Dust bath, but all the dirt is wet.

Gayleyy

Songster
9 Years
Apr 24, 2014
319
89
176
Kentucky
I would like to make my chicks a dust bath for their box, a few of them have tried to do it with the wood chips. The trouble is it has been raining here so much there is no place even close to dry. I read a thread about it and lots of things were suggested, most of which are either wet or a good drive away right now. I was just wondering if I used only sand a peat moss would it be ok, for them to learn in. Or maybe even just the peat moss, as I the sand is actually wet too.
 
I don't see anything wrong with peat moss. Wood ashes (or part wood ash) are very good if you happen to know someone with a fireplace or fire pit.


The truth is, they will probably dust bathe in shredded newspaper if they want to badly enough. They certainly will in pine shavings.
 
Really anything they can play in is fine but the sand will dry out faster then dirt and if you have a heat lamp on it will dry out very fast
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All I use is sand, diatomaceous earth, and sphagnum peat moss. The mix is mostly the dry peat moss with a few handfuls of pebbly river sand and a dusting of DE. I offer it to the flock in a box so I can remove it when it is soiled, needs replenishing, or it gets wet.

My avatar pic shows the dust bath box at maximum chicken capacity with the rest of the flock wallowing in whatever the others fling out of the box. It is quite a show!
 
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It has been raining alot where I live too and I am planning on getting a large tub, filling it with DE, sand, dirt and ashes (if I can round any up) and actually making a cover for it so that I can keep it
dry during the rainy times. They have worn out all the green stuff in their run and I am not comfortable letting them roam with loose dogs and cats in our neighborhood, so they are stuck in the run with the mud and have to wait for it to dry out before they can ''bathe''. Does anyone else have a setup like that and what do you use to cover the ''bathtub''?
 

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