Hi. I have 4 hens (1 yr), 1 pullet (5 mos), 3 chicks (3 mos) in 2 coops with a divided run. The hens have decided not to use the dust bath in the run. It's the same dust bath they've had since they were 3 weeks old. It has dirt, sand, and wood ash in it. They wait instead for when I let them out of the run to forage in the yard. Then they all hurry over and cram into the outside dust bath (The Spa).
It's not a big deal right now, but soon rain will make The Spa unusable, and I worry about mites. Is there anything I can do to entice them to use the bath in the run? Or will they just go back to it eventually out of necessity?
Here are 3 of them trying to dust bathe simultaneously. It ain't working very well...
It's not a big deal right now, but soon rain will make The Spa unusable, and I worry about mites. Is there anything I can do to entice them to use the bath in the run? Or will they just go back to it eventually out of necessity?
Here are 3 of them trying to dust bathe simultaneously. It ain't working very well...