How necessary is a dust bath in winter?

[Molpet]

Pfftt. I'm talking about a dust bath, that stuff you dig and plant vegetables and stuff in, not a vat of chemicals.

LOL sulfur is a basic element
I add 1 lb of elemental sulfur to 9 -10 lbs of dirt, which could be from the garden... they kick it out in the bedding and it THEN goes back in the garden with the bedding

 

[EggWalrus]

If you keep your birds copied up all the time, I'd try to make them another dirt bath. Sand and dirty are both abrasive and helps to scour dead skin (dander)from them. It also absorbs excess oils in their feathers. Since most incects "breath" thru their legs, if the dust is fine enough it can clog up the breathing holes and kill or sicken parasites. Birds have been bathing for millions of years in all kinds of weather conditions. They can make a bath on their own (but it's nice that we help them) soon as it drys out enough for them to woller a hole out.

 

[Shadrach]

https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/18/battling-chicken-mites-with-bags-of-brimstone/
"...Sulfur dust has been used for decades to control mites on chickens. The sulfur is usually provided to chickens in a “dust bath,” essentially a box of dust, which may contain fine dirt, sand, diatomaceous earth, insecticides and other powdery substances. The chicken sits in the dust and fluffs it into its feathers to remove parasites — this is a natural chicken behavior. Sulfur dust baths are very effective at controlling northern fowl mites, even for chickens in the same coop that do not use the dust bath. But dust baths may not be practical in larger commercial poultry houses where numerous chickens dust bathing might cause a large amount of sulfur to be kicked up into the air...."

You know back in the day when chickens were invented and before you lot discovered the Internet chickens bathed in dust. The reason they did this and still do was and is to soak up the oil on their feathers and skin.
There was no DE, Insecticides, buckets full of sulfur, or other unspecified powdery substances. Just that plain old earth type stuff.
You can if you wish acquire a handful of a variety of mites and lice and throw earth at them. Even if you throw it very hard I doubt you will kill many. For a start they are very small and before they moved into your chicken coops and sucked the blood of your chickens they lived in the very stuff I suggested you throw at them. Once you’ve got tired of throwing earth at them you could try crushing them with a handful of feathers. You’ll find you will need considerable pressure to squash one relative to it’s size.
I know, you’ll say these bits of flying earth knock them off the chickens skin and feathers. Have a look at a mite under a microscope. They got nasty little feet that grip like shite to a blanket.

 

[Molpet]

You know back in the day when chickens were invented and before you lot discovered the Internet chickens bathed in dust. The reason they did this and still do was and is to soak up the oil on their feathers and skin.
There was no DE, Insecticides, buckets full of sulfur, or other unspecified powdery substances. Just that plain old earth type stuff.

They also lived in jungles, found food on their own and laid a few eggs in the spring
most "modern' chickens couldn't survive for long like that now days

 

[Abriana]

Keeps their feathers healthy, they need it all year round. Maybe you could put it inside the coop? Even a small one is good. They need it!

 

[whit246]

wow! glad I found this thread,Didn't know they had to dust bathe. Back to the store tomorrow

 

[Shadrach]

wow! glad I found this thread,Didn't know they had to dust bathe. Back to the store tomorrow

Ordinary garden earth is fine. I sometimes mix woodash with it. You don't need to buy anything special.

 

[EggWalrus]

Mine usually have several dirt bath holes in the yard since they free range most the time. I put hard wood ashes from the grill and fire place in their holes and mix it up a little. They seem to love it.

 

[whit246]

Ordinary garden earth is fine. I sometimes mix woodash with it. You don't need to buy anything special.

ty,,what is diatomaccous earth for?

 

[EggWalrus]

ty,,what is diatomaccous earth for?

Nothing really. Though some people think it's a magic fix all.