How can I create a dustbath

[thecreekhouse]

This is my chicken coop and run. It’s 14 feet long and 3 feet wide. Then I have a movable fence around the whole thing that extends about 4-5 feet out in each direction from the coop and run, giving my 6 pullets room to scratch and peck in fresh grass outside the run.

There is really no place in my chicken set up for the girls to create a dust bath so I am thinking of creating one for them. I am thinking of doing it by cutting an entrance into a plastic tote and filling the tote with some type of dust bath material. I don’t have access to any ashes so what should I use? Would fine sand mixed with peat moss be a good choice? Would the chickens be more likely to discover and use the dust bath if I leave the top off of the plastic tote, creating a more open dustbath or if I leave it on, creating a cozy, insular-feeling dustbath? What do you recommend?

 

[DobieLover]

View attachment 1628030 View attachment 1628029 This is my chicken coop and run. It’s 14 feet long and 3 feet wide. Then I have a movable fence around the whole thing that extends about 4-5 feet out in each direction from the coop and run, giving my 6 pullets room to scratch and peck in fresh grass outside the run.

There is really no place in my chicken set up for the girls to create a dust bath so I am thinking of creating one for them. I am thinking of doing it by cutting an entrance into a plastic tote and filling the tote with some type of dust bath material. I don’t have access to any ashes so what should I use? Would fine sand mixed with peat moss be a good choice? Would the chickens be more likely to discover and use the dust bath if I leave the top off of the plastic tote, creating a more open dustbath or if I leave it on, creating a cozy, insular-feeling dustbath? What do you recommend?

Hello. I created a wintertime dust bath for my chickens using a under-bed storage tote. I just leave the lid off, filled it with peat moss, a little bit of DE, and wood ash. You could use fine sand in place of the wood ash. It just has to be light and fluffy enough for the birds to toss it down to their skin. My birds love it.
One benefit of the under-bed tote is it rolls easily for refilling. I keep mine under my coop.

 

[PirateGirl]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-dustbathing.1170731/

 

[RUNuts]

For mine, any potted plant will work great.

Don't overthink it. Just a container with dirt. If you want them to use it, they won't. If don't want them to use it, they will. QED. Chicken logic.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Hello. I created a wintertime dust bath for my chickens using a under-bed storage tote. I just leave the lid off, filled it with peat moss, a little bit of DE, and wood ash. You could use fine sand in place of the wood ash. It just has to be light and fluffy enough for the birds to toss it down to their skin. My birds love it.
One benefit of the under-bed tote is it rolls easily for refilling. I keep mine under my coop.

Very clever idea!

 

[Jlgonzo]

Hello. I created a wintertime dust bath for my chickens using a under-bed storage tote. I just leave the lid off, filled it with peat moss, a little bit of DE, and wood ash. You could use fine sand in place of the wood ash. It just has to be light and fluffy enough for the birds to toss it down to their skin. My birds love it.
One benefit of the under-bed tote is it rolls easily for refilling. I keep mine under my coop.

I made one with sand and peat moss and they just seem to eat most of the peat moss and not dust bathe in it. The peat moss also shows up in their poop. Do you have that problem?

 

[Killer Tomato]

A tote with a hole cut in it, and the lid on it? Oh, I'd have 3 girls laying eggs in it that day! Mine are stinkers.

 

[cmom]

Years ago I bought a low tote like the kind that will fit under a bed and filled it with sand. The birds loved it.

 

[christwodog]

I use kitty litter pans, just the cheap ones you can pick up at the grocery store. I fill them with a mix of sand, wood ash, dirt (dirt down here is very sandy) and DE powder if I have any around. Wood ash doesn't have to be from a fireplace - ash from a bonfire works just fine. Sometimes I add Hi-Yield Poultry Dust also. If you decide not to make them a dust bath, you will be surprised how quickly they make their own dust bath in the ground!

 

[JedJackson]

An old bus tub or even an old tire filled with sand and a some wood ash will work wonders. The ash helps to kill lice and other parasites. Really you can use anything you want, just make sure it is deep enough, but not too tall. You could also set it into the ground a bit to make it shorter. Good luck!