Chicken dust bath

[Mlo29]

Hello, I have 4 chickens a year old. I just bought diatomaceous powder for their dust bath.. However I saw that you can’t use just that because it will cause respiratory problems. So what can I mix with it? What kind of sand? And where to buy?Thank you

 

[DobieLover]

Just get a few bags of the cheapest topsoil you can find and use that. Return the DE.

 

[Intuit]

Just get a few bags of the cheapest topsoil you can find and use that. Return the DE.

Can you expound a little more on DE in the dust bath? I'm new to raising chickens and was intending on using it with sand. Tyvm

 

[DobieLover]

DE is a respiratory irritant to birds. They do not need it in their dust bath. Plain dry dirt is the best.

 

[ddago003]

Where I live our soil is a dry and sandy texture. My birds enjoy making dust baths right in that.

 

[MKetter]

DE is a respiratory irritant to birds. They do not need it in their dust bath. Plain dry dirt is the best.

I’ve used DE, and the birds sneeze. If I stop, will the sneezing stop?

 

[nuthatched]

I’ve used DE, and the birds sneeze. If I stop, will the sneezing stop?

Possibly. Its more than sneezing, it's irritating to the whole respiratory system