Official BYC Poll: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

[theoldchick]

Anywhere, anytime and extra points for spraying a flock mate with the debris.

 

[jorj]

mine have a area called the chicken fart where they have cover and the best dust bathing spot around! fort not fart

 

[Sammi_0411]

I have a big flower bed that used to have plants in let's just say plants gone and chickens very happy lol

 

[mamajos]

Here are a couple spots (out of many) they like. In their pen, and under their coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

View attachment 2617836View attachment 2617837View attachment 2617838View attachment 2617839

Anywhere, anytime and extra points for spraying a flock mate with the debris.

Yours are like mine. I've seen them throw dirt as high as the top of the 48" fence!

 

[rosemarythyme]

A green turtle sandbox similar to the one in post @12. Leftover from grandchildren. Poked a hole on it (with a 9mm projectile) to drain rainwater. Filled it with river sand and first rain packed it and now is almost like concrete. They wont go near it! Would rather dig holes in the barn dirt floor.

Main trick with using The Turtle (especially in a wet climate) is to not leave it open all the time. I don't have any drainage in mine, it simply stays closed if there's rain or snow in the forecast. Because I use peat moss it has to stay dry, otherwise it'd take forever and a day to dry it out.

 

[Shezadandy]

Mine like the fine material left from the pine pellets after they've broken down on the coop floor when outside has nothing dry. When dry, they dig themselves as many craters as they please.

But ... what they REALLY want ... even with dust pits dry outside ... is the Sweet PDZ powder that gets sprinkled on the poop boards after cleaning. That is guaranteed to start a dust-bathing riot where all bets are off, friendships are suspended and it's every hen for herself. One hen started it years ago.

 

[Niki1313]

Mine bathe in the middle of the driveway, especially where I park my car.

 

[Laura Anne]

They dig dustbath holes anywhere they please within their pen.

Sometimes they go for the driest dirt under the big pines. Something they go for the more humous-rich dirt near the access door.

Sometimes they dig holes at random for no reason I can determine as a mere human.

Mine absolutely love the dirt by an old apple tree stump, but will have nothing to do with the dirt by an identical apple tree stump 15 feet away.

 

[Happy hen lover]

My girls couldn't hardly wait for dry dirt after snows last month