Chicken Dust Bath

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Chicken Dust Bath

If you have never kept chickens before, you may not know that chickens do not take bird baths like other birds do. Instead, these birds take a chicken dust bath. This means that you should provide your chickens the opportunity to bathe in a mixture that will allow them to remove mites and other parasites they come into contact with. There are many ways your can provide them with this opportunity. For example, you can build or re-purpose a simple wooden box and fill it with a mixture your chickens will enjoy. You can make your own dust bath mixture, or you can buy one. However, before you do any of these things, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with chicken dust bath dos and don’t. Read on to find out!

Why Do Chickens Take Dust Baths?

Chickens take dust baths in order to keep their feathers in good condition, as well as to remove mites, lice and other parasites they come in contact with. You may notice your chickens preening their feathers, and then following up with a refreshing dust bath. In addition to removing parasites, this process also helps chickens remove oil from their skin, and keep their skin in good condition.

In the wild, chickens will find a spot on the ground, dig a large shallow hole, and begin frolicking in the dirt. This is fine in the wild and perhaps even in your yard if you have enough space and the weather is nice. However, you may have limited space in your backyard, and the ground may be cold or wet. In these cases, it is important for you to provide an opportunity for your chickens to bathe.

How To Provide A Chicken Dust Bath

For times when the ground outside is wet or the weather is cold, you can provide a dust box inside your chicken coop. Just about any container will do, as long as you can fill it with about 6″ more of dust, and as long as the dust stays in the container when your chickens are bathing. In general, you should select a container that is about one foot deep and about 15″x24″ on the sides. This will prevent them from making a mess inside the coop. The plastic tubs that you can find at any department store work well for this. Or, you can use any old wooden crate or box. Keep in mind, that these are the minimum guidelines. Feel free to provide a larger container that will accommodate multiple birds at the same time.

Next, fill the tub with sand or dirt or peat moss. Almost any dirt will work work, but the drier and sandier the better. However, you should stay away from any mixture that contains salt, as this is an irritant. There are other substances that you can add to the mix, and that are available in commercial dust bath mixes. These include diatomaceous earth and aluminum silicate. You should always make sure that any substances you add to the mix are non-toxic and are present in very small quantities. This will ensure your mix is irritant free.

Other Ingredients You Can Add

There are other substances you can add to the mix to help keep your chickens happy and healthy. These include peat moss, which is safe and very effective, chemical and toxin-free ash from your fireplace, or herbs, such as mint, parsley or sage. In addition, you should make sure you dry the herbs thoroughly before adding them to the mix. You will wind up with a chicken dust bath mixture that is both effective, and safe for your chickens to peck at.