Roxanne Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Please can someone let me know what medium makes a good dust bath? I have tried various things but my hens prefere to make a hole in the lawn! Also... We are building a winter run for them ajacent one of our unused outhouses and they will be on hard standing so I would also like to know the best bedding to use in the outside run and also inside, as I intend to give them access to a dry area in the winter. Any help would be most apreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I'm affraid no matter how hard you try the chooks always want to do the opposite. If you give them a pile of wood shavings or straw they will dustbathe in that. There is no need to provide anything else. Destroyed lawns is one of the things people don't mention when they try to sell you chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I've given mine compost and really expensive silver sand and they turned their noses up at it. They would much rather excavate a crater in the ground and luxuriate in that. Save your money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 ....or, just fill a tubtrug with soil and grass. Should be ok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I bought a cat litter tray with sides and they totally ignored it! Until, i filled it with wood ash from the fire!! They go mad for it now! (only wood ash, not coal ash) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted October 9, 2007 Author Share Posted October 9, 2007 Thanks for that! I have just spent the last hour watching Hermione roll round and round in a tub trug half filled with a mixture of john innes no 2 (last years), red mite powder and diatoms - she wouldn't let the others anywhere near!! It was probably the wrong day to do it - the hens were a bit damp from the rain and she has gone from being a strawberry blonde Gingernut to a smutty brown...she's in bed now and hopefully will clean herself up by tomorrow. I have added a litter tray with the same mix for tomorrow so the others can have a go too. Might light a fire tonight!! Any ideas on the best material for hard standing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScrunchee Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I would say the best thing to use would definitely be Hemcore. http://www.hemcore.co.uk/bedding.html If you can't get that I know that some people swear by Aubiose (spelling?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Anything dry and dusty is good for a dustbath, they dug all the daffy bulbs out of my tubs and roled in that, so I topped it up with sand and compost and put it in their run. Now they ignore it and dig craters in the flower beds instead. Definitely hemcore or aubiose for the hardstanding. It soaks up poo like magic and helps avoid smells. Just chuck it onto the compost when dirty and replace with fresh. A bale is about £7 from horsey shops. I used a full bale in a 3m x 2.5m run. And they like to dustbathe in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Wife Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 So far I have: 1 large shallow pink trug filled with play sand 1 shallow flower pot filled with a mix of earth from the borders and playsand 1 seed tray filled with earth All of these are failed attempts at providing a dust bath for my girlie-girls. They have instead tunnelled a bath under the grub and one in the corner of the run. I've seen them use the flowerpot once. You could provide them with the most fabulous bathing arena imaginable and they would still prefer to scratch a hole where you least want it and insist on using that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted October 10, 2007 Author Share Posted October 10, 2007 Lots of information... I have downloaded the hemcore distributor in my area and will head over there next week. Thank you for that. At for the dust baths... I tried play sand too, but it seens too wet and doesn't dry out enough and my borders have huge holes in them now because Joey the greyhound saw me digging up some dirt for the hens and he thought it was the thing to do!! My hens also dug holes under their grubs... and when they make a hole one of them tends to sit in it all day, so territorial. Still, can't complain, still getting 3-4 eggs a day and about 3 double yolkers a week so I must be doing something right. Thanks for all your help . Love the bags Snowy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Gal Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I have a large plant pot that the plants have finished so I've pulled them out and now only compost remains. I was going to leave that lurking in their new bigger run to see if they wanted to use it as a dust bath, or they can pick out all the slug eggs and clean up the compost for me. Will it work do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 My chickens don't seem to like compacted earth in a pot, it needs to be loose and fairly dry. They all dive in for the insects though! I feel sorry for the worms, they don't stand a chance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I also put weedy plant pots in the run with them. They dig out and eat the weeds and bugs and then I remove the pot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
