Maman Poule

Chickens need the freedom to clean themselves daily by way of a dust bath (as opposed to other birds that use a bird bath with water).  If they have access to the soil, they will make the bath themselves, usually in a sheltered area where they can dig a hole that they can sit in.  They will return to this same spot every day and will likely keep it clear of excrement too.

My birds always loved to have their bath right under the hen house, which sat a few feet off the ground.  They could bathe and stay dry at the same time, ideal to pass the time in rainy weather!

If your birds don’t have access to the ground directly, you can provide them with a container of some sort filled with dirt.  A washing-up bowl will do the job nicely!  You can fill it up halfway with dirt, which you will need to top up from time to time as they will throw it out when in use.

A great idea would be to add some permethrin to their bath to help shift any lice or mites.  This is a readily available broad-spectrum, non-systemic, synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that targets adults and larvae of many species of biting, chewing, scaling, soil, and flying invertebrates.

Another idea would be to add diatomaceous earth to the dust bath, which is a microorganism from the sea that kills lice and mites but equally no harm is done to your flock, even if it goes in their eyes.  It’s a very fine powder, like flour, that you can use in their dust bath or even in the hen house as part of your armoury against red mites.  It shreds the carapace or skin of the louse or mite.  You need to make sure you buy food-grade diatomaceous earth, however.

Another option to include in their bath is wood ash from your fire, which they will enjoy mixing in with the soil.

Dust bathing is a social event for poultry where they will spend a good 30 minutes or more enjoying themselves, followed by a spot of sunbathing!

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