Winter Dust Baths

[MNChickens27]

Hi All:

I live in Minnesota and am curious what people in Northern climates do to provide a dust bath for their chickens when it gets cold and snowy. Is there something I can buy at a Lowe's or Home Depot that would be good for them to bath in to help keep mites away?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[cavemanrich]

Get garden or potting soil(not the fertilizer enhanced type) and load it up dry into tub/pot/ container. My chickens just luv using my flower pots (large) in early spring when they get access to them. Later they dig holes and also like to use my firepit. (when not burning)
And above all....

 

[Molpet]

I use a large bus tub, like restaurants use to clear tables, filled with sand (I use the tube sand left over from last winter) and wood ash.
Other people use the concrete mixing tubs from home depot and use soil, peat moss or from where they are bathing now.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

I use a large bus tub, like restaurants use to clear tables, filled with sand (I use the tube sand left over from last winter) and wood ash.
Other people use the concrete mixing tubs from home depot and use soil, peat moss or from where they are bathing now.

I use a baby splash pool...... and sand, dirt from my yard and recently wood/cardboard ash

 

[GinaNew York]

here's my first year with a tire filled with sand and garden and poultry dust

 

[aart]

I have an area that is part of the run under the coop.
It stays dry 99% of the year.
I take some dirt from there in the fall and put it in a tub in the coop.
They only use the coop tub if the 'under-run' area freezes solid.

No need to buy anything, just get some dirt from where they usually dust bathe.
Gather this dirt when it is dry, or it may will freeze inside the coop too.

 

[chickens really]

My run is covered and stays pretty dry...It has sand in it..They have dug to China in areas...Lol
A lady I know has a children's covered sandbox her Grandchildren out grew....

 

[Snoozeys]

The best stuff is meant to be wood ash so if you know anyone with a combustion wood stove steal all their used ash !!!

 

[PirateGirl]

Right now I use dirt, the voles churn up nice dusty piles of it for me without clumps or rocks or roots. I shovel it into a $5 kitty litter pan. We burn wood for heat in the winter and I plan to top off their dust bath from our ash can going forward once the ground totally freezes.

 

[chickens really]

I used to use wood ash but this Flock has respiratory disease...Sand, dirt, works just as well...