Dust Baths

I think almost anything dry and powdery will do, and the exact proportions aren't important. I use mainly washed play sand, in bags from the homeware and garden store, mixed with dry earth. I also use expended dry compost from old flower pots, and would use sieved earth from the garden except I don't usually have any spare, and in the UK it's a long time since any of this was dry enough not to make a mud bath. Sometimes the bagged sandis wet, and then in summer I spread it out in the sun on a sheet of plastic to dry. Wood ash is good to add, as is DE, but not too much as they re both made of very small particles which can be breathed in when the hens get out and shake themselves after their bath. DE in particular is harmful if inhaled, and Woodash does make a greasy mess when it gets spread everywhere.
Make the dustbath really big and deep, room for 2 - 3 girls if possible, they do like a trip to to the beauty parlour together, also deep- at least 12-15 + inches, which will allow for minimum 6 ins of earth etc, plus tall enough sides abive the earth level to retain at least some of the scattered earth, ideally the dustbath will have strong and wide enough sides for them to hop up on to and then jump down into the bath. And of cours it needs to be under cover or it will get muddy and won't do its job.
 
My "Chicken Bio-Dome". I built this last week to help keep things dry and snow free.
 

Attachments

  • Chicken Biodome 003.jpg
    Chicken Biodome 003.jpg
    56.6 KB · Views: 2,242
  • Chicken Biodome 014.jpg
    Chicken Biodome 014.jpg
    22.8 KB · Views: 2,242
Hey, that's really great Wrigley. In there, out of the wind and snow, and with the light coming through the walls, they will be very happy and comfortable.
 
I love the tunnel, I've heard of people using poly tunnels as they are not used very much during the winter and the birds fertilise :-)17 the ground for the next growing season, I use plastering sand for dust bath and have heard ash from the fire is also good. :-)17
Tom.
 
We will be adding a dust bath area in the new enclosure under a shelter. It will only be dry earth with a small percentage of sieved wood ash Wrigley. The ash is there to choke the lice and mites but I don't want to choke the chickens as well. Great enclosure that. We have a poly tunnel which can go up when we move -if it can stand the gusts of wind we get here. Terrible yesterday -blew the roof off one of the rearing units!
 
Last week we had 30-40mph winds with gusts of 60mph (lasted over twelve hours) and the cover held tight. A very light dusting of snow last night, all I had to do this morning was tap on the supports to clear the snow. This friday we are expecting up 6 inches of snow, that will be the real test. Fingers crossed.
 
Chuck said:
All they need is a good dollop of dry earth.
Click to expand...

Dry earth? Does that come from the same place as hen's teeth? :roll:
Or do you live somewhere warm, dry and sunny? :lol:
 
The Weather Service change our forecast for tomorrow, we can expect anywhere for 12 to 24 inches of snow, at a rate of 3 inches per hour......OUCH!!! Boston "could" get as much as 43 inches!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top