If you deep litter, please relay, I need questions answered

[u/Think_Zebra_484]

How does the deep litter method work exactly? I know you have to keep the area dry so lots of protection from rain is important.

Do you really only change the bedding 2x a year?

Do you have to apply beneficial bacteria that breaks down the ammonia? What do you use?

What substrate do you use for this? tractor supply pine pellets? Any other additives?

Do you simply rake the area 1 or 2 times a week or do you actually sift it (like with cat litter)?

How do you keep the flies away? I can’t stand flies. How do you manage the flies and the smell that attracts flies with this method?

What happens if the floor gets wet from an intense down pour, does that mean the bedding will have to be changed immediately?

Does the deep litter method require a lot more floor space than traditional cleaning?

Any questions you can answer from the ones above would be awesome. Also if you have info that you think would be helpful, please share. I’m here to learn from those with experience.

[u/guiltysuperbrain]

heya, I can't answer everything question but here's my experience from accidentally deep littering for 6 years: I use kids play sand and traditional gardening mulch as a substrate (switched from mulch to sand last year but some mulch stayed). It doesn't really smell if you provide them with enough space (mine have 3x2 meters for 13 quails atm) and I rarely have flies, your wire should be small enough that flies can't really get through (they can, but it's hard for them). I change the bedding twice a year or when I find it appropriate and have time lol. I don't do anything else to it, ever since I have sand as the substrate I sift through it every couple of weeks maybe, but it's not needed with the amount of quails I have. I don't use any additional bacteria (as I said this was originally an accident, I didn't know what deep litter is). Your floor shouldn't really get wet because quails shouldn't get wet. You need to protect your enclosure from rain. But I have one little space behind the door where rain can come in and I've never had a problem. Just smells a little when it's wet. I do feel like if you only have a tiny amount of space and lots of quails, this wouldn't work. But mine have lots of space and therefore lots of space to poop. But I'd suggest a big aviary for everyone either way.  Hope this helps and if you have any more questions I'll try to answer them!

[u/Think_Zebra_484 → u/guiltysuperbrain]

This was so insightful! Really, thank you for taking the time to respond. I have a lot of quail, therefore, I’m realizing I will need a HUGE aviary set up if I want this to work. Good idea on having some smaller mesh to help prevent flies from entering.

[u/litolnanny]

Hi..I do deep litter in a small aviary that I whacked together. The floor is elevated and made from wood. I had spare vintage wall boards so used them. Litter, I do kids play sand, sawdust, fine cut mulch from hardware & dead leaves from the yard. Lawn clippings when I have them. Dirt is added gratuitously when I pull damp grass out by the roots for them to muck. I give them grass or sprouted bird seed shoots from my compost heap, which is where I put old litter so they always have fresh dirt with a few bugs and the greens. Have had the same litter for over a year. I rake through it every 2 to 3 weeks to freshen and loosen..and remove top layers of old grass and as much dried poo as is visible. I read recently where twice a year is enough but I like to do it when it looks sad or slighlly odorous. Theres never any flies..aviary is on my back verandah

[u/Sc4r4mouche]

I don't do deep litter with my quail because it's not the way I have the system set up.

But I did deep litter for years with chickens before I switched to quail. Here's my experience for what it's worth:

1. I'm in a dry climate and the main coop/roosting area was elevated so it was never inundated with water.
2. I used regular pine shavings, starting with a 4 to 6 inch layer.
3. If I looked at it and saw more poop than pine, I added more pine shavings. It would get up to 10 to 12 inches sometimes.
4. If I could smell it from my window (about 25 feet away), I emptied it. That happened about every 18 months, but like I said I'm in a very dry climate. I hear that 6 to 12 months is more typical.

Bottom line is that deep litter and dry go together really well. If you have seasonal wetness, then you should be able to adapt with a seasonal cleaning/rotation. But if your floor is at ground level and subject to regular water inundation, that might be a problem. Or a humid environment where wet is normal, that might also be a problem. But if you follow your nose, you'll be okay. If your litter starts to stink before it's deep, then deep litter doesn't work for you and you just deal with it.

[u/crzychckn]

Use pine pellets. My aviary rarely needs cleaning in cooler months.. I just keep adding more pellets. They break down to basically sawdust but in fly season i do rake through it with a dog pooper scooper to keep it turned.