Using ashes for dust bathing

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

everytime i clean our woodstove out, I dump the ashes in a drycorner in their run. They love it. I also have 2 white leghorns that stay white. I was using just Buhach...but I read that wood ashes particles are so small that the dust chokes out mites and lice. So I use ashes now, and this spring I might dump some more Buhach. It hasn't made any of them sick....they don't set out to eat it. they do run over and all start rolling before I'm done dumping the ashes.

 

[swampducks]

This is one of the most interesting and useful things I have learned on these boards. Finally, something to do with fireplace ashes!

 

[ranchhand]

The one thing to keep in mind is that it's WOOD ashes, not ashes from burning trash. I just started putting them out 2 weeks ago, after reading about it on BYC- they LOVE it! Once they're done, they shake clean as ever.

Pretty funny to watch, too.

 

[GardenerGal]

We heat with the woodstove, so the wood ash is abundant all winter. I mix it with playsand to keep the ash from blowing.

The only thing is that you don't want to use it if your coop is right near garden plants that need acidic soil. I keep the dustbath away from where the ashes can get into the soil of my blueberry patch.

 

[vermontgal]

Mine ate it. Their poops turned charcoal black. I knew why (ashes) so I didn't freak out. But based on how black the poops were, I took away the ashes.

Which reminds me that I should give them another opportunity in a sand bin, with very little ash content.

I use the ashes on my driveway for winter traction instead of sand. Based on my extension services' soil analysis of my gardens, I also want to save about 20 lbs of ashes to use on the garden in the spring.

 

[GardenerGal]

Wood charcoal is added to bird grit to "sweeten" their digestive system, so I wonder whether it's really a problem for chickens to eat bits of wood charcoal from woodstove and fireplace ash.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

I would have thought that breathing the fine dust particles would be harmful to them. I have piles out too, but have not noticed them using it. But on the other hand I do have lots and lots of dirt that they use, in my flower bed!

 

[GardenerGal]

lol!
My flower beds have been off limits to the chooks for a LONG time.

They always pick the softest, most cultivated soil. Maybe that's why they like ashes, because they're soft.

 

[Ourhousebirds]

Can I use ashes from a pellet stove for dust bath?