What to Put in a Chicken Dust Bath

Chickens and dust bathing go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you don’t provide a dust bath spot, your flock will make their own. Even if you do make a DIY dust bath for your chickens, they may still choose their own location! Whether you make your flock a dust bath or let them choose their own spot, there are a few key ingredients that go into a good dust bath. Knowing what to put in a chicken dust bath can help you create just the right bathing conditions that chickens love and that will be beneficial for their health. Let’s take a look at some of the ingredients you can put in your homestead flock’s dust bath!

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Dirt

The main ingredient in a chicken dust bath should be dirt. Dry, loose, native dirt should compose a majority of the chicken dust bath. Native dirt is simply the soil that is native to your area. Chickens use native dirt when they choose their own dust bath location. If you build your flock a dust bath, try to dig up some loose, dry native dirt to use as the main ingredient in the dust bath.

Native dirt can provide a natural source of grit which your chickens may peck at while they bath. Dirt is what gives dust bathing its name, and is the key element in a chicken dust bath. Loose dirt will be easy for chickens to fling on themselves. It will sift down into the feathers to provide all the benefits of a dust bath.

Being the main ingredient in a chicken dust bath, dirt provides nearly all the essential benefits that chickens take a dust bath for:

• pest control– the dirt can help smother external parasites
• exfoliation– larger particles in the dirt can help with exfoliation (the removal of dead skin cells)
• absorbing excess oil– the dry nature of dirt will absorb any excess oils from a chicken’s feathers

Like I mentioned before, dry native dirt should be the main ingredient in a chicken dust bath. If you simply provide your flock with an area of loose, dry dirt they will be as happy as clams. The following dust bath ingredients are simply dust bath amendments that you can mix into the dirt.

Sand

Sand is a dust bath amendment that can be added to your flock’s dust bath. It can help increase the volume of dirt as well as help keep the dirt loose. While chickens don’t prefer dust bathes that are composed of mostly sand, mixing a little sand into the native dirt can improve its texture and performance.

Sand is too coarse to be used as the main component of a dust bath. However, its coarseness can provide benefits when it is mixed into the dirt in small quantities. Sand provides these added benefits when mixed into the chicken dust bath:

• exfoliation– the coarsness of sand is great for aiding exfoliation and removing dead skin cells
• declumps soil– mixing sand into the dirt can help keep it loose and clump free

In general, sand should not exceed 50% of the dust bath mixture. When buying sand to mix into your flock’s dust bath, make sure you buy coarse construction-grade sand. Construction-grade sand may also be sold as all-purpose sand, contractors sand, or multipurpose.

You basically don’t want a super fine sand, like play sand or paver sand. Fine sand can cause crop impaction if ingested. Many play sands are treated with chemicals that would be bad for your flock as well.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a popular dust bath amendment because it is known to be able to treat external parasites on chickens. The use of DE around chickens has met some controversy over the past few years. In order to understand how to properly (and safely) use DE around the homestead you must understand how DE works.

Diatomaceous earth is basically sedimentary rock that is created from the fossilized remains of diatoms. Despite its soft, powdery looks, DE is actually very abrasive. It contains silica particles that can actually slice the soft bodies of external parasites. DE works as external parasite control by both smothering external parasites and dehydrating them.

The danger of using DE around chickens comes in when you consider what happens if a chicken inhales the powdery diatomaceous earth. The same properties that provide external benefits can be harmful when consumed internally. Chickens have very sensitive respiratory systems and the fine silica particles can cause both skin and lung irritation.

The main benefit that DE adds to a chicken dust bath is:

• external parasite control– the fine silica particles of DE smother and slice external parasites

Choosing to add DE to your flock’s dust bath is up to you. It can be beneficial for controlling external parasites, however, if it gets too dusty it could harm a chicken’s respiratory system. If you do choose to add DE to your flock’s dust bath, use it in limited quantities and in amounts that are appropriate for the size of the dust bath.

Also make sure you are buying food-grade DE that is safe for use around animals.

Wood Ash

There are many functional uses for wood ash around the homestead. One of them being that it can be added to the homestead flock’s dust bath! Wood ash is another dust bath amendment that is met with some controversy and should be used with caution.

The main benefits that wood ash adds to the chicken dust bath include:

• vitamins & minerals– wood ash can actually provide minerals and vitamins (magnesium, potassium, calcium, vitamin K) that may be absorbed through a chicken’s skin as it dust bathes
• parasite control– wood ash can help smother external parasites
• odor control– wood ash can help control ammonia fumes and other bad odors

When choosing to use wood ash in your flock’s dust bath, make sure you are using ash that is derived only from burning natural wood. Clean hardwoods that have not been chemically treated will produce the healthiest wood ash for your flock. Don’t use wood ash from fires that have been started with lighter fluid or gasoline.

A Note About Lye & Potash:

The dangers of wood ash come into play when you consider two substances that can be created from wood ash: potash and lye. Both potash and lye are strong alkaline solutions that can cause skin irritation and even burns.

Potash is the water soluble part of ash. It will only be present when wood ash comes in contact with water. Potash is derived from soaking wood ash in water so that potassium can leach from the wood. It can then be used as a potassium rich salt fertilizer. Wood ash contains between 1-10% potash depending on the type of wood.

Lye is created when wood ash is mixed with water and is a common component for making soap. Lye is mostly potassium hydroxide with a pH level up to 12, which can cause skin burns when used alone.

Both lye and potash can be present in the chicken dust bath IF the dust bath gets wet. Since chickens don’t like to (and can’t) dust bath in a wet dust bath, the chances of wood ash causing a problem in the chicken dust bath are slim. However, knowing the potential dangers of wood ash can help you use it carefully in your flock’s dust bath.

Like other dust bath amendments, you don’t need to add a lot of wood ash to your flock’s dust bath.

Peat Moss

Peat moss is a great dust bath amendment to use in the chicken dust bath if the native soil tends to be clay-based, moist, or clumpy. The benefits that peat moss provide aren’t necessarily for the health of your flock. It is used more for improving the texture of the dust bath.

The main benefits of peat moss in a chicken dust bath include:

• declumps soil– peat moss helps keep the dirt from clumping and becoming hard packed
• absorbs moisture– peat moss is excellent at absorbing moisture and keeping the dust bath dry

Adding a little peat moss to your flock’s dust bath can help you achieve the ideal dust bathing ‘dust texture’ that chickens love. Loose, soft dirt that is dry and perfect for rolling and bathing in! Don’t add too much peat moss to your flock’s dust bath as the dust bath should be mostly dirt.

Add just enough peat moss to achieve a loose, dry dirt texture without having too much peat moss that it dilutes the overall dirt in the dust bath.

Peat moss is actually sphagnum moss that is harvested from peat bogs. Often times the moss is unsustainably harvested, so a good alternative to peat moss is coconut coir. Coconut coir is derived from the coconut shell and functions in much the same way as peat moss in the chicken dust bath.

Sulfur Dust

Sulfur dust is an amendment that can be added to the chicken dust bath but it can also be used throughout the chicken coop. The main benefit of sulfur dust is:

• parasite control- sulfur disrupts the normal body processes of external parasites when they come in contact with it

Sulfur dust can help control external parasites on chickens in two ways. The dust can be sprinkled into your flock’s dust bath so that the sulfur dust comes in direct contact with the parasites. Or you can simply hang bags of sulfur dust in convenient places around the coop. Choose locations where the chickens may brush against the bags.

Sulfur dust can help control external parasites though direct application (in the dust bath) or proxy (chickens simply being near hanging bags of sulfur dust). In some studies, sulfur dust was found to be more effective at treating external parasites than permethrin. It was also found that sulfur dust repelled parasites up to 2-4 weeks after a chicken dust bathed in a bath containing sulfur dust.

Like the other dust bath amendments we have discussed, you don’t need to add a lot of sulfur dust to your flock’s dust bath. Just a sprinkle or two should be sufficient. You don’t want the sulfur dust to make the dust bath too dusty which can cause lung and eye irritation.

Lime

Lime can be used as a chicken dust bath amendment and around the homestead in many different ways. There are several different kinds of lime available for various uses. The kind that is safe to use around chickens is agricultural or garden lime. The lime should simply be ground limestone (calcium carbonate).

Don’t use dolomitic or hydrated lime around your chickens.

Lime serves several functions around the chicken coop and in the chicken dust bath. The main benefits of lime include:

• odor control– lime produces calcium ions that destroy ammonia
• parasite control– external parasites can’t stand the smell of lime and the lime can kill them if the parasites consume it
• cleaning– lime deters pathogen growth because of its high pH levels

A little bit of lime can be sprinkled in the chicken dust bath to provide further external parasite control. It can also be used to keep the dust bath area clean and smelling fresh. Again, don’t go crazy with the lime because you don’t want to dilute the dirt in the dust bath!

If you have extra lime leftover, consider using it in and around the chicken coop to control ammonia fumes and keep the litter smelling fresh.

Herbs

The last chicken dust bath amendment I want to mention is herbs. There are many different types of herbs that you can add to the chicken dust bath that will provide various benefits. Essentially any herb can be added to the chicken dust bath. However, to limit the many options there are a few herbs that work especially well in the chicken dust bath.

Here are some herbs you can add to your flock’s dust bath:

• lavender– insecticide, provides relaxing aroma
• rosemary– insecticide, aids respiratory health, calming, pain reliever
• lemon balm– insect repellant, calming, antibacterial
• thyme– aids respiratory health, antiparasitic
• sage– antiparasitic, insecticide, calming
• mint– insecticide, disease and parasite prevention
• ginger– disease and parasite prevention
• yarrow– anti-inflammatory, aids respiratory health, promotes wound healing

You can add the herbs fresh, dried, or in powder form. Fresh herbs are beneficial since the chickens will get the herbal oils rubbed on their feathers while they dust bathe. They may even be inclined to munch on the fresh herbs too.

Throw whole sprigs of herbs into the dust bath area or crush the herbs and sprinkle them in the dust bath dirt. You will want to add fresh herbs on a regular basis as the herbs get dried and crushed when the chickens dust bathe.

Dust Bath Ingredients for Chicks

Chickens have the instinctual urge to dust bathe starting at a young age. Young chicks will follow a broody hen to a dust bath spot. If you provide your brood with a small dust bathing area, they will quickly know exactly what to do with the dirt!

Just like for older chickens, a dust bath for chicks should mostly be composed of native dirt that is loose and dry. Since a chick is so small and its body is more sensitive you will want to refrain from adding very many amendments to the chick dust bath.

Sand and herbs are the two dust bath ingredients that you can use in the chick dust bath. Sand can help keep the dirt mixture loose and dry. A variety of different herbs can be beneficial for young chicks and they can easily be added to the dust bath area. Check out this article on 7 Herbs for Baby Chicks on the Homestead for some good herbs to add to the chick dust bath!

As the chicks get older, they can be introduced to larger dust bath areas. Eventually they can use the ‘big hen’ dust bath which may contain some of the dust bath ingredients mentioned previously.

If you are letting a mother hen raise a brood of chicks and she takes them to the ‘big hen’ dust bath, don’t worry about it too much. You could stop adding any dust bath amendments to the dust bath if you know the mother hen has access to the dust bath. You could also provide the mother hen with her own dust bath. Use simple ingredients so she can safely teach her chicks how to dust bathe.

What NOT to Include in the Chicken Dust Bath

When considering what to add to your flock’s dust bath, you should know about some amendments that could be harmful for your flock. The following amendments are ones that should not be added to a chicken dust bath:

• cat litter– contains chemicals and fragrances
• coal ash– contains high amounts of mercury, sulphur, and other heavy metals
• synthetic fire log ash– contains chemicals and is not natural ash
• charcoal briquettes ash– processed and sometimes synthetic
• chinchilla dust– too fine for chickens and could cause crop issues if injested

If you are at all hesitant about adding a certain amendment to your flock’s dust bath its best just to leave out the amendment completely. That can even apply to some of the amendments that we discussed that have some precautions to consider, like DE or wood ash.

Chickens don’t mind a plain old dust bath that just contains dry, loose native dirt! If your chickens ignore your homemade dust bath, you might consider if there are too many amendments added that take away from a good dirt bath.

Happy & Healthy

Making a chicken dust bath for your homestead flock can be as simple as providing them a location or a container full of loose, dry, native dirt. However, adding additional ingredients (also called amendments) can improve the texture of the dust bath dirt. They can also provide more health benefits for your flock. Adding amendments to the dust bath can be a natural way of helping your flock control external parasites and maintain healthy, shiny feathers. Give your homestead flock a dust bath and they will be both happy and healthy!

If you want more tips for raising a homestead flock like a modern pioneer, make sure you join our modern pioneer newsletter community! We’ll even start you off with our free ebook on Raising Chickens like a Pioneer!

by Alexa