What is your favorite dust bath mixture?

[wermnmnmnm]

Thanks... I think I will get a bucket... that way I can move it if it is in a bad spot

 

[lindareynolds]

What ratio of dirt to sand to DE? Where can I find the sulfur if I decide to add that, and how much sulfur to the mix.

 

[Oletadarlene]

Hi. Liked your answer have been reading up on chickens. We have 8. Just read about charcoal ashes from clean wood. Good to hear you use it

 

[Ray Wienand]

I am going to build a dust bath area for my 2 chickens. They currently have 30 square metres to run around but I was going to build a wooden area 900mm x 600mm x 120mm high.

Was going to fill it with Richgro 25L All Purpose Natural Mulch and Richgro 40L Pine Bark Mulch.

The chickens live in Sydney Australia and winter is not a problem for them to free range all day.

Does this sound like a good combination to keep them happy?

 

[Victoria-nola]

I am going to build a dust bath area for my 2 chickens. They currently have 30 square metres to run around but I was going to build a wooden area 900mm x 600mm x 120mm high.

Was going to fill it with Richgro 25L All Purpose Natural Mulch and Richgro 40L Pine Bark Mulch.

The chickens live in Sydney Australia and winter is not a problem for them to free range all day.

Does this sound like a good combination to keep them happy?

Neither of those sound to me like the type of content they need. They need fine dust and sand, not mulch, which does not have enough powdery material in it to do the job and the bark isn't the right material even if it has some dust in the product along with the shreds of bark. Mine absolutely love either fine dry dirt, which they find on their own, or diatomaceous earth (DE), which I provide. You can add DE to native fine earth (powdery stuff that is dry). Some people mix in 1/2 fine-sand as well. They hunker down into the dust and wriggle around in it. Songbirds do it too, but chickens are larger and need a bigger "bath" space.

If you get DE, make sure it is not the kind made for pool filters, that stuff is heat treated and dangerous to the lungs. The stuff you want is essentially Codex food grade. Garden centers carry it, and most feed stores.

BTW, they don't really want or need a separate wooden floor for this... what they like is to hunker down on the dirt. You can provide a covered area that rain drains away from so that it stays dry even when it rains. But if you put them off the ground they may not use it. People are always trying to get them to use a specific box or tub and often the chooks reject it.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I am going to build a dust bath area for my 2 chickens. They currently have 30 square metres to run around but I was going to build a wooden area 900mm x 600mm x 120mm high.

Was going to fill it with Richgro 25L All Purpose Natural Mulch and Richgro 40L Pine Bark Mulch.

The chickens live in Sydney Australia and winter is not a problem for them to free range all day.

Does this sound like a good combination to keep them happy?

We use equal parts peat moss and wood ash. Sometimes I add a little DE.

I would think mulch is too course for a DUST bath. The powder is needed to absorb excess oils in their feathers.

 

[Ray Wienand]

Thanks for your advice. I ended up getting some premium garden soil from a landscape supplier. This matches the same as what is in my garden area that they love to fossick around in. They thought the pit was pretty good straight away. They now now use it regularly as part of their daily routine.

 

[katmat]

I am making dust baths for my chicks. I have decided to use the small kiddie pools. I was wondering about the DE. Some say the food grade is ok and some say it is unhealthy for them. I was also wondering about putting the powered 7 in with the sand and other stuff. Any thoughts?

 

[katmat]

I was wondering about putting 7 in my chicks bath. Is it safe?

 

[Victoria-nola]

I am making dust baths for my chicks. I have decided to use the small kiddie pools. I was wondering about the DE. Some say the food grade is ok and some say it is unhealthy for them. I was also wondering about putting the powered 7 in with the sand and other stuff. Any thoughts?

food-grade DE is safe to use. Yes, put it in the mix of your dust bath. Many people get the filter-grade DE and the food-grade confused. Filter-grade is used in swimming pool filters and is heat treated-- the dust becomes toxic when it is heat treated.

Food grade is not heat treated-- it is essentially a fully natural product. My chickens LOVE LOVE to be dusted with it.