WitchHazel Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hello again Well, we're collecting my girls on 26th Feb, the run is almost built, we're fitting new garden gates as I type, and I'm getting into the nitty gritty of the last few arrangements. I've bought a large shallow tub trug for the girls to use as a dustbath. I was going to partially fill it with play sand, and I wondered what you use? Do you use playsand on its own? Or do you mix it with something. Any information gratefully received, and thank you for your patience as I'm sure you've all answered the same questions several times over! Hazel xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Compost! (but be prepared for them to ignore it completely, use a patch of soil, hemcore or a plant pot and eat the sand ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 What proportion do you use Snowy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Whatever I have to hand to be honest, they really aren't fussy - as long as it's dry and they can kick it up! But if I were buying from scratch I'd probably do roughly 50/50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Cold ashes from the fire........makes them look pretty scary though. Snowy is right...the will largely ignore what you provide and dig their own craters in the soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Thanks Snowy. Eluntine, I use coal in my stove, would coal ash be OK? Hazel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 i use sand and compost but as everyone has said they mainly prefare digging in the borders and making their own sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Thanks Snowy. Eluntine, I use coal in my stove, would coal ash be OK? Hazel I reckon so. I use Room Heat which is a sort of compressed smokeless coal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I use wood and coal ash from our fire. I read somewhere that ash used for dustbathing acts as a natural deterrent to lice and mites. As does dried tobacco leaves I tried sand and compost but they weren't interested. As soon as I put down the wood ash, they were in there like a shot. I keep bags of it in the shed and as soon as i empty one into the dust bath, it causes a rugby scrum to see who can get in first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 we're fitting new garden gates as I type Wow! You are multi-talented aren't you? Apologies. I couldn't resist. I agree that the girls seem to prefer creating their own craters in the garden rather than using the dustbath I provided. I don't think I ever saw them use it once. The big flower pot that I used now has plants in it and is sitting on my patio! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 My girls love their dustbath and rush for it every time I top it up. I use playsand and compost because they will not use it if it is just plain play sand. They still love it even when they are free ranging and could choose somewhere else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I've tried compost but they ignore it. I tried a new one recently as I'd not seen then dustbathe for a while and they decided they would dustbathe...in the run in the aubiose. They have a crater in the ground they've dug, and use if the weather is nice. What do you do with sand afterwards? I got compost as it would go on the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iChicken Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I've tried sand and compost in a bowl but they won't touch it. I filled in their usual dustbath crater with sand and compost but they just went and made another one in the middle of the strawberry plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Mine have got playsand, aubiose and a sprinkling of Diatom in a cat litter tray. The playsand is initially quite wet straight from the bag so the aubiose helps dry it out. That said, they're only really interested in it for the first day or two before all the muck from the run gets kicked into it! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...