SandBox for the Chickies?

[PurpleChicken]

We use a plastic bin full of play sand. They love it.

 

[joanna]

OK...gotta ask...what did that chick lay? it looks like a shell or casing?

 

[yankeemtfarm]

Quote:
Yep it looks like a .22 casing in that picture, my big hens love to dust near the shooting range, so i guess it just got scoped up with the dirt.

Sharp eye joanna

BA

 

[zbit]

Great ideas here! I came looking for a subject like this because last night I put some grit down for the week olds and one came over and sat in it then started to do the dusting movements. I thought I was reading too much into it but it sounds like they would like a dust bath too.

 

[1acrefarm]

Quote:
Good eye. I did not even catch that.

 

[amystours]

Be careful with that, though:

Quote:
Here's the link to the whole thread, if you are interested. I followed this one pretty close, was interested in the poor hen...bless her heart!!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=38708&p=1

 

[chicamama]

A sandbox is for baby chicks, not chicks already out in a coop playing in the dirt right?

 

[jinxschuh]

I have started construction on a 4 sided 3'x3' gazebo sandbox for my chickens. I have 7 pullets and one little roo and they are about 12 weeks old now and have a hard time finding a place to dust bath in my yard. I dumped a 50 lb bag of play sand in their run (I tried putting it in a plastic storage box first and they were confused and had a really hard time getting in and out even when I tried to built them stairs by stacking bricks) but not only did it burry the grass but they spread it out so thin from dust bathing in it that it didn't last very long. So I figure a gazebo will help keep most of the sand in one place so it will stay deep enough for them to really get in and dig as well as the roof over it will help keep it dry, hopefully especially through the winter months.

I saw a receipe a while back for play sand using the DE that everyone is talking about but having a hard time finding it now. Does it have to be 'food grade' or can it be regular DE found at the feed store? What sand to DE ratio should be used and how often should more DE be added?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and comments!

 

[Nicole01]

Half my chicken run is construction sand from when we built the house. We had removed the river rock we had placed over it, and the chicken's absolutely love the sand. They take dust baths several times a day. They love to eat it too, plus it has different size pebbles, so I don't need to buy grit. I gave my chicks sand around 4 weeks of age.