Dust Bath !

Hens taking a dust bath. 

The coop door opened and 8 hens ran for the corner where the soil was warm and sandy. Must have felt so good. It was one of our first warm days since winter. They stayed in that dirt for some time soaking up the rays and dusting their bodies and feathers.


Dust baths are a way for chickens to keep clean.   It also keeps those pests at bay.  The dust will clog the pores and suffocate any pests hitching a ride. It is a natural pesticide.


Watch video: Here is our hens inside the coop taking dust baths. 

Dust baths are a kind of self-care for chickens.

If your chickens do not have a place to take dust baths you can create one for them. 

You can use, for example, an old apple crate, 14" plastic tub, galvanized tub or just dig out an area and fill it with the following base.

A good base is:
Equal amounts of

• dry clean dirt ( fertilizer, pesticide free)
• clean builders sand

That is enough but 
You can also add:

• ash/charcoal ( NO Lighter fluid !) -Charcoal has vitamin K for blood clotting and also calcium and magnesium. charcoal is a laxative and helps remove toxins and the ash and charcoal also absorbs toxins.
• dried ground lavender, mint, and rosemary are good insect repellents
• dried yarrow is an anti-inflammatory and clears up respiratory issues as do thyme and rosemary. 

If your dust bath area is outdoors think of adding an umbrella or canopy to keep it dry.

Chickens taking a dust bath are fun to watch. They peck at the ground to loosen the dirt and maneuver their wings to fluff the dirt up over them.  When the are done with their bath they will stand walk away and give a big shake shake, like a dog shakes off water, and a big cloud of dust will come off of them.

You do not have to have a formal dust bath for free range chickens. They will find a place and make it suitable for their dust bath. Here is our hen, Angel, settling down on some bare ground to have a dust bath. I had music playing on my phone and wind chimes in the background. Made it kind of like a spa atmosphere.

Watch video of Angel take her dust bath

DeborahMoonMoen
Little Utah Farm

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image by Paul de Bruin
 Freeimages.com

Two little girls are talking
1st girl: Does your family pray before you eat dinner?
2nd girl: Nope my mom knows how to cook.