still CONCERNED about what to use for feather dustbathing... at whits end

First lots of rain.. then WE started putting ashes in large flat pans like mix concrete in.. finely sifted to take out the chunks from woodburning...
I put container under big toolshed then smaller one under an aluminum truck cap up on 3 foot tall palles sides ...
The big shed is prob over 3 feet tall underneath.... we hdwe cloth it for them from the shallower areas.... the undershed is enclosed by lattice at the downhill part, with stapled aluminum screening.. to the lattice....
Now concerned worried that two hens wheezing. Very fine sifted ashes was bothering them.. so changed to some ash and spaghnnum peat moss... still seemed very fine. yesterday.... dumped all that in my garden raised beds......
Yesterday with concern about the very fine wood ashes instead put all spagnum peat moss. put in those container for them
Today, now noticed its fine too when dry..
Of course they pefer dirt but with the past is was always to wet. we had so Much RAIN........... now we are in hot and dry weather..NOW.
BUT THEY PREFER THE COOL UNDER SHED AREA .... .... NOTICED UNDER SHED ITS STILL VERY MOIST CLAY DIRT MOSTLY.. when I crawled under there yesterday
thanks yall I dont want my girls with lung problems....

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Mine like damp soil this time of year, I think it helps cool them down.

I don't ever do anything special for dust bathing areas. Well, I do dump our wood ashes in the coop in the winter, but it just becomes part of the deep liter there. I say just let them pick their own spot, if they like the damp clay let them have that. If you run deep liter in the coop or run, they'll happily use that, here are my girls having spa time...

I've used wood ash, peat moss or a mixture of both for their dustbath. Maybe the 3' high walls are making too confined an area to allow for good venilation. Mine is out in the open run (covered though) and never noticed any wheezing.

If you think total ash is bothering them then mix in some sand to bring down the dust. Ash works like DE which deters lice and mites. It's a good thing to add to dust baths but if too dusty just add sand to desired effect.

with all the rain we have had up till lately it was MUD not just damp soil ... clay type too.....
we are near bottom of road Most of town is hills and there are prob some natural springs around our creek bottom area....
but now hot wether is here again its drier dirt...

donrae said:

I don't ever do anything special for dust bathing areas. Well, I do dump our wood ashes in the coop in the winter, but it just becomes part of the deep liter there. I say just let them pick their own spot, if they like the damp clay let them have that. If you run deep liter in the coop or run, they'll happily use that, here are my girls having spa time...

Click to expand...

I'm with donrae, I use deep litter method and its been there for almost a year now, so its a ton of soil now. The trick is to keep it dry enough that they can use it, so that means some sort of water proof roofing. If you don't have roofing, you aren't going to be able to use anything to give them a dust bath as it has to be dry to work at all. As for their lungs, I have never heard anyone say that about chickens before...might you be over-thinking this? If they are pets and you just have a few, give them their dust baths yourself...otherwise, consider that I have had chickens almost entirely bury themselves in the deep litter dirt, to the point I thought their backs were severely harmed (I could see the ribs of the feathers, not no feather fluff on their entire back and saddle)...only to discover they were just happily covered in dirt.

I really don't think their desire to dust bath overcomes their instinct to breath.