Dust Bath for Quail

[Farmboy101]

Hi, I have five bobwhite quail and i was wondering what stuff do i need to put in a dust bath the only thing i know is DE, but is the garden DE safe for the quail?

 

[Pork Pie]

Maybe if you post this on the "Quail" forum, it may be more appropriate.
CT

 

[JaeG]

I'd avoid DE as it says it's not good for us to breathe in so I doubt it's that great for the birds to either. Coarse sand and dirt are what mine get. If you have a fireplace you can mix in a bit of wood ash as well.

 

[Binki]

The only times I've used DE (diatomaceous earth, food grade) in a dustbath is when I bought quail infested with feather lice and a wild baby bird crawling with bird mites.

After a few days the DE killed all of the bugs and the birds were left healthy I then changed their dust baths to sand again.

 

[CuzChickens]

Hello there! I have used DE countless times with no ill effects, just put it in their dust bathing area at nighttime, so that the dust is settled by morning so that they do not have any issues. You can also add Wood Ash to your dust bathing area. Both are good, natural lice repellents.