Official BYC Poll: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

[RobN72]

Dust bathing is important for chickens because it keeps them clean. The dust removes excess oil from the chickens' skin and can even kill parasites. Dust bathing kills parasites by covering them in dust which suffocates them. You have to make sure your run has an area of dry loose dirt and sand that your chickens can dust bathe in and you also have to make sure that the area is protected from becoming a big muddy mess in the rain. To keep the dust bathing area from getting wet try to put a roof over it.

To provide a dust bathing area for your chickens you can pour some sand in the corner of your run, fill an old tire with sand, or let your chickens make their own dust bathing area and just help them to keep it dry. So in this week's poll, we would like to find out: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

Feel free to choose multiple answers and please elaborate in the comment section if you choose "Other".

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Further Reading:

• Dust Baths: What they are and why they are important
• Why Chickens Bath In Dust And Not In Water
• Dust bathing – Why, where, and how? Keeping your flock clean and happy.

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

They drive me mad! The naughty things! Whenever I plant something they will for some reason use that area as their dust bath! The flower beds are ruined!

 

[Carol1463]

Feed watermelon & fruit , sunflower seeds with ice water .

 

[Vickischics]

Mine dust bathe in two areas of their run. Then, I'll also find them when their free ranging under the boat, under the car port, next to the gate too. Craters are everywhere!!!! Hence how I sprained my ankle and fell!! Ouch! Now, I always were my Ariat barn boots with good ankle supports when I go into the yard. Those lil backhoes!!! Lol

 

[achiekitty]

Anywhere else but where it says, “Chic Spa”, like we can read signs??? We’re chickens....... unless we want to.

 

[Suzz]

It so funny our 20 acres are full of mole holes and mounds and the chickenks have started making dust baths out of them

 

[FuzzyOwlFeet]

In the coop and run, I have sand inside and covering 1/4 of the run. The remaining 3/4 is dirt and whatever weeds dare try to grow in the presence of my chickens.
I also free range occasionally, then my chickens go and dust bathe in the sandy sections of my cornfield by the house. Funny enough they do not try to dustbathe in the giant sand pile I have.

 

[RCL]

They dust bathe anywhere and everywhere EXCEPT the dust bath we made for them

 

[FuzzyOwlFeet]

They dust bathe anywhere and everywhere EXCEPT the dust bath we made for them

Haha I feel this all too well. Before I used sand for bedding, I bought way too many cat litter trays to use as dust baths for the chickens. 100$ later no chicken ever even looked at them.

 

[3KillerBs]

It so funny our 20 acres are full of mole holes and mounds and the chickenks have started making dust baths out of them

After most of a year I have mole tunnels everywhere in the yard EXCEPT where the chickens are.

They first snack on the moles and then dig up the tunnels for dust baths.

 

[3KillerBs]

The two Blue Australorps made new, side-by-side dust baths smack in the middle of the run in full sunshine on an unseasonably cool, mid-70's day today. Cordon was so into it that she let all the others eat the fresh weeds while I photographed her.