dust bath

[junkman56]

when I mix up my dust bath ingredients I am using, ( wood ash, sand, peat moss and DE, ) my question is when I add those ingredients, should I layer it in the bath and let the chickens mix it up? or should I mix it when adding?, and how much DE should I put in?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would eliminate the DE. It does not discriminate about which bugs it kills and honey bees are affected. It becomes airborn and drifts about with a breeze too.

My neighbor keeps bees and we did a lot of reading up when he had a couple hives die off unexpectedly.

I use the other ingredients that you listed and kind of fluff it a bit then the gals do the rest. Mine actually prefer that I do not add sand either. I made two spots one did not have sand and EVERYONE piled in the no sand bath.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[aart]

Agrees on skipping the DE.
Probably frozen and/or snow covered there in PA now, huh?
Is there a sheltered place in your run where the dirt will remain dry and unfrozen?

I've got a spot that works most the winter, this winter at least, they prefer that to what I have in a bin inside the coop. Have tried to put stuff out for them to bathe in, they usually ignore it, digging new baht holes somewhere else.

I wouldn't worry about mixing it or not.

 

[junkman56]

my dust bath is under the covered and enclosed run, the last time I added to the bath I added sand, pete moss and wood ash, and DE, when I when out to check it frozen, yesterday I just added peat moss, wood ash, and sprinkled DE,
right after I added in the bath area 5 of the 7 were in having a field day,

 

[aart]

my dust bath is under the covered and enclosed run, the last time I added to the bath I added sand, pete moss and wood ash, and DE, when I when out to check it frozen, yesterday I just added peat moss, wood ash, and sprinkled DE,
right after I added in the bath area 5 of the 7 were in having a field day,

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

Agrees on skipping the DE.
Probably frozen and/or snow covered there in PA now, huh?
Is there a sheltered place in your run where the dirt will remain dry and unfrozen?

I've got a spot that works most the winter, this winter at least, they prefer that to what I have in a bin inside the coop. Have tried to put stuff out for them to bathe in, they usually ignore it, digging new baht holes somewhere else.

I wouldn't worry about mixing it or not.

Is there a ratio to the mixture of sand and ash? It seems to me that they would sink in the ash alone...