Pool for the chickens?

[Rock Home Isle]

I have a Terracotta base that I use as a waterer for our turtels...both the chickens and the ducks enjoy drinking out of it. The chickens will wade in it and the ducks usually drain it.

Here's a photo from a few weeks ago.

 

[Gargoyle]

Gargoyle, what about soapstone/talc? Is that ok for chickens or the composter? I have a friend who is a stone carver.

Soapstone is primarily composed of talc, which is generally silica based. (silica causes silicosis, so it's not good to breath). Some soapstone (but not all) has asbestos, so you'd need to get a MSDS (materials safety data sheet) from the quarry or supplier to be sure it's ok.

It is used as a food additive and it seems the FDA considers it safe to ingest. It may be ok, but I'd want to research it carefully first. I know that breathing talcum powder doesn't feel good to me.

 

[Silkie Chicken]

do silkie chickens dust bath

 

[Silkie Chicken]

 

[furbabymum]

I wanted to do this as we have a livestock waterer we used for the horses and I'd love to not have to fill up their 1gal waterer every single **** day. Gah. But yeah, wont work said my hubby.

 

[COUNTRYBOI]

I use limestone dust for the dust bath (of course, I have a big supply of limestone dust, so that makes it easy). Limestone is calcium carbonate, same stuff as tums and rolaids. Sand is silica, the stuff that causes silicosis, so my uneducated guess is that breathing sand dust is bad for their lungs and breathing limestone dust is harmless.

funny when i took classes for the coal mines they clame rock mines for lime stone the leading cause in silicosis because it produces lots of none respirable dust were sand very seldom ever makes dust of it's own.. infact read alot on silicosis pateints after 9-11 when the big concrete and limestone buildings fell the large amounts of none respiable dust causeing problems in rescue people that were there.... I could be wrong though it has happend befor ...lol

 

[Gargoyle]

Indiana limestone (the stone used on the Pentagon and on the gray stone buildings in NY, so it is the one in the buildings hit in 9-11) is typically about 97% pure calcium carbonate, and about 0.7% silica, so no, it won't cause silicosis. Concrete is made with sand and therefore contains significant amounts of silica, as does the mortar used to set stone. There was so much pollution and dust in the air 9-11, including burnt metal, jet fuel, asbestos, furniture, melted glass, plastics, and anything else that was in the buildings, that it is no wonder first responders and survivors have serious lung problems.

One NY sculpture supply house brought there complete supply of masks over and gave them out to first responders, but a lot of people didn't like wearing masks because they make it harder to work.

I'm not surprised that the coal mining industry wants to point fingers at other industries.

 

[COUNTRYBOI]

didn't mean to strike a nerve or anything but the training video was one from msds on silicosis they just show it in mine training on silicosis and nonrespirable dust and it has to be nonrespirable in order to cause silicosis.. thats fine dust never seen fine dust come from sand unless smashed or ground so I don't see cleaned sand causeing a problem but thats just a matter of my opinion .......

 

[Chocobo]

I second the idea of a dust bath. There are plenty of "recipes" you can find on this site.
I don't think I'll ever be as happy as a chicken is when it is dust bathing.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

My small flock has started a dust bath at the edge of the garden...it is funny to watch them try to figure out how to fit 5 pullets in one tiny little depression in the ground.