Pine wood ash for dust bath?

[Curtnstac]

I see alot of people using hardwood ash for their dust baths, but can you use pine wood and maybe pine needles? I'm surrounded by mainly pine trees and have ALOT of sticks i could burn

 

[nuthatched]

Can't recommend it, ash is caustic when wet and to breathe. Peat moss is a good idea.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Pine (and other soft woods per se) have a lot of resins and volatile oils, which is why I and others don’t use them to cook and don’t use them in wood stoves or fire places.

I’ve never used ash for a dust bath.

I don’t know what temps would be necessary to burn out the resins, saps, or VOC.

I wouldnt chance it.

 

[RojoMarz]

I put the ash from our pellet stove in the dust bath. I don't know what type of wood the pellets are made from though.

We are surrounded by pine trees. When DH chips the limbs, I do use the chips on the coop floor (with old chips/shavings swept into the run.)

 

[LizzzyJo]

I know this is an -out there- reason that I don’t use ash, but when I did the birds got used to it in their run and began jumping into the fire pit to bathe when free ranging. And sometimes it’s still hot from the night before and they can burn the heck out of their feet. They never actually jumped in while still hot - but that was miraculous. They did not check for temp before diving in.

After a while bathing in only dirt, they no longer play Russian roulette with the fire pit.

 

[jpalmatier83]

I know this is an -out there- reason that I don’t use ash, but when I did the birds got used to it in their run and began jumping into the fire pit to bathe when free ranging. And sometimes it’s still hot from the night before and they can burn the heck out of their feet. They never actually jumped in while still hot - but that was miraculous. They did not check for temp before diving in.

After a while bathing in only dirt, they no longer play Russian roulette with the fire pit.

I mean, funny not funny?

My chickens have tried to immolate themselves on the campfire a couple times, and they don’t even have ash in the dust bath as an excuse!!!