Dust bathes

[skrasienko]

What are dust bathes and how would i construct one?

 

[ridgefire]

Dust baths are any area of dirt they can find. No need to make one they do it all on their own, usually in the flower beds.

 

[Uppity Peon]

If your chickens don't have access to dirt you can put some loamy dry soil in a big pot, maybe 16 inches diameter and 6 inches deep and they will have fun scratching and throwing the dirt on themselves. It's very amusing to watch!

 

[skrasienko]

Will play sand work? do i need to put anything else in to help with mites fleas ticks and so forth also what is de and do i need that and where would i get it?

 

[*GEL*]

I took a plastic bin designed to mix concrete in and mixed some DE in with a bag of play sand......wow do my chickies love it!! They crack me up in that thing! Although they have now bathed so much that the container is only about 1/2 of what is used to be....I guess I will have to add more. I didn't realize that when I did it - but they even get in there together sometimes and go to town rolling and kicking up that sand.....

DE is kinda hard to find......I found a place in my state that carried it for an okay price through the perma-guard website. cost as much to ship it as it did for the bag.....lol. But it's worth it - I love the stuff - it goes in their food, in the coop and the run and the nests and the dust bath.

 

[BrianS]

Mine like to do this in the herb garden so needless to say a fence is in order

 

[hen-thusiast]

If you get DE make sure it's the food grade stuff. If you're wondering what it is, check out:

http://www.freshwaterorganics.com/

 

[chicklips]

We made a little "sandbox" for our birds. They love it!!!!