How to make a dust bath for your chooks
Did you know that chickens get clean by getting dirty?
Unlike us, chickens don’t take a shower or a bubble bath. Instead, they use dirt to stay clean and to rid themselves of parasites. Keep scrolling to learn how you can easily set up a dustbath for your chooks.
You only need 4 things for your chicken dustbath:
An old tyre (or any other material to keep the ingredients contained)
Buckets of sand
Some wood ash
CritterKleen® Bedding Powder
Learn how to make a dustbath for your chooks in 3 simple steps:
1. Place the old tyre in a sheltered area
If you let your chooks free range, they will choose their own spots to dust bathe. It often turns out to be the worst spot for them to do it, like under your precious fruit trees, under your prized rose bushes or other areas, creating deep holes in the process. You can encourage your chickens to bathe in the spot you choose by making it very inviting for them. It’s important to choose a dry area, so the dust bath doesn’t get wet and muddy. Ideally, you also want it to be out of the wind with direct sunlight.
Using old tyres for your dustbath is a great way to recycle them, so they don’t end up in landfill. However, you can use any other material, like logs, rocks or whatever you can find on your property to keep the sand contained.
2. Empty your buckets of sand and wood ash into the tyre
Now that you found your perfect spot, place the old tyre on the ground and fill it up with the sand. Any loose, dry dirt or medium grain sand works well. Aim to fill it up completely, so the sand is level with the top of the tyre. Then add the wood ash and mix it through. The wood ash not only helps to absorb toxins in your chickens feathers but also suffocates parasites. Just be sure that the wood ash you are using does not contain any lighter fluid or chemicals.
3. Add some CritterKleen® Bedding Powder to the mix
Add a small amount of CritterKleen® Bedding Powder to the mix. It contains Diatomaceous Earth, slow-dried Kunzea leaf from Flinders Island (Tasmania) and ultra fine apple pomace flour and helps your chickens to rid themselves of parasites.
Diatomaceous Earth is a powder made from the sediment of fossilised algae found in bodies of water all over the world. While it feels like a fine, soft powder to humans, Diatomaceous Earth is actually composed of millions of tiny particles with jagged edges. These dry out the natural oils and fats on the exoskeletons of unwanted parasites, which causes them to shrivel up and perish relatively quickly. If you have a sensitive lung condition please exercise caution when using Diatomaceous Earth and wear a face mask.
The Kunzea leaf naturally produces a very fragrant essential oil. Native animals are known to sleep underneath Kunzea bushes to get relief from ticks and other parasites in the wild. That’s where this plant got its other common name ‘tick bush’ from.
And that’s it. Your dustbath is ready to go for your chooks to enjoy their chicken day spa. :)
You can order and find out more about our CritterKleen® Bedding Powder here:
Bedding Powder
CritterKleen® Bedding Powder for poultry nests, dust baths and burrows.