Suggestions on making a dust bath please

[momreda]

I have seen quite a few posts about dust bath areas and am curious how to make one for inside the coop and one for the run. Any and all suggestions are appreciated because for the most part I am clueless

 

[cw]

ours really like ashes from our wood burning stove, plus that will help keep mites and lice away

 

[BarkerChickens]

Mine just dig holes around the run (and yard when they are free-ranging). We didn't do anything special as they will dig a hole wherever they please.

 

[momreda]

Quote:
Do you just throw the ashes in the run or do you have a box to put them in? Will they poop in the bath like they do everything else? If I do build a box for the dust bath what is the best size ( I have quite a few chickens)? Thank you

 

[cw]

i tried building a box for them and of course they wouldnt use it, so when they dug there little holes in the barn i just filled them in with the ashes
as for bulding a box for em i would go to the dollar store and by a cat litter box for them to use, and if they wont dust in it put the cover on it and use it for a nest box
and for crapping in it, they wouldnt be chickens if they didnt crap on it

 

[BBK]

I just get a bucket of peat moss and dump it in a pile, the girls take care of it. It's quite funny too, b/c they all try to get in it at the same time, so, they're on top of each other. One girl's scratching and the other is benefitting from it, fully covered!

Melinda

Forgot to say...they LOVE it...

 

[Sam The Yam]

I built one by constructing a 4ft by 4ft square box out of 2x4's. I made two of the frames then stacked one on top of the other and secured them together with connecting boards. I wanted to have it higher so that when they scratched in it the good loose dirt would stay inside the box rather than being scattered out. I keep the dirt in there loose by taking a pick or shovel and turning the soil often. I feed wheat and oyster shell to them in there so they are using it as a scratch box as well. They naturally work the soil with their scratching and when it is hot is when I find that they may use it for dust bathing. I have it located right in the center of the run so it is very convenient. Otherwise they find any other dirt spot to do it .

I hope that description makes sense. I will have to get a picture of it posted.

 

[Della333]

I have a snow filled run , and noticed them digging and flapping in their pine bedding - yuk-
winter dust bathing isn't going to be easy. Not enough space inside the coop for a pan of ashes
any ideas?

 

[gsim]

I had one in the coop that they only rarely used. I have two out in their large run. I took the one indoors out and two days ago found one in that same spot wallowing in the litter!

For outside in run I did compost, fine masonry sand, and dirt mixed. Will also add food grade DE to both. Biggest is 7 ft across and surrounded by cinder blocks on 3 sides, rather like a horseshoe shape due to slope of the ground in the run. It is sunny in cold weather and shady in summertime there so that is what I used to determine where to put it. Mine dust bathe in winter as long as it is a dry day. Peat moss would be a great substitute for compost. Makes it fluffier and lighter that way. I also have a spot under a red cedar tree that has naturally light fluffy dirt and they have always used that too. I do not find poop in the dust baths, and even in the small one in the coop I did not find poop ever. It was about 12" X 24" X 4" deep. Am going to re do it soon because the outside ones stay wet a lot.

 

[momreda]

Thanks everyone!!!