Official BYC Poll: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

[Tashua]

here’s another -this is Lucy under the saw palmetto - she loves the wet sand poured all over her

Lucy is a dirty girl

 

[Mvan42]

Most of the time the dust bath in front of my blueberry bushes... then they eat my blue berries... bad bad girls

 

[Hilltop Flock]

Mid February snow day in the small run.

 

[MamaLynn23]

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".

View attachment 2596549

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!)

Our coop has a dirt floor, but they are outside for most of the day and have the luxury of a very large DRY back yard shaded by huge oaks under which our dogs have dug several nice chicken-sized holes! We have 2.5 acres of which they have free reign of a little more than half, which includes our backyard. They take full advantage of all of it!

 

[KrazyChickenLady13]

My chickens free range when I’m home, which in covid, is almost 24/7, and most of the time the coup(we use a mobile tractor Love it!) is near the pine forest, which our chickens will often go towards when they want to, tear up the pine straw and then dust bathe for about 45 minutes in the kicked up dust and dirt. All while leaving my garden alone ...for now.

 

[0die]

I tried to make a spot once. useless. they will bath where they like.

 

[AntiqueB]

I have a nice big tote filled with sifted dirt and just a touch of DE.

They actually bathe under the eave of the garage.

But it least they have a choice if it's wet! The tote has a cover, so it's always dry.

 

[M-H-Fielding]

I have two flocks. One digs up dirt wherever they can for a dustbath, the other flock follows my turkeys around and dustbathes werever the turkeys dig up dirt.
I usually fling out a handful of scratch, and wherever it lands the tukeys will dig up lots of fresh dirt.
I sometimes feel bad, the turkeys don't have the slightest idea that they are doing all the work for the lazy chickens.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

They have a corner of the run surrounded in landscape border to keep the dirt contained. They(so far) have not dug any other holes

 

[Lucy Brown]

My girls dust bathe nest to the house in the garden. I always step in their little chicken craters and trip and fall.