Transitioning from roofed to roofless run

[K0k0shka]

Next challenge for the newly roofless run: figure out a way to keep a dry dust bath area somewhere... The umbrellas and covered walls help a lot, but enough moisture still blows in to dampen everything. They never used the nice log dust bath that I built for them They dig down through the bedding to get to the soil and dust bathe there, but now that everything has been some level of wet even without rain falling directly on them, even that's not very appealing, and one of them has been slacking on her hygiene and getting dirty. So I want to build a covered dust bath (and hope they actually use it!) I have a couple sheets of plexiglass left over from something, and one remaining panel from the clear roofing, so I want to cover it with something clear to allow more light in. I've noticed that they like dust-bathing in a sunny spot. So that will be my project for the weekend!

 

[NatJ]

So I want to build a covered dust bath (and hope they actually use it!) I have a couple sheets of plexiglass left over from something, and one remaining panel from the clear roofing, so I want to cover it with something clear to allow more light in. I've noticed that they like dust-bathing in a sunny spot. So that will be my project for the weekend!

Maybe a clear-topped picnic table for them to dustbathe underneath?
(You might never eat a meal on it, but if the neighbor looks for more things to fuss about, I'm sure picnic tables are already permitted in yards.)

 

[Tervish]

I just built mine a covered dust bath contraption! I used a low feeder tub for the dust bath part, and covered it plus roost bars on the side. The table top will lift off to clean (the plan was to reduce pooping in the dust bath). So far they seem to enjoy playing on it!

 

[K0k0shka]

I just built mine a covered dust bath contraption! I used a low feeder tub for the dust bath part, and covered it plus roost bars on the side. The table top will lift off to clean (the plan was to reduce pooping in the dust bath). So far they seem to enjoy playing on it!

That looks really nice! I love the roost additions. Extra fun. Yeah, I'm looking to build something like that, too. Now I'm trying to decide on whether to make the roof piece slanted or not... I was thinking I want it to shed rain and snow since I don't have a roof over my run anymore, and the area where the dust bath is going to be doesn't have anything overhead.

 

[Tervish]

I think slanting the roof is a good idea in your situation. Since that will dump water around the dust bath you may want to consider using a tub like I did to keep the dust bath drier and prevent water seeping in. I fill mine with a sand/dirt mix and they like it. I used "Little Giant Poly Oval Stock Tank 15 gal.". It is the biggest I could find that did not have a super high lip, this one is 8" tall, 29 3/4" long and 23" wide.

 

[K0k0shka]

I think slanting the roof is a good idea in your situation. Since that will dump water around the dust bath you may want to consider using a tub like I did to keep the dust bath drier and prevent water seeping in. I fill mine with a sand/dirt mix and they like it. I used "Little Giant Poly Oval Stock Tank 15 gal.". It is the biggest I could find that did not have a super high lip, this one is 8" tall, 29 3/4" long and 23" wide.

It definitely needs to have tall enough sides - for rainwater not to seep in, and for the sand not to get kicked out. I have a bunch of bricks left over from something, so I was thinking of building a short "wall" around the front and sides out of that. The back of the dust bath structure will be against the wall of the coop.

 

[Tervish]

They managed to kick sand out of mine, it is true. And yesterday my Buff Orpington apparently took a very thorough dust bath right before going to bed in the coop last night. This morning there was dark dust all around her favorite roost spot. It looked like someone took a sieve and dusted dirt all around.

 

[K0k0shka]

They managed to kick sand out of mine, it is true. And yesterday my Buff Orpington apparently took a very thorough dust bath right before going to bed in the coop last night. This morning there was dark dust all around her favorite roost spot. It looked like someone took a sieve and dusted dirt all around.

Something like this happened to me once, and it took me a while to figure out what it was! There was a huge amount of fine dry dirt on top of one of their favorite large stumps and immediately around it. Like somebody dumped a container of it right there. I couldn't figure out what mode of transport they could use to move that much dirt and dump it in such a precise location, without spilling any on the way Then I saw another chicken hop up on the second big stump, and shake herself off, sending massive amounts of fine dirt and dust flying around. The amount they can hold between their feathers is shocking!

 

[K0k0shka]

The roofed dust bath is done! It's completely recycled from a bunch of stuff left over from other things - all the wood came from the part of the run I had to tear down to move the coop (so it was already stained the same dark brown color and now matches the run frame!); plexiglass from another project; and a stack of bricks I had lying around.

I slanted the roof to shed rain and snow. I cleared all the run bedding in that spot and raised the dust bath three brick layers tall from the bare ground, and then the wooden frame adds another 4 inches or so on top of that, so the inside is sunk pretty deep into the ground, if you take the bedding outside of it into account as well (backfilled against the bricks), to keep the dust bath material contained and dry from the surrounding wet ground.

I then dumped some dirt first, and then a bag of sand on top of that. They seem to really enjoy dust-bathing in dirt vs. sand. The dirt is damp, unfortunately, but hopefully it will dry eventually. The sand is bone dry.

And here it is, finally done!

The chickens were VERY interested in everything and insisted on inspecting and "helping" while I was working.

They were all up in my business crawling over my hands as I was working, trying to get a better look. Inside, outside, everywhere:

And then, once I was done and the sand was in and it looked perfect, they gave me THIS:

Not a single foot stepped inside

So I have a feeling that this will be another bunch of wasted effort.... But maybe, hopefully, after the next rain soaks everything else and this is the only patch of dry material left, they'll dust bathe there out of desperation!

 

[aart]

Throw some treats in there.