Official BYC Poll: Where Do Your Chickens Dust Bathe?

[FortCluck]

I am actually planning to give them a large pot or area to dust bath in, do you put sand or something else?

We are doing in my sand in ours. You can use many different things for a dust bath.

 

[TheresaV]

Mine made dust baths in different spots around the yard all summer. I don't mind at all because my yard is just woods and fields coming up to the house. I was worried about them finding a place in the winter- we have snow on the ground most of the time.

It turned out to be no problem because they soon picked out the wood shed, which is open on the front, for their winter dust bathing spa. My husband was not too happy because he goes out there every day to split kindling and you know how messy chickens are.

He survived it though and I was happy they found a spot especially since I can see them from the house. It's so fun to watch them luxuriating like ladies taking bubble baths or getting their hair and nails done, chatting with each other all the while.

 

[mopalia]

I keep an area covered in the winter when we get a little rain, but it's mostly dry here, and they have hard clay in the run. They have dug deep baths all over - it looks like a land mine test area. They they fill them with straw so you can't see them and you step in them, possibly breaking an ankle. The holes are so deep that you occasionally realize there is a chicken in one but you can barely see a comb. And these are big, fat Wyandottes, so they are big holes. It's not safe to walk in the run!

 

[Pepperthechicken]

We go next to the coup because that is where the driest spot in the run is.

 

[snood dude]

My chickens make dust baths around trunks of my trees.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

We made the wooden frame for it, put a bit of ash, hemp bedding and dictomous earth... We will add sand when they finally sell it in the shops... Went to 3 shops yesterday- no sand

 

[HKG]

My chickens dust bathe in the dirt by the bushes in the yard.

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

There’s a big hemlock tree in our run and they usually make their dust bath holes underneath that (some of the lower branches have been removed so they have more space to hang out). They also have an old Christmas tree trunk propped up for a roosting spot. See pic below.
For the chicks, I put some dirt in a litter box and it’s in their nursery, since their outside area isn’t that large at this point.

 

[littlechickenmama17]

My girls dust bathe in our open lean-to shed, it consists of sandy-dirt from previous owners. But DO NOT, anybody, use diatomaceous earth for making sand baths. Even if you use food grade, new research is coming out on it and the products can stain and burn your chickens skin, not to mention the other products in it are just... GHASTLY!!!!

 

[littlechickenmama17]

My girls dust bathe in our open lean-to shed, it consists of sandy-dirt from previous owners. But DO NOT, anybody, use diatomaceous earth for making sand baths. Even if you use food grade, new research is coming out on it and the products can stain and burn your chickens skin, not to mention the other products in it are just... GHASTLY!!!!

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/diatomaceous-earth.html