Dust bath

[guestsonono]

I would not put it in the coop. It is far too dusty.
It should be outside in the run. Oftentimes, no matter what you provide for them as a dust bath, they will dig their own if they have access to the ground to do so.
Can you post pictures of your setup?

Here is my floor... it’s grass ... when it’s breaks down they usually dust bath there but I often remove it for my garden, then add a thick layer of hay as beddingView attachment 2781770

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you so much, here is a pic of my coop, it’s a concrete floor then I put grass as bedding. When the grass has broken down they use that bedding to dust bath, but I remove manure for my garden so there are times when it’s just solid grass. If I leave a bit of some broken down bedding when I’m changing their bedding, would they use it? Or I ultimately need to put maybe a big box with sand mixed with ash, and just some dirt (that’s what I have access to at the moment)?View attachment 2781770

If you don't have actual dirt in your coop/run then you should indeed provide a dust bath. Dust bathing is critical to chickens' long-term good health because it helps them clean their feathers of stale preen oil and smother pests before they can become established.

 

[AntiqueB]

I took a big plastic bin from Ikea, and sifted top soil into it. I had to remove all sorts of wood chips and rocks(!). I added a bit of DE, and waited. They usually dustbathe in the dirt next to my garage foundation, but they don't like it when it's wet, so they sometimes use the bin, which has a cover.

I'm sure yours would love one, even if it's just plain, fine dirt from your yard.

 

[Ridgerunner]

it’s a concrete floor then I put grass as bedding.

If they don't have access to dirt outside I'd add a big box of dirt and see if they use it.

 

[ursulakiener]

There are many things you can add to a chicken dust bath including wood ash, sand, dirt, sawdust, peat moss, diatomaceous earth (food grade) and herbs! I wrote an article to explain this in detail:
https://herbamedicine.com/how-to-do-a-chicken-dust-bath-with-herbs/

 

[drivinatwork]

Hello, don't won't to hijack the thread on my first post, love the site by the way have learned a lot and just started raising chickens. Mine are about 6 or 7 weeks old and I let them outside in the run for most of the day, I had a bag of play sand I put in plastic container thinking they may use it for a dust bath. They all got in but started eating the sand, this went on for a while so I took it out of the run. Is this normal and can they eat to much of it?

 

[3KillerBs]

Hello, don't won't to hijack the thread on my first post, love the site by the way have learned a lot and just started raising chickens. Mine are about 6 or 7 weeks old and I let them outside in the run for most of the day, I had a bag of play sand I put in plastic container thinking they may use it for a dust bath. They all got in but started eating the sand, this went on for a while so I took it out of the run. Is this normal and can they eat to much of it?

Chickens naturally swallow small stones of an appropriate size for their age to act as grit in their gizzard. They can get it from their environment or you can provide it in a separate container.

 

[drivinatwork]

Yes, I knew they needed the grit, but they are eating this sand like they are starving. If I just leave it down will they know when they've had enough. Thanks for the advice, these are my first chickens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, I knew they needed the grit, but they are eating this sand like they are starving. If I just leave it down will they know when they've had enough. Thanks for the advice, these are my first chickens.

Chicks especially can gorge themselves on inappropriate things so I'd keep it away for now and try again later. A few bites won't hurt, but if they're eating noticeable amounts of sand then they're just filling up their digestive tract with it.