How to train chickens to dust bathe

[bman0023]

Hi All, I have 4 chickens all born at the same time and I have a dust pan but they are not dust bathing. Any idea on how to train them to do this? I don' tthink they have pests, but I have read that they like to roll around in the dirt to clean up.

Thanks

 

[ECBW]

Teach by example. When showing them how to dust bathe, take video and share with us.

 

[mtngirl35]

I think it should be instinct for them. I raised 2 batches of chicks in brooders and another batch hatched out under momma hen. The brooder chicks went outside at 6 weeks old. I didn't see them dust bathe for a couple of weeks. The chicks raised by momma hen were dust bathing at a week old. They'll do it when the mood strikes. The brooder chicks were my first ever chickens and didn't have an adult chicken to teach them, they just stared doing it.

 

[mtngirl35]

Teach by example. When showing them how to dust bathe, take video and share with us.

That's funny!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Teach by example. When showing them how to dust bathe, take video and share with us.

lol

Hi All, I have 4 chickens all born at the same time and I have a dust pan but they are not dust bathing. Any idea on how to train them to do this? I don' tthink they have pests, but I have read that they like to roll around in the dirt to clean up.

Thanks

They'll dust bathe when they are ready. When I take two and three week old brooder raised chicks, that have never seen an adult bird dust bathe, outside for the first time and they almost immediately start making little dust bowls for themselves. And before that first outing they are dust bathing in the shavings in their brooder. It's instinct and if they have a good place to dust they will.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi All, I have 4 chickens all born at the same time and I have a dust pan but they are not dust bathing. Any idea on how to train them to do this? I don' tthink they have pests, but I have read that they like to roll around in the dirt to clean up.

Thanks

Teaching a chicken how to dust bath is like teaching a dead whale how to smell bad. It comes natural after the proper length of time has elapsed. No joke just create a 2x2 to a 3 feet by 3 feet area in a dry area of the coop or run. Have at lest 1 foot of soft, crumbly dry dirt in it and add a few inches of fine hardwood ashes. Soon this chicken spa will be busier than Hugh Heffner's hot tub.

 

[Tracylc23]

I was also wondering this. I rescued an abused crippled chick a week ago. She stays in the house because she would never survive outside. I gave her chicken dust from TSC to do a dust bath and she won't use it. I've put her I the dust to see if she would recognize it as a dust bath and she doesn't. I put her in it today again and kinda scooped up the powder and put a little on her back to see if that would kick start something. Nope. She just hobbled out of the bath leaving a trail of dust behind her

 

[Tracylc23]

I was also wondering this. I rescued an abused crippled chick a week ago. She stays in the house because she would never survive outside. I gave her chicken dust from TSC to do a dust bath and she won't use it. I've put her I the dust to see if she would recognize it as a dust bath and she doesn't. I put her in it today again and kinda scooped up the powder and put a little on her back to see if that would kick start something. Nope. She just hobbled out of the bath leaving a trail of dust behind her

She is a 17 week old chicken. It won't let me edit the comment

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana, glad you joined.

I was also wondering this. I rescued an abused crippled chick a week ago. She stays in the house because she would never survive outside. I gave her chicken dust from TSC to do a dust bath and she won't use it. I've put her I the dust to see if she would recognize it as a dust bath and she doesn't. I put her in it today again and kinda scooped up the powder and put a little on her back to see if that would kick start something. Nope. She just hobbled out of the bath leaving a trail of dust behind her

You will notice this is a very old thread. Even those of us that have been here for a long time still occasionally miss that. It still has good advice but with it being so old people might not respond to your post.

You may have heard of the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink". The same type of thing is true with chickens and people can get worried about those things. Chickens often like to roost at the highest point available, but some don't. If they don't want to you can't make them. People get upset on here all the time when their chickens don't eat the same treat somebody ese's chicken just loves. Again, you can't make them if they don't want to. You can give them the opportunity to take a dust bath but if they don't want to they won't. If they do want to they may use a place you would never expect.

So relax, it is nothing to be concerned about. She'll b OK. And once again