What do you use for a winter dust bath in your coop

[fasbendera]

This is my fifth winter here in a northern climate. It gets well below freezing for 3-4 months with a few 32 degree or above days sprinkled in and the ground is solid as a rock. When it gets to the the freezing stage I leave the birds inside to prevent any comb frost bite. I have not put in anything for a dust bath and after reading a few posts I am thinking maybe I should they would love it. Is sand the best thing or should I leave well enough alone and let them dig in the pine shavings.

 

[crazyhen]

I put sand in mine. they really like that. Gloria Jean

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have made a 'brew' of moss, sand, wood ash and a little DE.. mine love it.

 

[Pampered Chicken]

What do you put it in?

 

[emrys]

I got a black pan thing at Lowes. I think it is designed for mixing cement. Roomy enough, deep enough and comes in two sizes.

 

[fasbendera]

Quote:
I am pretty positive I am going to do a dust box (wading pool) if I can find a small one. What ratios do you use?

 

[MimiChick]

I use a kitty litter pan with a mix of sand, garden soil and wood ashes in about equal parts, then I sprinkle in some DE and poultry dust (permethrin based). The girls love it and it's I've seen 2 of them in there at the same time, so it's apparently big enough. Every so often I add in a little more sand or wood ash and sprinkle some more DE and poultry dust to keep any mites/lice at bay.

 

[rufus]

Dead ashes from the wood stove or fire place. It will keep down the bugs.

Rufus

 

[ducks4you]

I like this idea, since my birds are coming into the barn in about a week. I have some older rubber feed buckets--think I'll use one of them since the bottoms get a little rough and the horses don't like the feel of them that way.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I used a bag of the moss, bag of sand and shovel full of wood ash (from last years fireplace) and a handful of DE... Everyday, I see one of the girls that looks like "Pig-Pen" in Charlie Brown's Christmas! They walk out into the sunshine and shake and the dust just bellows up around them... I use a black pan that's for cement/mortar mix-from Lowes