Dust bath?

[Kluk-Kluk]

I use a combination of sand and diatamaceous earth for my chickens' dust bath area, although they will dig in the earth and create their own "dust baths" anywhere.

In the house I've had problems with ants for years and years. This spring I spread diatamaceous earth in the areas where they come in and walk. This is the first year that the ants have finally disappeared from my kitchen! I don't think it's coincidence. I hope the DE does the same on my chickens to keep off any insect pests.

Here's a picture of one of my bantams having the time of her life in the new diatamaceous earth/sand bath area. I wish I could post of video of her digging and rolling and flipping dust over herself.

 

[mimischicksnat]

Hubs saves the wood ash to put on the icy driveway in the winter. I'm going to "borrow" some of the ash and put in the DE for my 5 week olds once the coop is done and they come home. I have day olds, but am going to wait 2 or 3 weeks before giving it to them.

 

[The Big House]

I've been using Peat Moss and it has worked great so far.

 

[CentralOregon]

Plain dirt, pine shavings, wood pellets, diatomaceous earth... the chickens will "dust bath" in virtually anything they can fluff up over themselves. For this reason, I dropped the word "dust" and simply call them "baths".

 

[Jajika]

My chickens live in a large yard with lots of dirt. They "dirt bathe" in any soft spot. When I let them out to run around the big yard (while I'm out with them keeping the hawks away) they love to dirt bathe in the gravel driveway!!!! It's hysterically funny. I don't know why they like the rocks and dust, but they go crazy in it.

Anyway, never, ever had a problem with mites with my girls. They love dirt and get as much as they like any time.

 

[Barb53]

I use wood ash from the wood stoves of some friends. When I can't get that, I use food-grade DE (diatomaceous earth).

 

[aatx]

I just brought in some fresh dirt for my month old chicks last night. I'd given them dirt before, but before they really got into dust bathing, they had kicked a lot of shavings into it. I had recently seem the "doing the motions" in the shavings, so I decided to give them more dirt.

And here is the result: (I had to stop a few times and shoo them out of the pan as I was afraid they would hurt themselves! But they would just pile back in. Guess I'll need a bigger pan next time!

 

[hildar]

Mine are 3 weeks old Monday and will be going outside next week. I am sure they will be enjoying the dirt baths and green grass in the new Juvenile pen. They have been doing shaving baths in the cage, but I figured with everyone now with real feathers on them it's time to move on outside. The days get up to about 90 here lately and at night maybe 70 at the lowest.

 

[CentralOregon]

Nice. Mine also received dirt very early ( 2-3 weeks) and did the same as yours. It was all I could do to get them out of it afterward.

 

[Jajika]

This is soooooooo cute!

Thanks for sharing.