Dust Bath Urge

[cluckinalong]

Due to a huge red fox, and no doubt other preditors, I can no longer allow free range even for a while. To do so, I'd have to stay with them constantly.
I have adequate space; one 10X15 chain link enclosure (covered)with another 15X20 add-on with netting over the top. All this is attached to their barn stall/coop. BTW, I have 7 hens. Six young and due to start laying very soon.
Now, there was nothing more fun for the girls than to take dust baths in the woods when they could roam.
What does anyone suggest to take the place of that joy? The ground where they are now is compacted.
How about a childs swimming pool filled with top soil? That's my first thought. How about a big old tire filled with the same?

 

[ShaggysGirl]

Our soil is very sandy but I still dump sand in areas for them to bathe. Or do the kiddie pool or just dig out some dirt and fill with sand.

 

[LizzyJo]

I have compacted dirt in the run and they have made dust baths all over the place!

 

[Kovalciks Chickens]

they really dont need dirt to bathe in. they just do this to get rid of mites. You can leave them in your coop and check for dust mites. You can check for mites by blowing softly on the back of their neck and look for white dots. Instead of using the dirt you can sprinkle some magic 7 garden insect killer on them and rub it in. It workd like a charm.

 

[SallyF]

Just dig up a spot for them. They'll scratch around in it and soften it up. Mine dust-bathe wherever we've planted shrubs because they can scoop out a bowl in the dirt.

 

[CMV]

A lot of people use a bucket/tire/kiddie pool filled with wood ashes/sand/DE/mulch. Any combination of the aforementioned will work.

 

[Joecola123]

you could use a mixture of things such as dirt wood ashes etc.
the swimming pool is a good idea but they still wil probably kick it out

 

[chickiedoodle]

I worried about the same thing before ours started free-ranging. The dirt in the pen area was so hard we had to use a pick axe to dig holes for the posts. But the girls are determined critters and they dug HUGE craters and even managed to work around the giant rocks that permeate our ground. We even joked that we should have let the girls out first and put the fence posts in their dust bath holes. Now I throw a little wood ash and DE in the holes every few weeks and they seem to love it. They get to free range nearly every day but they still come back "home" for their baths