How to set up a chicken dust bath

[Muzical2u]

I am reading up on mites and things and have learned that it makes a LOT of sense to set up a chicken dust bath and add stuff like DE. But my questions are:
1. How big should the dust bath be?
2. Other than DE should I put anything else in their dust bath to prevent pests and keep it healthy?
3. How much DE should I put in the dust bath?
4. Can the dust bath be just sand with stuff like DE or should I also add things like wood ash?
5. Is their anything else about this I should do or know about?

Thank you.

Construction grade sand is good for dust bath. A kitty litter pan is a good size. My chickens use the pine shavings and my nice potting soil in my garden to bathe.

 

[canne50]

My sand box is 3'x4.5' frame made from 2x8 boards screwed together. I add .4 cubic foot of DE/ash mix (equal parts) to every 1 cubic foot of sand. I also like to toss in a 1/2 cup of ground clove as it acts as a natural mite repellent - and it makes the chicken smell delicious!

I add a sand box for every 12-15 chickens. Adding extra boxes to accommodate the flock size helps to keep my chickens from digging holes all over the run.

Thank you for the clove suggestion. I have a large bottle of it as an essential oil.
Hope it is pleasantly fragrant for us all!

 

[RoyalChick]

Just be prepared for your ladies to decide to bathe elsewhere. Mine choose the strangest of places!