Why Hens Need A Dust Bath

Dust bathing is one of the most ordinary and most important things a hen does. She settles into a patch of loose, dry earth, kicks it up through her feathers, shakes, and then lies there in the sun looking half asleep. It is not idle behaviour. The fine particles work down through the plumage to the skin, soaking up excess oil, loosening dirt and helping to smother and dislodge lice and mites that live on the bird. Good dust bathing keeps feathers supple and weatherproof, which matters a great deal in a British winter.

Most flocks will dig their own baths, usually in the driest, dustiest corner of the run or, more annoyingly, in the middle of your best border. A purpose-made bath does three useful things: it keeps the dust in one place, it stays dry for longer, and it gives every hen somewhere to go without flattening the lawn.

What Goes Into The Mix

The ideal dust bath is dry, fine and very slightly abrasive. You are aiming for something closer to talcum powder than to garden compost.

• Dry soil or loam — roughly three parts. Choose soil that crumbles easily in your hand. Avoid heavy clay, which sets like concrete, and avoid soil from an area that has recently held poultry.
• Sharp sand — roughly two parts. Horticultural or builder's sand both work well. It keeps the mix free-draining and adds a little grit. Nothing damp, and nothing salty.
• Wood ash — roughly one part. Ash from untreated wood, a wood burner or a fire pit is ideal. It must be completely cold, with no embers, and never ash from coal, charcoal briquettes, or painted and treated timber.
• Optional extras — a small handful of food-grade diatomaceous earth, or dried lavender and mint, will do no harm and smell pleasant. Wear a mask when handling any fine powder.

Blend it in a bucket or barrow with your hands until it is evenly mixed and you can feel no lumps. If a handful clumps when you squeeze it, it is too damp — spread it out in the sun for an afternoon before using it.

Choosing The Right Spot

Shelter matters more than anything else in this country. A dust bath that gets rained on becomes a mud bath, and the hens will simply ignore it.

Look for a spot under the overhang of the hen house, against a sunny south-facing wall, beneath a shrub, or in a corner of the run with a roof over it. The ground beneath should drain well, not sit at the bottom of a slope where water gathers. Part shade is welcome in July; a little sun in winter helps keep the contents dry. A bath of roughly 60 by 60 cm is ample for three or four hens, but it must be big enough for a bird to lie flat and roll, so err on the generous side.

Building It In Half An Hour

• Choose a shallow container — an old tyre, a plastic tray, a wooden box, or simply a low frame of timber set on the ground.
• Fill to about 8–10 cm deep, leaving a rim so the contents stay put when a hen starts kicking.
• Set it on free-draining ground, or on paving with a few gaps so water can escape.
• Add a simple lid, or position it under cover, so rain cannot get in.
• For larger flocks, provide two or three baths in different parts of the run to avoid squabbles.

You do not need to train the hens. Lower one bird into it and the rest will follow within minutes.

Keeping It In Good Order

Little and often is the rule. Once a week, sieve out droppings, loose feathers and any clumps with a small rake or garden sieve, then top up with fresh dry soil. Turn the mix over by hand or with a trowel — sun and air are the best disinfectants you have.

Replace the whole contents every two to three months, and straight away if it gets soaked. If you notice grey dust clinging to nearby woodwork, or tiny red specks around the perches, treat the hen house for red mite, because a dust bath will not cure an established infestation. In winter, keep the bath under cover and slightly deeper. In summer, check it has not baked hard and top up with a little fresh sand.

A Note On Garden Birds

British garden birds dust bathe too — house sparrows especially, along with blackbirds, robins and starlings — and it is a genuine pleasure to watch. But the poultry bath should not double as a wild bird attraction. Site it well away from feeders, bird baths and hedgerow perches, and never let wild birds share the hens' drinking water. Wild birds can carry disease and parasites into a flock, so keeping the two apart is simple, sensible biosecurity.

If you find sparrows making use of the hens' bath, enjoy the sight, then cover it or move it a little. A few minutes of tidying keeps your hens comfortable and your garden birds where they belong — at their own feeders, doing their own thing.