dust bath questions

[Chicken teen618]

Hey yall! I have a mites problem and so I have finally decided to make a dust bath. There's snow covering the ground so I cant exactly dig up dirt and let them have at it. I've seen several different ways of making them so I'm wondering what exact measurments and "ingredients" you guys have used. I've found a few things that I thought looked good but it's always best to ask you guys. Thanks for all yall's wisdom and advice!

 

[PioneerChicks]

Wood ash is great with lice and mites!
Plain old dirt is also good. My chickens use that all the time.
I've heard of people using sand, but have never tested it myself.
There are mixed opinions about DE, but I don't use it just because I don't need it. Wood ash works just as well.

Have fun!

 

[Chicken teen618]

Wood ash is great with lice and mites!
Plain old dirt is also good. My chickens use that all the time.
I've heard of people using sand, but have never tested it myself.
There are mixed opinions about DE, but I don't use it just because I don't need it. Wood ash works just as well.

Have fun!

Did you just dig up some dirt, or did you buy it somewhere?

 

[PioneerChicks]

Did you just dig up some dirt, or did you buy it somewhere?

Mine dig dustbathes where ever they want. They use whatever dirt they can find, I don't buy anything.

 

[mowin]

I use the ash from my pellet stove. Its very fine, and the girls love it.

 

[cmom]

I use poultry dust that has permethrin in it. I used one of those storage boxes that fit under a bed, filled it with sand and put some poultry dust in it. The birds seemed to like it.

 

[AntiqueB]

I made a lovely dust bath for mine -- sifted top soil with a dash of DE, all rock-free and mulch-free and soft. . .

They dug themselves a hole in the garden near the garage and use that instead!!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I have an old galvanized wash basin that I put wood ash in. Don't use ash fresh from the stove, it can contain embers for a day. I swear they eat it. There is no way they can kick it all out. Have to put more in every month. In the summer they have at it in the dirt under the bushes in their run.

 

[cmom]

It appears you have found something to take care of your mite problem. Not sure what kind of mites you have but I would treat the birds and their living space. Maybe this will help. I had a mite issue too. Some mites feed on the birds after they roost. One way to tell is go into the coop at night after the birds roost, I wear a headlamp so I have both hands free to inspect the birds, and see if you see anything on them. Also some mites live in the coops and hide in cracks and crevices and only come out at night to feed on the birds. I have previously posted this, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. The first thing I tried was DE. My birds weren't improving after treating them for a couple of weeks. I used the poultry dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the pests can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. I wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. When I dusted my birds I made them look like a powdered doughnut. Since it's cold where you are you may want to dust your birds. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin dust, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[Chicken teen618]

I made a lovely dust bath for mine -- sifted top soil with a dash of DE, all rock-free and mulch-free and soft. . .

They dug themselves a hole in the garden near the garage and use that instead!!!

how much DE did you put in, like a tablespoon, teaspoon, etc I know that lots of people have great results with it but say not to use too much but then never give an amount.