Any ideas on safely controlling dust in the pen?

[azygous]

Are there any safe products, or home-made concoctions, to spray on the floor of the run to keep the dust down?

My pen is four inches of construction sand. However, under it is clay soil and decomposed sandstone. This material works its way up through the sand and, combined with the feather dander, creates a very dusty condition when it's stirred up.

Beyond hosing it down with water, are there any other non-toxic remedies?

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly you've sort of stacked the deck against yourself with DG and construction sand, both of which get real dusty to begin with.

I guess if it were me I would probably start getting some organic material in there to hold moisture -- shredded bark maybe, or even good dark *soil* would help -- unless you have a serious drainage-and-muck problem (which you may, since that could explain the DG-and-sand

). Organic material will act as sort of a 'sponge' for water that you add (or that Mother Nature adds) and thus keep dust down.

(edited to correct myself -- oops, I misread your "decomposed *sandstone* as decomposed granite, sorry. But, the overall point still stands)

There are various synthetic products that can be applied to dusty surfaces to keep dust down, however they are either definitely not at all safe for birds (oils) or quite expensive and not necessarily safe if actually *consumed* by birds (various moisture-holding type compounds sold for horse arenas etc). So I really don't see that as being any sort of solution.

Good luck, sorry not to be more help,

Pat

 

[azygous]

Thanks for the college try! I wasted some time today on internet searches, and I came to about the same conclusion as you did.

Yeah, my 100% clay soil would be a disaster for my feather-footed flock, thus the sand. I suppose the best I could do would be to sprinkle it down lightly when the dry climate takes the dust to an unbearable level.

Again, I appreciate the response!