Dust bath ingredients and set-up?

[Mahonri]

Well I know where I'm putting ash from the fire next winter.

 

[Equus5O]

LovinMyHensInNC! :

Quote:
Oh I wish I had heard that sooner!... I just dumped out all our winter wood ashes two weeks ago far out in the woods... go figure! I will remember this idea for next year! Thanks

I did the same thing! I'm tempted to load some more wood into the outdoor wood boiler just to make ashes.​

 

[Equus5O]

Quote:
Mine only do it when they have a fresh pile of sand. If they keep that up, my son won't have any sand left in the sandbox.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

How much wood ash do you need? My chickens 8 x 22 run is all sand. I ordered red lake earth from Meyers Hatchery but didnt know how much to use. Should i use the red lake earth or DE when there isnt any problems with lice or mites? Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[Davaroo]

This is from the small stock journal:

Dust Bathing
Dust bathing refers to the pattern of behaviour where chickens scratch in an area of fine, loose, dry soil and then takes a "bathe" in it - allowing the fine soil particles to trickle through the feathers. This is an instinctive action and helps to get rid of external parasites in the feathers and on the skin. Most freely ranging birds will find a dry, sunny spot where they can make their own dustbaths and use these repeatedly. However, if they are in a run where this is not possible, dust-bathing facilities must be provided.

A dust bath can be constructed using a large shallow box filled with fine sand or earth. The addition of ash from the fire provides extra fine material that is ideal for dust bathing - but make sure it is completely cold first!! This dust bath should be placed under cover or provided with its own roof, since it is more or less useless when wet.

Start with a bucket of sand, add a bucket of ash. Adjust quantities as needed. Ive even heard of ash only in confined runs as a dust bath.

 

[Opa]

Chickens don't need to dust bathe on a daily basis. With that in mind I merely utilize an area in the runs that they we already using. I mixed a 5 gal pail with 2/3 fine sand and the rest wood ash. I then added a cup of DE and pour it all into the dust bowl the chickens had previously created.

 

[mener6896]

someone please tell me what DE is?!? I'm so new to chickens I think I am showing my idiocy!!

My 6 week old chicks were crouched on the ground the other day and I was wondering if they were hurt!! They were in the chicken tractor and it was mostly grass underneath. Only when I saw a little patch of dirt did I realized what they were doing!! They were trying to give themselves a dirt bath!!

I will now put a little sand and wood ash out for them, but what is DE?

 

[Opa]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
This should answer all of your questions

 

[RubberChickenLubber]

LovinMyHensInNC! :

Quote:
Oh I wish I had heard that sooner!... I just dumped out all our winter wood ashes two weeks ago far out in the woods... go figure! I will remember this idea for next year! Thanks

Do you ever have weenie roast or wood fire cookouts during summer? You can use these ashes also.​

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Oh I wish I had heard that sooner!... I just dumped out all our winter wood ashes two weeks ago far out in the woods... go figure! I will remember this idea for next year! Thanks

Do you ever have weenie roast or wood fire cookouts during summer? You can use these ashes also.

Or instead of sending yard waste like branches and larger pieces of wood, just build a small fire pit. Any sort of woody refuse will do.