what can i buy or use for dust bath in winter?

[aoxa]

Quote:
I would definitely mix something with the DE. It is very dusty.

I would mix it with topsoil

I might just end up digging up some of my garden and letting it dry out to use instead of the sand.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I put some fine pine shavings, DE, and potting soil (with no fertilizer) in with the button quail this morning and they went berserk!

 

[ldutch123]

Awesome I have a black dirt sand mix in there now so I will mix it all together. The black dirt just never got very dusty. They just picked at it and pooped in it.

 

[Beekissed]

Wood ashes...good parasite preventative, both inside and out of the chicken. These are easy to obtain free from anyone who has a wood burning stove.

 

[goldies99]

i use equal parts of....... dirt.....saw dust ....and ash....works great...and costs me nothing!...i sift it all together

 

[rcentner]

ashes from your wood stove in a large animal feed or water container, or rubbermaid like container.
Whatever container you use, make sure several chickens fit in at one time, mine always like to dust bathe together

 

[mrkep]

My group uses the deep litter in the coop when the outside is frozen, like now. I have DE and sevin in the litter. When I go in the coop, there are little foxholes all over the floor. I have to clean the waterer frequently , but the chickens are happy.

 

[LisaCammie]

I live in the red clay part of the country so my white hen was turning a nice orange color from her self dug dust baths. I picked the divet the fluffy butts were using the most (and fighting over) and dug it out to about 3' x 2', framed with landscaping timbers and then filled in with a mixture of top soil, sand (quikcrete play sand from Lowe's) and DE. I want to add some ash but haven't fired up the burn barrell lately. The girls seem to like it when it's dry but I still have to break it up with a rake for a few days after rain. I think I would make a cover easy enough, just haven't gotten around to it. What I have it working but I think there's room for improvement.

 

[Dirtyhip]

I am going to put an old dog loo house on top of a pile of sand, DE, and potting soil. I'll just litter box clean the whole mess once a week. it will be dry in there year round. Hopefully, they will use it.

 

[mieastman]

I use a large cat litter box with a mixture of dirt and FG diatamaceous earth. Only room for one at a time but my eight girls share. I also add pepper to the mix to discourage use by the neighbor cats. My chickens are safe, one cat thinks it is part of the flock.