Dust bath/sand box question???

[teresac]

I am getting ready for my first flock. I am in the N. GA Mountains with red clay.

Do I need to put a sand box in the run for their dust bath? If so, what kind of sand? dirt? whatever do I put in there????

 

[jab91864]

I have a naturally sandy soil. Basically all I do is add wood ash and a sprinkle of DE to their favorite spot to dust bathe. A sandbox sounds like a very good idea, although you could probably get away with a shallow hole and putting sand in that... just a thought.

Best of luck!!

Julie

 

[Kim_NC]

We're in NC. We have red clay loam - not quite as dense as red clay. We mix 25% wood ashes in our dust boxes. We use mortar mixing pans as the actual dust boxes. They're black, about 18" x 24" x 8" deep - available at most of the building box stores like Lowe's.

You could also mix sand with your clay. Basically you want some small particles. The birds work these under the feathers and down to their skin as part of the bath. It deters mites.

ETA: Many people use DE as well. We don't. We've never had a mite problem, so have not bothered to find or use DE.