Quails' Dust BathingTime

This morning I scooped some loose soil from the chicken's favorite scratching spot into a dish pan and placed it in the quail house. (It is important for the quail to have a place to dust bath in order to get rid of parasites on their feathers and skin.) Then I grabbed one of the brown female quails and gently pressed it down on the soil. When I left go of the quail, she stayed motionless for a while before deciding to indulge in dust bathing. About a minute later, the male quail joined in the fun.

Female (left) and male quails dust bathing.

Some of this brown quail's back and head feathers have been plucked out. when I examined her after her dust bath, I found that one of her wing tips is bleeding. I have no idea how she is injured, so will keep an eye on her for the next few days.

In the middle of her dust bathing, the male came into the dish pan and tried to mount on her. I think she wants to have her dust bath uninterrupted, so she ran away from the male. After chasing his mate round the white quail several times, the male gave up and got out of the dish pan.

Soon the other quails came to investigate the dish pan and see who is throwing out soil all over the place. At one time four quails were in the dish pan together.


Later two got out and waited for their turn. It is interesting to see how the quails establish their pecking order that determines who get to have the dust bath first. The white quail that has injuries on both wings is the last one to have the dust bath. So far the others have pretty much left it alone to heal.