I cant seem to keep up with the dust my hens are creating in the barn. Its causing my other animals to cough...Its mid winter I have no other place to keep them asside from the barn, suggestions on dust managment. Theyre stall is kept tidy and clean...perhaps a barn vacc may help? Suggestions please
All birds are extremely dusty, especially when they're molting. Sorry I'm not much help with a solution.
This might help some. If you have electricity in the barn I would put an exhaust fan in a window if there is one nearby the chickens hang out or cut a hole in the wall and install a bathroom exhaust fan. While it won't take care of all of it but will control some.
I use pine shavings, same bales I have for my horses and goats...when I first lay down the fresh shavings its great, nice and clean, it seems like dust is overkill within 3 days, theres even a thick coating on their heat lamp within that time span too...im hoping the downsize will help, as of today im down from 6 to 3. I clean their stall once a week, completely sweep the entire thing out and lay down half a bale of fresh shavings...I add horse hay in the corner to help keep them warm in the cold weather, perhaps that adds to the dust? We have no ventilation, I dont know as though we can add an exhaust fan though thats a great idea, its an old antique barn, mum doesnt like altering the perminent walls...wonder if there something else along those lines I could try internally? Something that sucks up dust in the stall? I have 2 geese at the other end of the barn, they are also dusty but no where near what my hens create for dust...its terrible.
Maybe they are sratching up the barn floor for a dust bath, perhaps if you get a baby bath or something and fill it with sand and DE then this will be less dusty and they will choose to bathe in this instead?!
