Dust bath area

[aart]

DM powder

What is DM?
DE is Diatomaceous Earth.

 

[YvonneBack]

My bad, DE it is. sorry

 

[aart]

My bad, DE it is. sorry

No problem, just wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.

 

[tralfaz]

hmm, so no ash needed? I was planning to use equal proportions of sand, dirt and wood ash from the fire pit. It's also going to be under an elevated coop, so no cover planned

 

[kcan2]

hmm, so no ash needed? I was planning to use equal proportions of sand, dirt and wood ash from the fire pit. It's also going to be under an elevated coop, so no cover planned

I think chunky ashes from a wood fire might be better, my ashes were fine powder from a pellet stove and it sure did make for long-term ashy chickens! not my goal!

 

[rosemarythyme]

hmm, so no ash needed? I was planning to use equal proportions of sand, dirt and wood ash from the fire pit. It's also going to be under an elevated coop, so no cover planned

Wood ash is a nice add in so since you have it available, I'd definitely use it.

 

[kcan2]

Thanks for all the helpful news. I read some back threads on lice/mites. They were most definitely lice and the DM powder the vet gave us was very effective. Tho, like someone else wrote, some hens get swarmed and others seem not to be as interesting to the little critters. Lice seems to be the big problem; no evidence of mites. The problem with the small run is the many rocks throughout making it not too nice for them to dust bathe. The land the ranch is on, including chicken run, is very rocky (sharp, edgy rocks)...not just on the surface but no matter how deep one digs down. So making them a bathing place would just be very nice for them. I will take picture and send tomorrow. I like to encourage chucks to be outside their coop most of the day given they don't get free range much so am reticent to put anything inside the coop which would make them want to hang in there more then they already do. I've built/made some things to keep them interested in staying outside and hopefully entertaining to them as well.

What great foraging toys! Looks like a chicken's paradise!