Burn barrel ash for dust baths?

[ChikenChik]

I have been reading about using ash for dustbathing. Does anyone use burn barrel ash? We burn all our paper and cardboard and there is alot of ash we could use if it is safe.

 

[~cochinlover~]

I don't know if that would be a good idea... It depends if you burn trash.... Then it may harm the bird.

 

[True Patriot]

You can mix wood ash into their dust bath. Personally I wouldn't use the paper ash because of the inks used in printing. Though I'm not sure it would be harmful.

 

[ChikenChik]

I don't know if that would be a good idea... It depends if you burn trash.... Then it may harm the bird.

Nope just paper and cardboard.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's not going to harm the bird. Ash of any kind is fines. Those fines are what the bird wants to "dust" in. Silt in water or dust in air are excellent for covering eggs and making them not hatch.

I have no idea what it is in hardwood ash that makes it so great as pest inhibitor. By the trial of ages this is what the farmers and old wives tales say. I believe it and know that cardboard ash is not caustic when hardwood ash can make lye. There is a lot to the old knowledge that makes sense.

That said, there is no reason your birds can't bath in cardboard ash. If your looking for a true preventative, not treatment mind you, then use good woodstove ash. Seriously, my birds love it and don't treat for pests often.

 

[ChikenChik]

It's not going to harm the bird. Ash of any kind is fines. Those fines are what the bird wants to "dust" in. Silt in water or dust in air are excellent for covering eggs and making them not hatch.

I have no idea what it is in hardwood ash that makes it so great as pest inhibitor. By the trial of ages this is what the farmers and old wives tales say. I believe it and know that cardboard ash is not caustic when hardwood ash can make lye. There is a lot to the old knowledge that makes sense.

That said, there is no reason your birds can't bath in cardboard ash. If your looking for a true preventative, not treatment mind you, then use good woodstove ash. Seriously, my birds love it and don't treat for pests often.

Well I don't have a woodstove but we do bonfires....will that work?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Obviously not.

The heat in a wood stove is more than a bonfire....

If you believe that I've a bridge over the Connecticut River to sell you.

 

[True Patriot]

Obviously not.

The heat in a wood stove is more than a bonfire....

If you believe that I've a bridge over the Connecticut River to sell you.

If you offered over the Delaware river I'd negotiate a price

 

[Chickassan]

It is fine, I have a burn cage sticks, leaves, boxes pretty much anything that isn't nasty or plastic goes in there and the girls love the ashes.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Our bonfire or woodstove ash once cooled go to a washbasin under the raised coop. They bath in that often. We treat for mites when present, with the straight ash wash we've only needed to treat last year and that was year three here. May or may not need to treat this year. Proof is in the puddin'. Firm believer in ash bathing centers. Parisite eggs like insect and fish eggs don't take when covered with silt-fines.

Edit to add- we burn a lot, the excess ash goes to the garden mounds. Ash on snow still will be ash on the garden in spring. Cycle of life. Yet a great pest inhibitor none the less.