Official BYC Poll: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

[FuzzyOwlFeet]

The two Blue Australorps made new, side-by-side dust baths smack in the middle of the run in full sunshine on an unseasonably cool, mid-70's day today. Cordon was so into it that she let all the others eat the fresh weeds while I photographed her.

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Gosh that is such a pretty color chicken. Gorgeous!

 

[3KillerBs]

Gosh that is such a pretty color chicken. Gorgeous!

Thank you. She's a Blue Australorp from Welp by the way of a farm store last June.

 

[Suzz]

After most of a year I have mole tunnels everywhere in the yard EXCEPT where the chickens are.

They first snack on the moles and then dig up the tunnels for dust baths.

our moles are rather large you must have bad a_ _ chickens my cats managed to kill a couple after many days of stake outs of their holes

 

[JynxJay]

You can say that my hens should dust in the sand pit I made in their run, but they won't. They have taken over one of my raised beds, so now it is just growing chickens and rosemary.

 

[The chicken Hatcher]

Mine dust bath in this little spot full of loose, dry soil by my rabbits. It's the reason why my leghorns aren't white anymore

 

[PopoMyers]

our moles are rather large you must have bad a_ _ chickens my cats managed to kill a couple after many days of stake outs of their holes

I wish. We have monster moles, too.

 

[CassieD]

Mine like to roll around and ruffle their feathers in the fresh shavings I put down in the run every Saturday

 

[BDutch]

Mine like to roll around and ruffle their feathers in the fresh shavings I put down in the run every Saturday

Shavings is not as good as a sand bath. You need sand to clean the chickens skin and feathers.
Do they have acces to dirt or sand to ruffle their feathers ?

 

[Regina Larsen]

Dust bathing is important for chickens because it keeps them clean. The dust removes excess oil from the chickens' skin and can even kill parasites. Dust bathing kills parasites by covering them in dust which suffocates them. You have to make sure your run has an area of dry loose dirt and sand that your chickens can dust bathe in and you also have to make sure that the area is protected from becoming a big muddy mess in the rain. To keep the dust bathing area from getting wet try to put a roof over it.

To provide a dust bathing area for your chickens you can pour some sand in the corner of your run, fill an old tire with sand, or let your chickens make their own dust bathing area and just help them to keep it dry. So in this week's poll, we would like to find out: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

Feel free to choose multiple answers and please elaborate in the comment section if you choose "Other".

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Further Reading:

• Dust Baths: What they are and why they are important
• Why Chickens Bath In Dust And Not In Water
• Dust bathing – Why, where, and how? Keeping your flock clean and happy.

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

They dig holes in places where they figure its convenient for me to fall

 

[AntiqueB]

They dig holes in places where they figure its convenient for me to fall

Preferably while you're holding some mealworms!