do they really need it

[Mogli]

hello i was wondering do chickens need a dust bath in the winter time or can they do without one cause i have noway of geting any dry dirt or ashes to give them to bathe in plus this is gonna be my first winter with chickens

 

[Judy]

What about sand? Dust bathing is part of their grooming. They will do it in pine shavings if they have to.

 

[chicmom]

Hi Mogli,

Last year was my first winter too, and I didn't have a dust bath. They were just fine. They do like it so much........This year, I've got much better facilities for them, and they have sand in their run that they can dust bathe in if they want to.

Won't hurt them if they don't though......

 

[Cargo]

It should be really easy to put a cat litter pan of dirt into the coop or run. The deeper the better. My girls almost bury themselves in the DW's flower beds!

 

[teach1rusl]

It's not necessary, IMO, especially if you use DE or something like that in their bedding and keep their bedding clean (because as was mentioned, they WILL attempt to dust bathe in their bedding if nothing else is available). But if you can swing it, having a dust bath certainly appears to make their little chicken lives much more enjoyable

A large (20") plastic flower pot base, a litter pan, almost anything can become a temporary dust bath area to help get through the winter time....

 

[Mogli]

during the summer i had a 3 to 4 inch deep plastic rectangle long pan i used for a dust bath and i put dry dusty ashes from the burn pile anjd the loved it but now its near winter time here in PA would sawdust work for dust bath material? its dusty

 

[kla37]

Ditto on the litterbox. I have one in the run full of 1/2 screened topsoil, 1/2 fine sand, and about a cup of DE mixed it. They have a dry dirt and mulch run, but they still dustbathe in the box!

 

[patandchickens]

There is a lady lives near me who buys a bale of peat (like they sell for the garden) in the fall for her chickens, puts it in the coop with the top opened off, and lets them dustbathe in it all winter; then puts the remainders, along with the winter's worth of pooey bedding, onto her garden in the spring. Swears by it. I've never tried it, and it does sound quite dusty to me, but dry peatmoss will not freeze solid.

Pat

 

[kla37]

Quote:
I'm so doing that! Just think of how rich it will be when I rake it out to till into the garden in the spring!!!

 

[Mogli]

what about sawdust i dnt knw were i can petemoss but i do have a bag of playground sand that i could put in there little box then put it in the coop