Quail Dust Bath

[isegal]

I have 5, 4-week-old button quail. I'm working on building them a ginormous outdoor coop to put them in at around 6 weeks old. I heard they need dust baths. How can I make one of these, and what should I use for it? All I currently have is wood shavings, which is the floor of their current indoor house. Would this work for the sand bath in their new home?
Unrelated, they keep flying and hitting their heads, hard, on the top of the container, even though it's nearly two feet tall.

 

[007Sean]

I have 5, 4-week-old button quail. I'm working on building them a ginormous outdoor coop to put them in at around 6 weeks old. I heard they need dust baths. How can I make one of these, and what should I use for it? All I currently have is wood shavings, which is the floor of their current indoor house. Would this work for the sand bath in their new home?
Unrelated, they keep flying and hitting their heads, hard, on the top of the container, even though it's nearly two feet tall.

Yes, sand bath is the same as dust bath. Any pan like container will work. I wouldn't put a dust bath in their pen, until you move them outside!
Where are you located, because button quail cannot take temperatures below 40°F for very long.
Either, have them in a 1'ft. high enclosure or one that's at least 5'ft high, to keep them from hitting their heads.

 

[isegal]

Yes, sand bath is the same as dust bath. Any pan like container will work. I wouldn't put a dust bath in their pen, until you move them outside!
Where are you located, because button quail cannot take temperatures below 40°F for very long.
Either, have them in a 1'ft. high enclosure or one that's at least 5'ft high, to keep them from hitting their heads.

I don't have sand. The bedding of their outdoor pen will be large wood chips, probably. So can I add a small container with the smaller wood shavings for their dust bath? Their current enclosure is 2 feet tall. Their outdoor pen is higher than 5 feet at the top, its a slanted roof run-in. And I don't see how this question is related but in the winter it does drop to around 40 so I'm installing a heat lamp for them that will turn on if it gets that cold.

 

[Nabiki]

Plain old garden dirt will work for their bath. Just make sure to change out the dirt when it gets too poopy.

2' high is about the worst height for their pen. Since it sounds like this is already set, I would recommend putting netting or padding in to keep them from breaking their necks when they flush.

 

[isegal]

Plain old garden dirt will work for their bath. Just make sure to change out the dirt when it gets too poopy.

2' high is about the worst height for their pen. Since it sounds like this is already set, I would recommend putting netting or padding in to keep them from breaking their necks when they flush.

What kind of padding could I put? The roof is soft plastic

 

[Nabiki]

I would use a fine mesh netting. Make it nice and taut so they will bounce off of it and not hit the ceiling, or if they do, it will be a soft impact.

 

[isegal]

I would use a fine mesh netting. Make it nice and taut so they will bounce off of it and not hit the ceiling, or if they do, it will be a soft impact.

I don't think i have that. Do you think I could move them into their outdoor coop at 5 weeks? There will be a heat lamp at night.

 

[007Sean]

I don't have sand. The bedding of their outdoor pen will be large wood chips, probably. So can I add a small container with the smaller wood shavings for their dust bath? Their current enclosure is 2 feet tall. Their outdoor pen is higher than 5 feet at the top, its a slanted roof run-in. And I don't see how this question is related but in the winter it does drop to around 40 so I'm installing a heat lamp for them that will turn on if it gets that cold.

It's relative because you said, you were keeping them outdoors! They can't handle cold temps very well.

 

[isegal]

It's relative because you said, you were keeping them outdoors! They can't handle cold temps very well.

You said they can handle up to 40. Also, there will be a heat lamp that activates if it gets under 65.