Dust Baths

Chickens like to roll around in loose material like dirt or sand to help keep their feathers clean and remove parasites.  If you don’t provide them with a dust bath, they may dig up areas of garden to make their own.

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Dust Bath Design

Dust baths should be about 60cm in diameter and can be made by either digging a hole in the ground or making a raised frame out of wood, old metal troughs, or children’s plastic wading pools.

These should be filled with sand or fine dirt and you can also mix in a handful of diatomaceous earth to help keep parasite populations under control.

Ideally, the dust bath should be under cover to stop the sand or dirt from clumping together in the rain.