[carolbriar]

Can you tell me what to use in making a dust bath?  What is a good size and how deep should it be? Should it be just sand? Soil? A mixture of soil and sand?  Could I buy a bag of compost and add some to sand?  Any help would be very welcome.  I think my girls are trying to have a dust bath in the shavings in the coop.  The ground is too wet for them to make their own.    Someone said they put their ashes from a wood fire into the sand etc but I really would like to get the poor things something soon with a shelter over it so it doesn't get wet.  

[Knight Family]

Mine just love making there own, eg soil under the trees, they gave up with sand and washing up bowls.

[noshed]

I saw in a post in the last day or two that someone puts compost in a deep tray under their coop so there's shelter from the rain - I can't find the post though!

[Bonniebean]

I think the post you mean was grumpydad's and I did the same! I dug out all their woodchip under the coop and then put mixed sand and compost in it, the chooks then added some of the woodchip and i also put some diatom in and stirred it - they love it! Two at a time!

[carolbriar]

Thanks for the replies.  I will have a go at the sand/compost and diatom mixture but will put it in a flat container with 3"- 4" sides as under the coup can get wet in heavy rain.  I will await with interest to see if they use it!

[ehs284]

Our covered part of the run has a bottom layer of sand and gravel covered with wood chippings. They make great holes in it to dustbath and sometimes just sleep in the holes when it's cold. The chippings get thrown everywhere so a deep hole gets a 'lid' of chippings. A good way to break your ankle - I've certainly fallen over a few times!

[smiler43]

Mine adopted a large planter so I gave it them and they have used it every since.  It's about 8 inch deep and 15 inch wide.  I use cheap compost in it sometimes I put ash in there too from my sons fires.  They've never used anything else.

[Flowerpower136]

We've a covered run, so the girls have picked their own spot for dustbathing and have a really good deep crater on the go.

Prior to that I thought I'd give them a hand, and used a racing car tyre (wide internal diameter) and filled it with fine sand.   They do enjoy it, digging it and throwing it everywhere, but have never used it as a dustbath, they prefer the one they've made themselves.

Do you have a garden table that could act as a roof?

[carolbriar]

Hi everyone,  I went and bought a plastic storage box with a lid on it today - its about 15" wide and about 30" long or something like that.  It is about 8" deep and I decided at £2.99 it was worth a try as the other tray I was going to use is for my oven shelving when it gets a rare clean up.  I have some sharp sand and some top soil - both of them are drying out in a warm cupboard at the moment.  I will add some Diatom and mix them together and see what happens.  Can I add some louse powder to it aswell?  If it is left out I can always put the cover on at night  or if it is raining but think that is wishful thinking on my part.  I might just bury it slightly under the house or might do as some of you have done and dig out below the house and have a go at doing that first.  So many thoughts going through my head as to the best way to do it.  I feel I am letting them down by not having somewhere for them to have a good bath.  I have an old garden table in the run which is on its side with a piece of board over it and I could always try putting the box underneath that.   

[grumpydad]

i raised the coop to about 2' and emptied a few bags of sharp sand underneath, mixed a bit of wood ash from the fire, they love it, the run has a roof and sides, so it is always dry.

[Catsmuvva]

Mine were more than happy to make their own wherever they pleased during the warmer months but as dust became mud I hit on an idea - after clearing out my tomatoes, tomatillos and chillis from the greenhouse I left the door slightly ajar and let them in to do their stuff. Result? Happy, dry chickens and the bed gets turned over for the spring - if I can bring myself to turf them out. They seem so happy in there.....

[carolbriar]

What a great idea - only problem is, I can't let ours out of the run because of possible fox and also one of our dogs takes far too much interest in the girls still.  She watches them whenever she is out in the garden.  I would like to try and put up a net fence which can be moved around and maybe in the better weather let them out somewhere different for a change - I would have to be around though as I would only worry in case Mr Fox was around!  I have got my sand and topsoil drying out - they were both wet - why can't the shops keep the bags  dry

[smiler43]

I wouldn't worry too much about it as if they want they'll make their own somewhere.  My newbie used to just use the floor but has got the hang of going in the planter like the others.  They'll only go where they want to.

[chuckmum]

I use two soft garden buckets 99p from Asda then fill them with dry compost, the chooks love it and all jump in together. I have a covered run so they can dustbath to their hearts content, although when they are out and about they love the patch under the tree or my best plants in their pots! I can think of very few things that are more ridiculous then chickens dust bathing on each other.

[noshed]

This is the bit I saw, from amj: I have a 8" high box with top of the range peat compost
under their house.... nice and dry... they lay there happy as hens..
keeps them clean.....