Chicken Dust Bath
This chicken dust bath mixes sand, peat moss, wood ash, and diatomaceous earth into a dry, fluffy bath that helps hens keep their feathers clean and mites down. Set it somewhere covered so it stays dry all year.
Equipment
- Garden Trowel
- Gloves, Safety Goggles, and Long Sleeves
Ingredients
- 2 gallons sand washed play sand or builder's sand
- 2 gallons peat moss plain sphagnum, no fertilizer
- 1 gallon wood ash cold, from clean untreated firewood
- 2 quarts diatomaceous earth food grade
Instructions
- Make sure the wood ash is completely cold, then sift it through hardware cloth or a sieve to remove any chunks of charcoal.
- Pour the sand and peat moss into a wide, shallow container, and mix them with a trowel, breaking up any clumps of peat.
- Add the wood ash and diatomaceous earth, and fold them in gently until the mix is an even color, keeping the dust down as you work.
- Set the dust bath in a dry, covered spot where the hens already spend time.
- Scoop out droppings as needed, top up the mix as it gets low, and replace it when it's damp or packed down.
Notes
Ratio: By volume, use 4 parts sand, 4 parts peat moss, 2 parts wood ash, and 1 part diatomaceous earth. One batch adds up to about 5 1/2 gallons before mixing, enough to fill an 18 1/2-inch rubber tub about 4 to 5 inches deep.
Wood ash: Use only cold ash from clean, untreated firewood, never ash from garbage, painted wood, or pressure-treated wood. Wood ash is alkaline enough to irritate skin, so keep it a smaller share of the mix.
Diatomaceous earth: Use food-grade diatomaceous earth, never pool filter diatomaceous earth. Wear a dust mask while you mix it in.
Kaolin clay: Kaolin clay can replace some or all of the diatomaceous earth.
What to leave out: Don't add pickling lime or hydrated lime, which can burn skin and eyes.
Placement: Keep the dust bath under cover. Rain turns it to mud, and a wet mix packs down.
Upkeep: Leave it out year-round, since mites can rebound once a dust bath is gone.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
