Am I doing the right thing - I'm new

[New farm girl]

Welcome! So happy to have you here! You are certainly doing the right thing! I use something like this for my run, and put the lid on when it rains. The love it! Most chickens will just make there own baths by making holes in the dirt though!
Here is what I use-
View attachment 2498186

That is so cute. What a good idea!

 

[New farm girl]

Hello and welcome to BYC.
Pictures? What are you using for run litter? My flock just digs holes in the wood chips/soil wherever they want and start bathing.

I'll take pictures tomorrow and upload. Currently, I put straw in the run and coop

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Lots of good advice here. Sounds like you're on the right track. My chickens also just bathe in whatever dirt they have.

Sometimes I make a pile of wood ash for them and it gets mixed in in a few days. That's about it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm also a turtle sandbox user:



Peat moss is what I use, though sand, wood ash and topsoil/plain dirt (not potting mix) can also go into the mix.

 

[aart]

Mine just dust in the run wherever most the year.'
Area under the coop stays dry and thus thawed for winter dusting.
I do chuck some 'fresh' sandy dirt under there in the fall if it needs it.

 

[black_cat]

My chickens just make their own holes. Another fun idea I've seen is tires with sand/dirt in the middle. @CHlCKEN has some nice pics of hers.

 

[Silkies and succulents]

I put Food Grade DE or wood ash in the areas they dust bathe in to keep parisites away. And in roughly every 4 months I fill up the holes with compost or sand.

 

[RoyalChick]

As others have said, mine just dig holes wherever they fancy. My run has a roof and is open to the dirt (mainly clay) underneath and I use leaves as litter.
I put some tree stumps in a row and created a little area that is partly under the coop and sometimes I tip some wood ash or fresh dirt in that area. They certainly use that area a lot for dust bathing but sometimes the urge just takes them and they dig a hole where they happen to be standing at that moment. Particularly in the winter they dig holes where the sun peeps in.
There is nothing more peaceful than watching hens dust bathe together, so make sure you get a good viewing seat for yourself!

 

[New farm girl]

Good idea! I'll take pictures tomorrow and add to profile. I'm in Southern Missouri

This is my coop and run. My husband and I built it.

 

[jeapa]

My chickens have always just made their own dust baths where ever it suited them lol.
That looks like a nice sized run for your small flock. I just thought I would mention to you that it looks like you used chicken wire and that will not keep any predators from getting in and to your chickens. Hardware cloth or heavy gauge wire is best for keeping them out. I would hate for you to come home and find your chickens had been attacked.