Ideas for Chicken Dust Baths

Dust baths are a great way to enrich the lives of your chicken flock. Here are some ideas on creating fun dust bathing areas:

Covered Dust Pit

For a covered dust pit, you dig a wide, but shallow hole (or find one) and fill it with a fine dust. It's recommended to add a tarp underneath it so moisture doesn't seep up from the ground. Dust baths can only be used when they are dry, so keeping water out is imperative. I've seen others online that use umbrellas to keep it covered, but I'd be worried about water coming in from the sides. Another option would be to create a lean-to that covers 3 sides and having the dust bath be far enough back to where rain could not go in as often.

Open Dust Bath

I've seen other online use plastic kiddie pools as cheap, portable options for dust baths. You could just drag the pool inside a barn when the chickens are not actively using it and bring it out when the weather is nice. This would also be a way that you could introduce multiple types of dust/dirt for the chickens to choose from at once. 

Dust Bath Additions

If you look online, you'll see dust baths that are surrounded by logs, shrubs, and include fun toys. I've seen people include mirrors, pet toys, or wooden pet chews that they can dig up and find. Such a cool idea for creating an even better space for your chicken flock!