What do you use for a dustbath?

[Wizbop]

I have a small tractor coop and just bought a foil broiler pan last night at the grocery store for $1.

I know! Isnt' it terrible? At least I took out the picture of the bird before I put it out for my birds. My girls had outgrown their flower pot, now they're having a ball w/ this new one. It's the perfect size for them. What do you use? I'm just using plain dirt now from our garden which they really seem to enjoy.

 

[hearthnsoul]

apparently my neighbors driveway

 

[thespinningcottage]

We put out playground sand but they use the dirt.

 

[zDoc]

I have the same problem as thespinningcottage, I made a real nice play sand place for them, and they still dig a hole and use the dirt.

 

[flockof4]

Mine scratch and dig in the ground until there's a bare spot and then roll in it like it's the best thing ever. When it's really wet outside, they will use the dust that settles to the bottom of their coop.

 

[imthedude]

ours get back in the coop and dig a massive hole in the shavings to bathe.

 

[swtamour]

Does the dirt stay in the pan for long? If you have to refill the pan, how often?

 

[Wizbop]

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Yeah, they kick out some of it. I just top it off when I clean out their coop once a week w/ fresh dirt/sand. We move our coop around on our grass in our backyard and their mostly in a grassy area, so I want them to have access to soil/sand and this has been the only way I've figured out I can do that.

 

[FiveHens]

I just gave our chickies a dust-bath, which I haven't seen them use yet, as it was installed yesterday, but I read some other threads, and this is what I did:

Tire filled with sifted fireplace ash (1/4), sifted soil from digging in the run (1/2), playground sand (1/4). It makes a nice dusty fine stuff. I really want to see them use it!!! Apparently the run is not dusty enough yet, as I have not seen them take a bath since they moved in three weeks ago. Before that, they did it with the shavings in their brooder.

 

[pardenx3]

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