Yorkie_and_us Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Hi I hope you could help me! I need sand for a dustbath for my little 3 weeks chicks. Some people suggest Playsand from Melcourt that contains silica and others suggest Horticultural Sharp Sand from the same brand! What do you think I could use? I really want the best for them as they are little babies 🥰 price does not matter 😊 Izabella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Hello Izabella, I'm sure you'll get a few responses - and some that undoubtedly use different products than others, but for my hens I use a mix of children's play sand, diatomaceous earth, ash, and some loose soil. They seem to enjoy that. Cheers, Andy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie_and_us Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Andy thank you so much. What children’s play sand do you use? I mean what brand? And where do you get the ash from? I can’t find it online 😔🤦♀️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 9 minutes ago, Yorkie_and_us said: Andy thank you so much. What children’s play sand do you use? I mean what brand? And where do you get the ash from? I can’t find it online 😔🤦♀️ Hello again, The play sand I've bought from various places over the years: Argos, Amazon, eBay etc. It's nothing particularly fancy - shop around for the best price. If you let them free roam in your garden, you'll probably find they ignore it and just dig bowls in the grass to bathe in anyway! It's like cats and scratching posts: you can buy the fanciest, most expensive one you can find, but they'll still scratch your sofas! lol I have a chiminea, so I use the ash left over from that. It's not a huge amount, I just mix it in as and when. I suppose you might be able to use something like bamboo/coconut charcoal too, but I don't know if anyone does. As it tends to be sold for cosmetic purposes, it's probably not that cheap either. The diatomaceous earth will help with any potential lice and mites too. Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Honestly don’t worry too much about the exact type of sand - in fact don’t worry too much about what’s in there in general as long as it’s fairly dry, soily and non toxic 😀 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie_and_us Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Thank you so much 😊 I will get Play sand (probably from Melcourt), some bamboo/coconut charcoal and diatomaceous earth. 😊👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 I would use wood ash (not coal) I've seen chickens eating play sand, which isn't a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie_and_us Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Where can I buy wood ash? 😊🤷♀️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 12 hours ago, Yorkie_and_us said: Where can I buy wood ash? 😊🤷♀️ Hello again. I can't vouch for these guys because I've never bought any myself, but I found this on eBay for you. If in doubt, I'd say always check eBay and/or Amazon, and you'll find almost anything you could ever want or need: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FINELY-SIEVED-WOOD-ASH-POTASH-CHICKEN-DUSTING-POTTERY-GLAZING-or-GARDEN/124166807592?hash=item1ce8eb2028:m:mZ_WRF342WwYxz85wcplKNA Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 13 hours ago, Yorkie_and_us said: Where can I buy wood ash? 😊🤷♀️ Not sure... I use ash from our burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie_and_us Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Thank you so much 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
