dust bath questions

[Chicken teen618]

What brand of top soil did you guys buy?

 

[Chicken teen618]

https://www.amazon.com/Diatomaceous...words=de+food+grade+5lb&qid=1611343566&sr=8-3


would this be okay to use in the dust bath?

 

[PopoMyers]

A few weeks ago, my Speckled Sussex developed an impacted crop.

I took her to the vet.

They gave her fluids, but refused to do anything else unless I agreed to a $300 x-ray. So, we were sent home with a bottle of antibiotics, a $145 bill and instructions to bring her back in another 10 days for a follow up.

It got worse, despite the crop massages, antibiotics, etc...

After 6 days, my friend and I operated on her - I had no choice really. She was lethargic, her crop was enormous and I couldn't find a vet willing to just perform the surgery.

I had expected to find a huge wad of grass in her crop; instead we spent over an hour squeezing and scooping more than 3 cups of sand from her crop.

I'm on clay, have hardwood mulch in their run, but had put a kiddy pool with play sand in it for their dust baths. She obviously, for whatever reason (they have continuous access to layer pellets, grit and oyster shell), was eating the sand.

Anyway, I pulled the sand out of the run and she's on the mend.

How did you do the surgery? Put chicken to sleep? Wow, impressive! You Tube video worthy. So glad your girl is mending.

 

[PopoMyers]

So, I gather that I can probably add things to the holes the girls have excavated in several places? They are even bathing in the moist soil right now. Wondering if they'll try dust bathing with the snow about to fall this week. I have some leftover product called Cimexa, which originally is for bedbugs, and kills them better than DE. I am thinking of treating all the cracks of the coop. Should work for the mites, you think? I have DE in there now. How often do you dust for mites, and worm the girls? What do you use for worming?

 

[JCaseyHammond]

So, I gather that I can probably add things to the holes the girls have excavated in several places? They are even bathing in the moist soil right now. Wondering if they'll try dust bathing with the snow about to fall this week. I have some leftover product called Cimexa, which originally is for bedbugs, and kills them better than DE. I am thinking of treating all the cracks of the coop. Should work for the mites, you think? I have DE in there now. How often do you dust for mites, and worm the girls? What do you use for worming?

I’ve had good luck keeping roost mites and chicken mites under control during winter. I put a plastic tote bin inside the coop and filled it to halfway with clean sand and wood ash mixed together.

I googled Cimexa which is silicon dust. I guess you could use it in place of ash.

If the chickens don’t figure out to use their dust bin, I place each chicken in it and pour a handful of sand+ash over her backside.

Then I took a damp sponge and thoroughly coated the roost bars with original formula Murphy Oil Soap. Which is also known as potassium salts of fatty acids. Which is also an active ingredient in Safer organic bug spray.

Also I placed half inch hardware cloth over all openings to stop wild birds from bringing their mites into the coop.

Prevention is key with mites.

 

[Humanbean68]

I use a kitty litter box in the winter, with wood ash, DE, and dry powdery soil that i saved a few buckets of in the summer to be used this time of year.

 

[PopoMyers]

I’ve had good luck keeping roost mites and chicken mites under control during winter. I put a plastic tote bin inside the coop and filled it to halfway with clean sand and wood ash mixed together.

I googled Cimexa which is silicon dust. I guess you could use it in place of ash.

If the chickens don’t figure out to use their dust bin, I place each chicken in it and pour a handful of sand+ash over her backside.

Then I took a damp sponge and thoroughly coated the roost bars with original formula Murphy Oil Soap. Which is also known as potassium salts of fatty acids. Which is also an active ingredient in Safer organic bug spray.

Also I placed half inch hardware cloth over all openings to stop wild birds from bringing their mites into the coop.

Prevention is key with mites.

Do you use the soap full strength? I would use the Cimexa just to dust the coop cracks because it is not good to breathe in, and can be drying to skin. After all, it is a dessicant. Thanks for your info!

 

[JCaseyHammond]

Do you use the soap full strength? I would use the Cimexa just to dust the coop cracks because it is not good to breathe in, and can be drying to skin. After all, it is a dessicant. Thanks for your info!

Murphy’s Oil Sosp is actually pretty thick, so when diluted with some water, penetrates the cracks in the wood roosts more thoroughly.

 

[aart]

I have a mites problem

Then you need to treat them directly with permethrin dust asap.
DE is not going to kill them.
A dust bath is not going to do the trick.

Figure out what kind of mites....so you know if you need to spray the coop down.

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[ZedikerStation]

I have a poultry dust question. For those using it, and putting it in the dust bath, are there any concerns about chickens breathing the dust when they kick it up?

I currently use a very large galvanized tub, covered for year round use. It contains soil from their preferred dust bath area outside the run, sand, wood ash, and a coffee can of DE. Have yet to see a bug. I also wrap the roosts with burlap. It gives a better grip and holds some sprinkled DE in the burlap.

The directions on the Poultry Dust seem like I wouldn't want them creating a dust cloud in the outside dust bath. (25% Permethrin)

Although what I am doing seems to work, I like to be prepared incase I need a Plan B...

I gathered from your post that a direct treatment would be necessary. I read other posters claim they put in a bath.... just clarifying.