Dust bath

[alleyjazz]

I made a dust bath in my coop two weeks ago. It's play sand and diatomaceous earth mixed together in a plastic container but they won't use it. They occasionally eat it!! Should I add top soil or some other type of soil? They continue to try to dust bathe in their outside run but it's been frozen and snow covered, and the last two days it's been muddy. Any suggestions?

 

[janinepeters]

I would think that it is okay for them to eat it. Chickens need to eat little rocks anyway, because they help grind up the food in the crop. Sand should help do the job.

As far as the DE, some people put it in their food to combat intestinal parasites. I would not worry about them eating it.

 

[Lisa202]

Yes, I've read that you can even sprinkle some "food grade" DE on their food also.

I've been noticing my pullets starting to dust bath in the pine shavings in the coop, but they haven't touched the basin I have in the run yet. I have straight DE in it, but I was thinking of adding something to it...like maybe ash?

Try putting the dust bath container in the run where they normally dust bathe.

 

[krazeepolack]

I saved the ashes from my wood stove, then dug just a small pit in the run area about 6 inches deep. Into this pit went the ashes. Twice, I have seen them sit in/on the ashes & just flail away like crazy.

They seem to use it when the mood strikes them. My single lone roo dust bathes out on the property where he feels comfortable doing so. (He isn't allowed to co-habitate w/the hen's)