So much variance in what should be included in dust bath

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DreamsInPink said:
Well I also don't really want them tearing up any more of the vegetation than they have to. I was hoping if I made them a place to dust bathe, they'd use it more. As I said, I don't really have a lot of just dirt... it's grass. Plus, under the grass is lovely clay.
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<tongueincheek>
Yeah, well, you can hope.....eventually all the vegetation in run will be gone...how soon that will happen depends on how big a space and how many birds.
Or maybe you free range....... then they will probably dig ankle breaking holes exactly where you don't want them to.
They are particularly attracted to freshly planted, carefully mulched flower beds.

I've lovingly prepared several dust bathing areas, they ignored them all and dig their own......
......with the exception of the bin of sand and dirt I put in the coop for winter when everything outside is frozen solid, they use it some but not much.

If your ground is truly solid clay, you might try dumping a bag of sand somewhere, they might appreciate it.
Otherwise play it by eye, see where they choose, time will tell.
 
aart said:
Yeah, well, you can hope.....eventually all the vegetation in run will be gone...how soon that will happen depends on how big a space and how many birds. Or maybe you free range....... then they will probably dig ankle breaking holes exactly where you don't want them to. They are particularly attracted to freshly planted, carefully mulched flower beds. I've lovingly prepared several dust bathing areas, they ignored them all and dig their own...... ......with the exception of the bin of sand and dirt I put in the coop for winter when everything outside is frozen solid, they use it some but not much. If your ground is truly solid clay, you might try dumping a bag of sand somewhere, they might appreciate it. Otherwise play it by eye, see where they choose, time will tell.
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(toungueincheek)?? Really?? It'll be gone?? There's a LOT of vegetation... the run is 20' x 60'. And I don't know how many chickens I will end up with because 29 of them are straight run. I'm hoping to free range eventually, but right now, we still have to put them back in the coop in the evening before we close the pop door. Not all of them. 3 of the Silkies huddle on the ground and all the BOs huddle at the top of the ramp, thinking that's the place to roost. xD So yeah, free ranging at this point is not an option. >.> I'll definitely be sure to keep them away from my flower beds. But, I bought them a pool. :( I was so excited. I thought they'd love it. :/
 
DreamsInPink said:
(toungueincheek)??

Really?? It'll be gone?? There's a LOT of vegetation... the run is 20' x 60'. And I don't know how many chickens I will end up with because 29 of them are straight run. I'm hoping to free range eventually, but right now, we still have to put them back in the coop in the evening before we close the pop door. Not all of them. 3 of the Silkies huddle on the ground and all the BOs huddle at the top of the ramp, thinking that's the place to roost. xD So yeah, free ranging at this point is not an option.

>.> I'll definitely be sure to keep them away from my flower beds.

But, I bought them a pool.
sad.png
I was so excited. I thought they'd love it.
hmm.png
Click to expand...
They'll strip a rain forest bare if they have the opportunity! Took about 8 days for the big run we had to be down to bare ground, but in my case that was what I wanted so I could get a nice start on deep litter out there.

They may well use that wading pool in the hot summer. Put 2-4 inches of water in it on hot sweltering days and they'll wade in it like kids to cool off. At least mine do. They don't bathe in it like wild birds, but they don't mind cooling off in it.

Like @aart 's birds, mine will decide what looks good and proceed to "rearrange" the landscaping to meet their discriminating tastes.....whatever those might be at the moment. On Monday that could be the area that won't grow grass anyway, with or without their interference. Tuesday they may decide that the litter that's filtered out along the edge of the run via the hardware cloth skirt looks pretty good. Wednesday it may be the soft, cool dirt under the fruit trees. But any day of the week, if they get access to a nicely mulched flower bed, it's all over but the shoutin'.
 
My run is about your size. As a nod to Blooie, I kind of live in a rain forest, well, the PNW anyway. My run is clean. There is one funky week that grows there they won't eat, but now that it's getting hot it's dying back....anyway.

Just plain ol dirt is great for dust bathing. I add my ashes from the wood stove during the winter, just to my deep bedding in the coop. My hens make a beeline for our burn pile and love to fluff around in the ashes any time of the year.

When it's wet and icky outside, the ladies have spa time in the deep bedding in the coop







And the attraction of wood ashes....
700
700
Long story short---don't stress about it too much. They're chickens, give them some dirt and they'll be happy. Kind of like little boys!
 
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chickens really said:
Potting dirt mixed with sand being your making a dusting zone.
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I personally would avoid 'potting soil' as it generally has vermiculite or perlite mixed it as well as natural or chemical fertilizers and potentially other things, IMO best to just use bagged 'top soil' if you are going to purchase 'dirt' it's cheaper and it's generally just scooped from the ground nothing added...

The mix is really your choice, even a natural dirt patch here or there is going to vary in content greatly based on location...

I don't always do the same mix, I do what is available and convenient at the time...

For the $1 a bag pulverized top soil cost it's not really worth my time or effort to dig and sift my own, so I just buy a bag or two when ever, same with sand... This is the base of almost all my dust baths, I buy the bags, spread out a blue tarp on the driveway and dump the bags out on a sunny day and spread it around... By the end of the day it's dry and dusty and ready to be put into a dust bath...

I get my ash from the BBQ during the summer and the fire place during the winter, pretty much an endless supply, I store it in a steel garbage can after confirming it's no longer burning...

I personally do mix in a little bit of either DE or Sevin dust not a lot just a little bit, as it can become an irritant when it gets airborne in quantity...

Sometimes I will toss in some peat moss or coco coir if I have some laying around or if I'm cutting a lot of wood on the table saw I will collect the sawdust to mix it....

On a side note I have often considered getting some infield (baseball) clay mixture to use as a base of the dust bath to see how that worked out...
 
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As has been said, they will strip that run, what they don't eat will get scratched to death as they look under and in the roots for bugs.

For dust baths, I have kept Chickens on and off, mostly on for 30 years. I use a basic wood frame, about 2x2, 6 inches high, nail it together, no bottom, on the ground, and 2/3 fill it with sand and Food grade DE (not pool DE) mixed about 1/3 DE to 2/3 sand. They use it 3/4 of the time, but scratch out their own too. I think they scratch out holes to cool off as well.
 
DreamsInPink said:
Quote: <tongueincheek>
Time will tell, if your birds are young yet (I'm guessing they are) they have yet to hone and prefect their maximum scratching muscles and abilities.
When I extended my run over my basic country 'lawn'(turf grass and other plants/weeds) it took 15 adult birds about 2 weeks to decimate an 8x18 area.
Agrees with Blooie that pool might be nice with a couple inches of cold water(or a bunch of ice cubes and just a little water) in it on a hot, hot day.
Saw something recently with covering bottom of a cold water pan with concrete pavers/bricks in to hold the 'cool' for lounging.

pauleberly said:
why all the hate for DE? I thought as long as it was food grade DE it was good for pest control?
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DE can be a serious respiratory irritant when it becomes airborne in large quantities(as previously stated by MeepBeep)......
....and it's only so-so for pest deterrence. Many believe it's the end all, be all cure for many things......but many do not believe that.

I only use DE in the cracks and crevices and very bottoms of wooden nests under straw bedding, under the edges of the vinyl sheet flooring, and in the feed and feed bins if grain mites are present with incoming feed bags. It was very effective when I brought in bags of crumbles infested with grain mites, but they are soft and easy to kill anyway.
Click to expand...
 
aart said:
Time will tell, if your birds are young yet (I'm guessing they are) they have yet to hone and prefect their maximum scratching muscles and abilities.
When I extended my run over my basic country 'lawn'(turf grass and other plants/weeds) it took 15 adult birds about 2 weeks to decimate an 8x18 area.
Click to expand...


To mow or not to mow.. the dilemma is real. Bf says the high grass will attract snakes... so he wants to mow it. Here's a picture.
700
 
DreamsInPink said:
Quote: Oh, that's a much different scenario than my 'lawn' was.
I'd cut it most if that down too and leave it lie right where it's cut, it'll dry up and be the start of some 'deep litter'....
...couple rows around the perimeter and a lot of the rest of it, but you could leave some areas of the longer stuff in there.
If that's 2x4 fencing, they may keep the fence line cleaned up of growth.
Click to expand...
 

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