emchook Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 My chickens used to dustbath when I first got them last year .. but have done it less and less. I recently put in a nice dustbath area [ large concrete planter with soil from the veg patch ] for them in the new WIR and they are NOT interested . Does it matter that they have lost interest in this past time ... or should I change the soil for something else ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutti Frutti Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Is it in a sunny spot? The sunshine makes all the difference to mine - we have huge holes in the sunny borders of our garden! Just had a daft thought - maybe the china makes it cold? Can you try the same soil in a trug and see if it makes a difference? Probably very stupid thought as mine were trying to scratch in frozen soil back in January Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 When i got my original hens-i went to the effort of giving them a litter tray full of sand-which they promply ignored and instead chose to bathe in flowerbeds.What im trying to say is they know what they like so i wouldnt worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Mine have a trug full of dry sand in the run which they will quite happily use if its wet outside - otherwise they use their own home made dust bath in the flower bed which I keep topped up with soil/sand/ash during the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Is the soil nice and dry? My girls only dustbath in dirt that is of a certain standard of dryness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emchook Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 The soil is nice and dry .. but they just kick it out and look at it ! Next time I go to the garden centre I will get some play sand and mix it in. Maybe that will do it ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahsausage Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Maybe they just need time to get used to the new arrangement? I put a trug in my run for their dustbath and it took them a while to use it, now it's used daily, maybe just a bit of patience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riven Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 sand or a soil and sand mix best? We've used compost up till now in a cat litter tray in the run and they kick it all out. Messy bathers my girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoura Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 wood ash is good. I mixed some diatom powder with mine also . I think they like it quite dry and powdery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riven Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 coal ash? We have lots of that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I gave mine a trug filled with playsand and soil which they have completely emptied out. I came home the other day to find four of them dustbathing in the run in holes they had dug. The run floor is a mixture of woodchippings soil and easibed. Thy quite happily dig their own holes to dustbathe in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 When it comes to dustbathing the general rule is you do what you want and they do what they want, I tried many things, for a reason kown but to higher powers my hens always dustbath in the most damaging spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emchook Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Well I have tried .. and next time we have ash around I will pop some in ! I wont worry about it then ! Little monkeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
