do i need to make a dust bath?

[jeremy frenz]

do i need to make a dust bath for my chickens or will they make it them selves?

 

[Critter Crazy]

Believe me they will make their own!

 

[kstaven]

Chickens can turn turf over better than a rototiller!

 

[Llysse]

If you don't want them to make their own, you might want to provide them with a dustbathing area. (Then they still might try to make their own...)

My soil is thick red clay, mostly, which is not very good for dustbathing because it holds moisture for a long time. (It's hard to dustbathe in mud--and any hole they dig is bound to become muddy after a good rain!

) If you have a little dust bath for them, you can also add in things like DE, which will help with mites and fleas and so forth.

It's not a necessity, and there's no guarantee they'll use it exclusively. You may STILL find holes in your run. After all, they're chickens. But seeing them use any little toy I've provided them with makes me happy.

 

[justusnak]

We also live where the soil is clay. So...last week, I made my hens a sand box. I left it inside the coop, because I wanted them to have a dry place. Its been raining so much here all is MUD!