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farrowy

eating the dust bath

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I only made my dust bath yesterday, but I put play sand in it (sorry, Ethan) and some earth. I plan to put some Diatom in it when I buy some.

I got a low toy box/storage box with a lid from a bargain shop, it cost £2.50 but now I wish I had bought one slightly bigger. As my girls are out of the run most odf the day I have put the box outside of it, & as it has a lid I can close it off at night/when it rains.

If you will be having your dust bath in the run then some Omleteers have used old flower pots, cat litter trays, washing-up bowls, anything really that your hens can get into. Be inventive! The washing-up bowl I was going to buy was red to match my Eglu- I also have a red plastic dog bowl which I use for their treats- the chooks go wild when they see my coming to them with it :D

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I had a fairly shallow planter that I filled with Playsand and yes - they ate the lot! Their poos were really weird for the next couple of days - like little blocks of cement :lol:

 

I've now filled a large flower pot with dry earth and a bit of sand and compost and every morning I can either see a head or a bum sticking out - with the others lining up waiting for their turn.

 

They are so funny!

 

KeymerKim

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I ditched the cat litter tray I'd put in as a dustbath. They just make a hole wherever they fancy in the run and bathe in that :roll: .

 

Jak, I wouldn't worry unless you get softies for more than say 4 days. Do you give them limestone flour? That can help shell hardness (although if the other hen is OK, it's obviously nothing you're doing wrong :? ).

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Ha ha, this post made me laugh! I didn't realise other people's chooks were just as stupid. I put in a load of bird sand (I think it's for canaries or something) which smelled of aniseed. They scoffed the lot! They much prefer to dig their own, which means we have lots of little chicken sized pot holes around the garden. Hey ho

 

Kris

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Jak, do you provide your girls with ad lib access to oyster shell or mixed grit? They need the grit to help them digest food (as they have no teeth), and the Oyster Shell for calcium to help with forming eggshells. "Mixed Grit" usually contains both.

 

If you are, and are still having softies, then perhaps you could try adding a small amount of Limestone Flour to their pellets. This is easily available from horsey shops/feed merchants and costs just a few pounds for a large tub.

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Yes, they have always had mixed grit added to their pellets (although they don't seem terribly keen!)

 

It's just weird that one has reliably layed from the day we got her last year.

 

Limestone flour might be worth a try - so I should be able to get it from the places that sell Hemcore then?

 

I wondered if it was to do with what they eat when they freerange around the back garden ...?

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Yes, they have always had mixed grit added to their pellets (although they don't seem terribly keen!)

 

Might be worthwhile having it in a pot separate form the pellets, then they can help themselves to it when they need it?

I;m always amazed at how much mixed grit my girls eat. They eat less of it when they are out free ranging, as they eat stones from the garden instead!

 

Yes, the places that sell Hemcore will also sell (or be ablt to get) Limestone flour. It's a really widely used horsey supplement.

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