What is your favorite dust bath mixture?

[ChickenMom2Asa]

Can you just use organic soil or do you have to use multiple sources? My chicken likes to dust bath but she does it in different places, (in shavings and a couple of times tried on my couch lol) so I don't even know if she will use the box. If I should get DE, where do you guys get it?

 

[Victoria-nola]

Can you just use organic soil or do you have to use multiple sources? My chicken likes to dust bath but she does it in different places, (in shavings and a couple of times tried on my couch lol) so I don't even know if she will use the box. If I should get DE, where do you guys get it?

You don't have to have multiple sources, many people do tho. DE: You can buy it online, Amazon or a garden supplier, just make sure it's food-grade. Also, many garden centers will have it. Pet stores often have it but it often says "not for consumption" and while I believe it is in fact food-grade, I don't feel confident about it.

I find that it is difficult to get chickens to dust-bathe where you want them to. But it's always worth trying, because some people's use a box very well.

It's best if the material you put in the box is fine dust, not like potting soil. Plus, potting soil has fertilizer in it which you shouldn't put in there. If you're talking about just dirt from a dry portion of your yard, that's great if it's fine or the chickens can break it down into fine dust. You can also get a bag of sand for a few bucks from Lowe's and put some in there, and also get a bag of peatmoss and put some of that in. Mine were really happy with the triple combination for a while, then they abandoned the spot I was putting it in.

You can always TRY anything! The chickens seem to!

 

[ccrow]

I've used a peat moss/sand/DE/wood ash mix but my chickens seem to prefer to dig holes on their own. I just mixed stuff together to approximate the texture of the dirt where they like to bathe, and the young ones used it till they tipped the litter box by perching on it, then it became too scary, lol. Presently they are under house arrest due to the presence of coyotes, so I plan to add some of those ingredients to their dusting pits in the chicken yard. People have mentioned adding sulfur to help control parasites- what exactly would I look for, and where? Is it the same as the sulfur powder sold as a fungicide?

 

[ccrow]

Ok, no answer to my question, so I contacted Bonide, the manufacturer of the sulfur dust I already have... here is the reply: "the master label for Sulfur Plant Fungicide does state that it can be used on poultry, "POULTRY (except California) - Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Game Birds and Pigeons. To control depluming mites, dust liberally on birds and rub into feathers. To treat quarters, mix 1 - 1 1/2 pounds in 5 gallons of water and apply as a spray to 100 square feet (an area 10 feet x 10 feet). Apply thoroughly to all interior surfaces of poultry quarters. Force spray into cracks and crevices. Repeat application as needed. Note Physical and Chemical Hazards when applying this product."Sorry but inert ingredients are confidential. The inerts are organic as Sulfur Plant Fungicide is "For organic gardening".
The label states it is 90% sulfur. As it is a wettable powder for spraying as well as dusting, I guess the other 10% is mainly the wetting agent(s). Anyway, nice to know I don't have to go searching for some other from of sulfur, and hopefully this will be helpful to others as well

 

[dmaldet]

I have two pine trees that we are planning to burn from Xmas. Can we use the ash from them for their dust bath? Just found out that we do have mites. I am going tomorrow for sand and de to mix in as well.

 

[Blooie]

Dirt. Just dirt. I've heard all the stuff about DE and was a huge proponent of it myself until I was out there putting some down one day and realized that I was wearing a bandanna over my mouth and nose while I did it. Why? Partly because it was a recommendation on the bag and partly because it always made me cough. Wait....I'm expecting my chickens, with more delicate lungs than I have, to dust bathe in this stuff and to walk around in what gets scattered, and they are at ground level with it? Nope. All done with DE, well, except to sprinkle it on my flowers if aphids and other soft bodied insects appear on them. DE works well against them because they are soft bodied and the diatoms are sharp..if it does that to the soft body of a bug what the heck is it doing to soft mucus membranes and lung tissue?

 

[dmaldet]

Have you ever gotten mites? How do rid them if no DE? I am new to chickens and when the weather turned very cold I asked around and someone told me to add straw in the coop. Well now I found the bugs. I just want to rid them as soon as I can.

 

[Blooie]

Yep, we did have an episode of mites. We used Pyrethrin on them as recommended. Dusting them is easier than it sounds...put some dust in a sock, grab a bird off the roost at night I use a use a flashlight with a blue washcloth taped to the end of it so I get just enough to see by but not so much that it overly disturbs the birds) hold the captive upside down by the feet, and pounce the sock against the skin. The feathers fluff out when you hold them upside down, so you can really get the dust down there as well as hit the vent area and under the wings well. The day we did that, we also cleaned and treated the coop, spraying it with Neem oil, again as directed on the package with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid added to make it easier to spray, and took out all of the nest box material, cleaned them, and then sprayed the nests and behind them.

I know it's work. Yes, no doubt. But when I first got chickens I signed on for all of owning chickens, including the work and the yucky parts. Do I wish there was a one shot deal where I could rely on miracle products to save me the extra effort? Sure, at times I do. Shortcuts sound great, but I've only had to do this full out war once....keeping the mites under control is the goal.....instead of constantly replenishing the layers of DE or whatever. I don't use the mite dust as a preventative. I don't want them exposed to any more stuff than is necessary to maintain their health and comfort. After all, I want to eat both the eggs and the meat and feed it to my family as well. But by keeping a close eye on them, by treating the roosts and coop with Neem oil on occasion, and by keeping a diligent eye out for problems I feel like I'm fulfilling my responsibility to them, even if it takes more time and effort.

I'm not saying that my way is the only way. I'm saying that what I do is the best for me and my particular flock and husbandry goals. If folks want to use DE or anything else, they should by all means do so.

 

[dmaldet]

Do you also have a dust bath set up for them? Wood ash seems to be used a lot. I am so new to chickens and Have been reading so much. It makes my head spin.

 

[dmaldet]

Is pyrethrin and pyrethrum the same? I will look for it tomorrow and tractor supply. I am planning on emptying the entire coop and burning everything. I have poop trays set up with PDZ and I scoop them every two days. Shld I put any of the pyrethrin in there as well? Any other suggestions are appreciated.