Dust bath

[trumpeting_angel]

Since it appears my chickens will be inside the coop as the snow deepens, I made a dust bath today with peat moss and ashes. I put it under the roof of the run, not in the open part. Everything over there gets wet and freezes solid.

 

[FlyWheel]

Yup...why I just let them make their own dust bathing areas in the 'dirt'...which rather sandy here.

I did that I my last pen, it was 400SqFt and built upon over two years worth of "oak droppings", so I just let then decide on a corner and dig in. Once they had made a stable choice I stirred in some DE* and fine sand as the decomposed leaf litter had no grit in it. The run I have now has a hardware cloth floor so that's obviously not going to be an option. I do let them out to free range (supervised) for a couple hours every now and then but that's not enough and I really don't want them just digging up any spot of their own choosing.

So I got a fire ring from TSC and I'm going to fill it with sand. Seeing as it will be their only choice to dust bathe (in the run) I'm hoping they'll keep it as their main bath and leave the rest of the yard alone (KnockKnock).

*Remember, this was back when just about everyone here thought DE was the greatest thing since hard boiled eggs.

 

[jspaul2002]

I sure have plenty of ashes, and I picked up some peat moss. I couldn’t remember the right kind of sand. Anybody?

Any type of sand is fine. Lots of people buy play sand since it’s already sifted.

 

[Kat2141]

I've tried a dirt/sand mix and they just ignore it and wait until I let them out to free range.. then dig holes in the barn aisle. Maybe adding peat moss would help entice them to use the box I made up for them?

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

Why only hard Wood ash?

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I've tried a dirt/sand mix and they just ignore it and wait until I let them out to free range.. then dig holes in the barn aisle. Maybe adding peat moss would help entice them to use the box I made up for them?

I hope so. Mine are also ignoring their new dust bath in the run. But they go outside every day, and I know they won't want to when we have 2-4 feet of snow! I plan to give them time!