How can I convince my hens to use their dust bath?

[Zoom Zoom]

I am wondering if anyone has had a problem convincing their hens to use a dust bath. I'm sure this my fault because I've been letting them dig craters in their run then putting some wood ash in those craters. They love it but the run is becoming a hazard to walk through. Last week I filled an old kiddie pool with sand, dirt, wood ash and a light sprinkle of DE and sat it over several of the craters. They enjoy getting into the pool to scratch but go back to their craters to dust bathe. I even dug a hole in the sand/dirt mixture, put a hen in the hole and tried to help her dust bathe. I'm sure anyone watching would have thought I was crazy, my hen sure did. I have sprinkled a few meal worms in the pool, they jump in, grab the meal worms and jump back out. I keep filling their craters with dirt but they just dig it out again. They used a dust bath I provided until this past May when we made their run much larger,that is when the craters started. Is there anything I can do to convince them to use their new dust bath? I would really appreciate some suggestions - thanks

 

[GitaBooks]

Could you put some rocks or boards over the craters until they get the hang of it? I find my chickens love digging in the ground as well. There's just something about the ground that is cool and refreshing to them.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Good idea. I'll sure try that. I think the ground must be cool to them in this hot and humid weather.