Eglu Go & guinea pig zippi run

[Vicky40]

Hello

 

I'd like some advice about making a dustbath for the chickens. Its to go in the corner of the eglu run. Can I use cold ashes from our coal fire for example ? Also what would make a suitable container?

[laurmurf]

Hi,

I used a big trug I got from B&Q but then trimmed down a bit shorter so they could hop in and out more easily (we even cut a little doorway in for them ) and i filled it with a mix of potting compost, play sand and red mite powder (not equal quantitites). I have heard that ash is their favourite - must be nice getting it into their frilly knickers and shaking it about!

[The Ives Clan]

If you are going to let them free range they will may their own. More often they will all have different ones. Don't leave any pots in the garden that have plants that die down in the winter or there is a chance they will dustbath in the pot. I think the plant roots are still OK in two of ours.

 

If you don't won't them to have it fence it off. We found out the hard way with our herb garden

[PurpleTree]

I've been wondering about this. Is a cat litter tray big enough? The soil and bark in their is a bit soggy now, and I don't there's much dry earth in the garden. They spend much of the day in the run, so thought I'd give them a dust bath.

[Old Speckled Hen]

I got one of these

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/henhouse/Feeder_Shelter_or_Dustbath.html

Though it does live outside.

 

Fire ashes are OK as long as they are mostly wood.

I have a small wood burner in the kitchen which I light with a base of coal and keep burning with logs once it is hot enough.

I use a garden sieve to sort out the larger unburnt bits.

The chooks, and garden birds, love it.

You need something heavy enough to withstand toppling over if two chooks decide to stand on the same side. I think a cat litter tray might be too unstable.

An old wooden drawer is great. Some people use a plastic trug, mine had that over in a trice.

An old tyre is popular though takes up a lot of space.

[Egluntyne]

I use a shallow tubtrug with compost.

[peisiong]

Hi

 

just tagging onto this thread.

 

I used a rectangular plastic planter as a sand bath that I got from garden centre and bury it so that its edges are only a little above the "floor" of the chicken run. We use gravel and bark chips in the chicken run.

 

I put play sand and diatcom powder into the sand bath.

 

They loved it for 1 day and then they started to kick gravel, bark chips etc into the sand bath and now it is in a complete mess and I cannot keep up with clearing the sand bath of gravels etc. Now with the wet weather, the sand bath is v wet and dirty and they are not using as it as a bath any more.

 

I have read about people using mixture containing compost. With our wet weather, wouldn't compost make it even more "wet" and muddy?

 

Do you have the same problem and if so, how do you overcome it?

 

Thanks v much!

 

Kind regards,

 

Pei

[jlo]

An old washing up bowl with play sand in it and I fill it up every few days as the sand gets kicked all over the place.

 

I had forgotten about putting ash in it - might try that too!

[SnowWhite]

I've given the girls a cat litter tray with ash from our wood stove, mixed with red mite powder. They just ignore it at the moment, so I'm going to have to try a few other ingredients. Thanks for all the suggestions here!

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

We use diatom & playsand in a shallow tubtrug from B&Qs.

[Valkyrie]

Well, I used to have a tub trug but only 2 girls could squeeze in. I said to OH it was a pity we didn't have the old sand pit any more. He said "we still do, it was the lid that broke".

 

So here we have 3 happy monsters. As you can see the tub trug is a bit dwarfed by the girls, usually poor Cheyenne tried to bath in the grass while the other two hogged it!

 

 

The trug still has it's uses though, I put in a new bag of topsoil and both get covered over to keep them dry. When the big one needs a top up, I can use the new dry soil. I also add more Diatom and louse and mite powder - smells divine.

When it is a dry day I uncover the bath - usually they whinge for it before I get there - and they'll be in there for ages.

[The Dogmother]

Mine have a vintage enamel washing up bowl (minus one handle), it's filled with soil and ash from the stove.

[helenmb]

Can I use cold ashes from our coal fire for example ? Also what would make a suitable container?

There was a thread running a little while ago about ash, here is a link

[Old Speckled Hen]

 

So here we have 3 happy monsters. As you can see the tub trug is a bit dwarfed by the girls, usually poor Cheyenne tried to bath in the grass while the other two hogged it!

 

 

They look wonderful bathing together.

My set up allows only one at a time

[Falkor]

hi

 

I have just put a "dust bath" of sand and compost into their run and they seem to be eating it?

 

Should I worry?

[Vicky40]

Thanks for the different ideas...for the time being I have put a trug full of coal ash in the run for them. I think it may be a bit deep but will look around for something more suitable. The chickens have not shown any interest in the dustbath yet but its early days so I'll leave it in there for a few days and see what happens.

 

Funny I used to go shopping and bring back things for the kids now I just look for chicken things instead - ha !