Chickens love to get dusty. It is a little gross, but they will cover themselves with fine dust, dirt, ashes, or a mixture of those. In the summer, I leave a shallow tray of diatomaceous earth mixed with fine dirt for the chickens to dust bathe in and in the winter, they have the ashes from the wood stove. I have often wondered why they like the ashes, but I am sure it does help keep the parasites at bay. The only thing is, when ashes are wet, they can form lye and to me it does not seem like a good thing to bathe in wood ashes, but then, I am not a chicken.
When the wood stove is cleaned out, mostly bi weekly, depending on the temperature outside, the ashes are poured into a upsided lid to a kennel that is mostly broken. It simply helps keep the ash in one spot. The chickens come out looking like they are ill, grey and poorly coloured, until I realize that they have been dust bathing. Silly chickens!
When the wood stove is cleaned out, mostly bi weekly, depending on the temperature outside, the ashes are poured into a upsided lid to a kennel that is mostly broken. It simply helps keep the ash in one spot. The chickens come out looking like they are ill, grey and poorly coloured, until I realize that they have been dust bathing. Silly chickens!
Three hens in the ash box having a wonderful time at the spa.
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