Baby pool for 'dust bathing'?

[Patti G]

Hello fellow 'chicken lovers'

Quick question, can I put a baby pool, with holes drilled in the bottom for my chickens to dust bathe? We live in a very rocky location, and they have just a 'dirt area', if I do this should I put play sand in it?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Just trying to keep happy, healthy hens & have been having some 'issues' with lice, thought this would help!!

Thanks everybody

Patti

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yes- that would work. You can use sand - though adding wood ash may be beneficial (if you have a source of safe wood ash) from a bug perspective. Others might also recommend adding DE. If there is a current lice issue in play it would be best to treat the flock and coop (powder with appropriate powder of your choice, strip and treat bedding, etc - repeat in 10 days) and then consider the dust bath with ash/DE as more of a preventative measure where it is more effective than as a treatment for an existing infestation.