Chickens love dirt and they don’t care who knows it.
It’s called a dust bath, and for your chickens, it’s the ultimate luxury. It also serves another purpose by keeping your chickens mite-free. There goes nature again. Fixing everything naturally.
Problem is, chickens create dust bath locations in places that cause more problems for you, the chicken owner. They dig holes for dust baths in the coop, or the run, or if you have really horrible chickens, right next to your back gate so new people who visit your farm get a nice slip n’ trip.
Chickens. Scheming murderous plots against humans since, well…ever.
Repurposing old tires into chicken baths
The process is fairly simple and great for kids!
Step 1) Get your old tires (any tire shop will give them away for free) and place something under them to catch the overspray from the spray paint.
Step 2) Start a’ spraying. One can of spray per tire should do it.
Step 3) Fill ’em with dirt and/or sand. Also, it’s super important that you place a sign next to it. Otherwise, how would they know what they are?
susan tutor-smith says
May 19, 2019 at 9:31 amwhich brand DE do you buy? best bang for the buck? do you order on line?
Bobbi says
May 21, 2019 at 2:51 pmHi Susan-
This article has a link to the DE that DaNelle suggests: https://www.weedemandreap.com/natural-goat-dewormer/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Virginia says
May 16, 2019 at 8:06 amDoes the tire need to be covered on the bottom or is it ok that the sand goes directly down to the ground? Also, should the tire be covered during bad weather…rain, snow?
Bobbi says
May 16, 2019 at 11:22 amHi Virginia-
No, the bottom doesn’t need to be covered. You don’t have to cover the tires during weather events, but you can if you want to ensure they are dry at all times.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Linda Russell Jones says
April 21, 2019 at 7:30 pmJust got my 6 peeps. Chicken coop is on it’s way. How many tires do I need for these Road Island Reds? Loved all the questions and answers. Wonderful, thanks.
Bobbi says
April 22, 2019 at 11:34 amHi Linda-
Congratulations on your chickens! You can have as many or few tires as you like. They will take turns dusting, so just check and make sure the tires have enough in them for the chickens to dust themselves and you will be good to go.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Carly says
April 14, 2019 at 8:43 amHi
What type of paint did you use? We currently have tyres around the chicken house. Would top soil be ok to fill the tyres?
Bobbi says
April 14, 2019 at 4:00 pmHi Carly-
DaNelle just used an outdoor spray paint. And yes, topsoil will work.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Kara says
April 12, 2019 at 7:37 amWould this be a good idea for ducks as well? Just got some ducklings and trying to get our duck coop ready and some fun things set up for them.
Bobbi says
April 12, 2019 at 1:27 pmHi Kara-
No, ducks don’t really do dust baths, they just like a lot of water to clean themselves with and to play in. So, no need to do this for them, just make sure they have plenty of water.
Best of luck with your new ducks!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Gultekin islamoglu says
February 26, 2019 at 1:20 pmHi Debbye
First of all apologises if this is a long request but want to do things correctly
I am looking to build a chicken coop for around 200 egg laying chickens
1) i live in Cyprus and the weather is hot 7 months of the year so i have decided to build a caged area for keeping the the hens at bay and well aired as well as a closed area laying eggs and a perching area for sleeping all i need to know is how big does it have to be in metres please
i was considering 8 metres long by 4 metres width in size ? if is does not hold 200 how many hens will it hold.
2) how many Roosters do i need per Hen ?
3) How much feed do i need to feed them ? as here feed is purchased in 25kg bag so how many hens will a 25 kg bag feed or for how long ?
4) I love the Dust Bath idea and will do this again how many do i need ? cinnamon will be added that is a great idea 🙂 what else can i put into this bath?
5) how many laying pens do i need and how big in size
Thats all for now but i am sure i will have more questions
sorry
Bobbi says
February 27, 2019 at 10:19 amHello-
Housing 200 layers is a fairly large operation and definitely requires proper management. As for number of roosters, it is usually recommended that you have 1 rooster per 10 hens.
These two articles should give you most of the information you need.
http://washington.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/backyard-chickens
http://washington.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/backyard-chickens
Best of luck with your chickens!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Debbye says
September 1, 2017 at 10:20 amI’m new to back yard chickens, what is DE?
Bobbi says
September 2, 2017 at 6:42 amHi Debbye-
DE is diatomaceous earth. It’s usually used a dewormer. Thanks -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Crystal says
August 5, 2017 at 1:17 pmSo I’ve painted my tire and ready to fill with dirt. Something just occurred to me. We get a lot of rain and snow. Should I put them under cover so they don’t turn in to muddy bathtubs??
(farm expert) Bobbi Luttjohann says
August 6, 2017 at 3:25 pmHi Crystal-
So exciting your tire chicken baths are “up and running”! You should post a pic of them sometime! As for your question, you can definitely put up some sort of cover to keep them dry. Keeping the dirt/dust dry makes them more useful for the chickens. You could even place them on the south side of a shed to help with snow. Great job thinking ahead and doing some good hard work for your chickens. Thanks for watching and posting! -Bobbi
Caroline says
March 31, 2017 at 7:17 pmHow long do you let the tires dry? And how much DE do you add to a tire full of dirt/sand?
DaNelle Wolford says
April 8, 2017 at 10:28 pmAbout an hour till the paint is dry. I add about a quart to each tire.
Emily says
September 4, 2016 at 3:14 pmHelp! I’ve lost 4 chickens his month. They are 4.5 months old and should be laying any day but instead are just deciding to die. 🙁 They have high quality feed & plenty of water, I am not sure the problem but someone suggested I get a “rooster booster” or chicken vitamin & electrolytes blend. Also, I’m not sure if it could possibly be coccidia because we lost three in one week, although they have no symptoms. We want to keep our chickens organic, any natural treatments or things I could do to keep them healthy/get them back to being healthy?!?! Oregano oil in the waterer? Can I let them eat garlic cloves? Would that even help? Any advice is much appreciated 🙂
DaNelle Wolford says
September 10, 2016 at 4:41 pmHi Emily,
Wow, chickens are pretty hearty animals so my best guess would be weather-related (really hot temps) or virus related (read up on Marek’s disease). You can let them eat garlic cloves, that would definitely boost immunity.
Mary says
September 17, 2016 at 12:29 amAre they getting grit? I had a friend whose chickens got sick because they didn’t have grit to help grind their food. They had peat moss and dirt, but no gravel or anything. They started fattening up when she got them grit and oyster shells. No idea if this is a problem in your area, but not everyone knows they need grit.
Robin says
June 9, 2016 at 1:49 amCan’t wait to try this. I know you can add cinnamon to sandbox and keep out the fire ants. Maybe it will work for the chickens as well.
DaNelle Wolford says
June 12, 2016 at 8:38 pmWhat a GREAT idea!
Korrin says
April 26, 2016 at 7:27 pmHi there,
These are a great idea!!
What kind of paint did you use on the tyres?
Thanks ☺
DaNelle Wolford says
May 1, 2016 at 9:51 pmI used an outdoor spray paint:)
Lois Windell says
April 24, 2016 at 1:49 pmIf I put the tire outside, do I need to put something under the tire so the rain won’t wash I away?
DaNelle Wolford says
April 25, 2016 at 8:56 amHi Lois, that might be a good idea:) We don’t have a lot of rain here in Arizona, so I didn’t even consider it. Though once you fill the tires with dirt they are pretty heavy!
Kathy says
January 29, 2017 at 1:32 amDo t forget to mention adding some de to the dirt or sand, this will help get rid of any bugs the chickens might have!
Siobhan henry says
April 22, 2016 at 10:14 pmI love this idea, but do you have to use special non-toxic paint?
DaNelle Wolford says
April 25, 2016 at 9:04 amI didn’t, because chickens won’t peck at the tires:)
Siobhan henry says
April 25, 2016 at 12:45 pmOk thanks – will get the kids onto it this weekend!
Sharon says
January 26, 2016 at 2:59 amWould these baths need to be out of the weather or just out in the yard?
DaNelle Wolford says
February 7, 2016 at 7:40 pmHi Sharon,
We have these out in the yard:)
sherbear says
January 8, 2016 at 7:43 amI use peat moss and wood ash and sand. They go crazy when I mix up a new batch for them . I love that it would be contained Instead of scattered all over the run. Can’t wait to try this!!!!
Susan B says
January 6, 2016 at 6:44 pmI’m weird about chemicals…so here’s my question; I’ve heard that houses built with tires as the base for walls create problems – would this do the same for my chickens.
DaNelle Wolford says
January 13, 2016 at 9:45 pmHi Susan,
I’m not sure. My chickens don’t live in it constantly and we think it’s fine. I would probably worry more if the tires were inside the coop with low ventilation:)
Sally at Garden Valley Homestead says
January 6, 2016 at 6:14 pmI really like this idea. We just happen to have a few tires too. Our dust bath ingredients usually include dirt, diatomaceous earth, and wood ash. We have A LOT of deer here. This combo helps manage the fleas and ticks they bring onto or property.
Jan says
January 6, 2016 at 11:07 amMix some of the ashes from your wood stove with the dirt. It’s helps keep mites down.
Carole West @ Garden Up Green says
January 6, 2016 at 7:20 amI would love to try this but I’m afraid they would attract fire ants? Any suggestions?
DaNelle Wolford says
January 13, 2016 at 9:47 pmI Carol,
It’s possible they might, we don’t have that problem here, but I do know my chickens and geese would eat up the ants if that were the case!
Danielle Adams says
February 17, 2016 at 1:11 pmHello Carole- We did something similar in south Texas and as long as we moved the tires every month we haven’t had issues with fire ants moving in. We also put some on pavers stones then filled and those we haven’t moved in at least 7 months and still no fire ants.
Debbie says
April 20, 2017 at 3:08 amHey Carole, fireant s really hate mint. I live in nw Florida, not too far from where the original invasion of these critters began, so we have a very serious problem with them here. I discovered completely by happenstance that mint drives them away. It may take a couple of weeks, but a small sprig poked right in the middle of a fireant hill will usually run them off. Hope this helps.
Debbie… (0;
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Kay says
December 27, 2015 at 6:12 pmWant to try this in the spring when I restock my chickens. Lost my pretty babies due to a fox and several opossums. Better protection for them is in the works. I love the colors. Right now we are having floods so they would have mud baths. LOLOLOL