Brooder dust bath ideas?

[Echelontheory101]

So out in the coop/run its sand floor and they have a designated big dust bath bowl with volcanic ash, but for the babies in the brooder inside (I will be brooding outside for future batches) their instinct/want for dust bathing is kicking in because they are dust bathing in the feed crumbles they knock out of the feeder I have zero problem giving them one with the ash and a plug of dirt from the run BUT curious on suggestions of how people have done that without the chicks making a huge mess?

I have 11 total in a 4 foot hexagon pop up brooder, 3 are almost 4 weeks old and the other 8 are almost 3 weeks old. So one small bowl will run out very quickly and they'll fight over it, but a huge bowl will be a giant dusty mess.

Suggestions? Or just suck it up and let them make a mess? Lol

 

[kattabelly]

The dirt they kick out of their dust bath will just mix with the other litter, it shouldn't be an issue?

At almost 3 and 4 weeks old though they should be just about ready to go outside.

 

[Echelontheory101]

The dirt they kick out of their dust bath will just mix with the other litter, it shouldn't be an issue?

At almost 3 and 4 weeks old though they should be just about ready to go outside.

Hopefully soon but its downpouring and below freezing here already and snow will be starting in the next 3ish weeks, and of the 2.5 week olds and especially my marans, most are still 80% down so it will still be awhile before I put them outside full time. I dont have electricity out there right now.

Right now theyre back on puppy pads because the hemp bedding was making one of them sneezy so it doesn't mix in with anything. Sounds like I should probably wait until Ive got them back on the hemp bedding or they can just wait to dust bathe until I can get them out to the coop full time! Thanks!

 

[kattabelly]

Hopefully soon but its downpouring and below freezing here already and snow will be starting in the next 3ish weeks, and of the 2.5 week olds and especially my marans, most are still 80% down so it will still be awhile before I put them outside full time. I dont have electricity out there right now.

Right now theyre back on puppy pads because the hemp bedding was making one of them sneezy so it doesn't mix in with anything. Sounds like I should probably wait until Ive got them back on the hemp bedding or they can just wait to dust bathe until I can get them out to the coop full time! Thanks!

Can you kick them outside for a while during the day, into a sheltered part of the coop or run? They could at least take the chance to dust bathe then if they won't be able to while they're indoors.

 

[Echelontheory101]

Can you kick them outside for a while during the day, into a sheltered part of the coop or run? They could at least take the chance to dust bathe then if they won't be able to while they're indoors.

That's not a bad idea. I just raised their heat plates for the last time this morning and have the window of the room theyre in open so its around 50 degrees ambiemt in there not under the heat plates to start acclimating them to the cold (and hopefully that speeds along the feathering) The daytime coop/run temps are usually pretty forgiving because I used a greenhouse kit to build it so the roof is clear and let's the sun in so its usually around 55 degrees in there mid day if its sunny. Maybe once all this torrential rain and wind passes I'll do that!

 

[Echelontheory101]

Can you kick them outside for a while during the day, into a sheltered part of the coop or run? They could at least take the chance to dust bathe then if they won't be able to while they're indoors.

Next year I'll probably plan to hatch around late August early September instead of early October so they can get off supplemental heat alot faster

 

[AnneGirlGG]

I put a hunk of grass and dirt in the brooder with them at about a week old. It's messy, but most of the dirt just mixes in with the bedding pellets. They love to dust bathe in it, and scratch and peck at the grass, and I like that it exposes them to the things in our soil before they go outside. I haven't found it to be inconveniently messy.

 

[Echelontheory101]

I put a hunk of grass and dirt in the brooder with them at about a week old. It's messy, but most of the dirt just mixes in with the bedding pellets. They love to dust bathe in it, and scratch and peck at the grass, and I like that it exposes them to the things in our soil before they go outside. I haven't found it to be inconveniently messy.

Yeah I did that their first 2 weeks as well. I think its just because I've got them back on puppy pads right now because the hemp bedding was causing one to get sneezy and am in the process of reintroducing it for their last 2ish weeks inside

 

[AnneGirlGG]

Yeah I did that their first 2 weeks as well. I think its just because I've got them back on puppy pads right now because the hemp bedding was causing one to get sneezy and am in the process of reintroducing it for their last 2ish weeks inside

Aww, poor baby. I had mine on puppy pads for the first full week too. I was going nuts changing them like 3 times a day. There are 14 bantam cochins in the brooder. I put a bag of horse bedding pellets down and they're working great.

 

[Echelontheory101]

Aww, poor baby. I had mine on puppy pads for the first full week too. I was going nuts changing them like 3 times a day. There are 14 bantam cochins in the brooder. I put a bag of horse bedding pellets down and they're working great.

Haha I feel you there I went through 3 huge boxes of the puppy pads as well for my 11 chicks! Now I'm far more blase about it and just putting new ones on top of the gross old ones hoping to get them back on the hemp bedding tomorrow now that the sneezing resolved itself, since I already have so much of it and would feel wasteful to just toss it brand new in the compost pile. And like @kattabelly said luckily I'm only a couple more weeks from being able to boot them out to the coop haha!