiled bedding and replace with new. Dump the shavings, rinse and dry the mats and it cuts cage maintenance down to minutes a day. I’ve even used them in the brooder (much more sturdy and stable than paper towels, not sterile but clean, there’s a great study on washing and drying towels in dairy cows that found reusable towels were as sanitary as disposable if properly washed and dried, and after two batches of new chicks we haven’t had any health issues yet). We’re also using a combination of water bottle types, depending on cage set up, bird preference, and resulting mess. It will be interesting to take them through the winter and see what needs to change.
One of my quartered mats. Notice the professional binding(!).
Mat in use, can easily change out front quarter of the cage as needed.
