Coturnix quails enjoy dust bathing and they need access to the tiny grit pieces in play sand for their digestion. But did you know that you can use more than just sand in their bathing bowl? Check out our natural Coturnix quail dust bath blend that contributes to healthy quail keeping:
Natural Coturnix Quail Dust Bath Blends
Coturnix quail are absolutely wild for dust bathing! They seem to enjoy flapping about in a large, luxurious bowl of fine sand for hours. And while they do need access to the naturally occurring grit in play sand to aid with their digestion, sand is not the only thing you can put in the dust bathing bowl! Here are some other substrates and mixes of substrates you can use:
Sweet PDZ for Dust Baths
Sweet PDZ is my absolute favorite dust bath bowl filler and it can be used all by itself. Sweet PDZ, often sold as “horse stall refresher” or “coop refresher”, is nothing but granules of the natural mineral zeolite. It makes a fantastic dust bath because the quail will scatter it everywhere, including over their own droppings where the zeolite will instantly absorb any odors. Yes, the quail’s natural tendency to fling everything out of their dust bath will actually help keep smells down! Swapping sand for Sweet PDZ can instantly drop your quail coop, pen, or aviary odors to almost nothing. You can find it on Amazon but all feed stores carry large bags for less – just ask for it by name. (Afflinks)
Note: Quail will consume some Sweet PDZ granules (natural zeolite) as if it was grit and it does not hurt them. It can make some hens lay heavy bloom eggs that appear purple.
Dust Bath Herbs
After I learned how to craft my own nest box herbs for chickens, I realized quail could benefit from the same in their hides and bathing bowls. I began experimenting with blends and found a sweet-scented, easy dust bath herb recipe that my covey loved!
Best of Everything Dust Bath Blend Recipe:
Here is a recipe for a dust bath blend my quail absolutely LOVE that has a mix of all the best ingredients for both mite & lice prevention and odor control:
This recipe blend is given in parts so you can make as much or as little as you’d like. Simply use the same measuring scoop for each “part”. Quail typically need a minimum of 2 quarts total for dust bathing. Using a quart jar or empty quart yogurt tub for a “part” is great!
1 part play sand
1 part Sweet PDZ granules (natural zeolite)
1/4 part food grade diatomaceous earth
Optional: Dust Bath Herb Blend
Refill Often
Your covey is going to relish this new dust bathing blend. You may find you need to refill the bowl daily until everyone is feeling clean and pest-free. Eventually you’ll find you only need to refill once or twice per week.
When to Begin Offering Dust Baths
Coturnix quail chicks need access to pure, clean play sand the second week of life so they can begin to ingest pieces of grit. This helps prepare them to digest the whole seeds and grains these little granivore birds eat. Once quail have had a week of access to only play sand, you can offer dust bathing blends like this one for skin and feather health.
Storing Coturnix Quail Dust Bath Blends
I keep the individual ingredients (sand, Sweet PDZ and diatomaceous earth) for dust baths in the Vittles Vault brand storage containers, next to the quail feed. You can find free label graphics for quail bins in this article. Any airtight container is a great way to keep your quail supplies clean and dry.
Dust Bathing Bowls
I’ve found the 3 gallon rubber livestock bowls to be awesome dust bathing bowls for my covey. The wide width allows two or three birds to flap at once while the higher sides help keep the substrate in just a little bit longer. If you’d like a more natural material, Behren’s makes a 3 gallon metal feed pan.
Share What Works!
We love our sweet backyard quail and enjoy providing them healthy, natural enrichment. If you have a dust bathing bowl, blend, or trick that works, please do share it with us all in the comments below!
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