can you have quail on pdz in stead of wire?

[fiddlebanshee]

Hi,

I'm new to quail but have chickens. I've successfully brooded chicks (chickens) on pdz numerous times. They love to dustbathe in it and the nature of pdz dries out the poo and neutralizes the ammonia. I scoop the poop once a week off of the surface and they're good to go.

I wonder if that setup could work for quail? I'm not too hot on wire floors (I've done the research and understand why people are doing it, but I'm wondering if there is another alternative that would give them a little bit more natural environment.

Thoughts?

TIA.
Jo

 

[AnnetteM]

Hi, what is pdz?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

pdz is a horsestall refresher. It's a naturally occuring mineral that absorbs and renders harmless ammonia. It works great with my chickens under their roost. I have it on a poopshelf and clean it off once a week.

I've also raised little chicks on it from birth.

I was just wondering if there would be a reason not to use it for quail as I am new to raising quail.

Thanks
Jo

 

[owlett5]

If you've raised chicks on it before I don't see how it would be a problem. Sounds like it would control odor really well. I have a question though, how do you keep it clean? I mean they poop on it, so do you sift it out after awhile or refresh it? Seems like it would be really expensive to keep replacing it every week being the darn birds poop so much :/

 

[fiddlebanshee]

i just use a kitty litter scoop. Sometimes when the poops are very small when they're still chicks, I'd put some kind of mesh over it with smaller holes. The pdz has very fine granules so it will sift out. I add to the pdz maybe once every 3 months, just to top it off. Really not a big deal.

It takes about 5 minutes to do the poopshelf below the roosts.

 

[GhislaineDel]

Has anyone ended up using Sweet PDZ as bedding for quail? This is an old thread but the thought of doing this occurred to me recently so I did a search.

 

[le_bwah]

Many people use sand to that effect, raking it out and hosing it down clean. Never heard of raising them straight on PDZ; I know it's supposed to be non-toxic, but quail do tend to eat a lot of their substrate (in my experience). Bet it's a godsend for smelly chicks!

I raise mine on a mix of dirt, wood shavings, and yard clippings/leaves. A little more high-maintenance than sand, but it lets them dig and bathe fairly naturally, and all you have to do is flip/stir it every other day and add new substrate now and then.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You can absolutely do that, or keep them on deep litter. Both are much better for their feet and for natural behaviors than wire.
If you can do it with chickens and chicks, you can probably do it with quail.