Old Wood Ashes... safe for dust bathing?

[twilightgecko]

i havent done it yet.. i will do my research.. i appreciate all the opinions here.. i would never want to harm my hens.. i did find a louse on a hen.. i know there has to be more than one louse.. heh.. so i am trying to find the best way to treat them without harmful chemicals..

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Wood ash like DE are a preventative measure not a cure. If your birds have bugs you should treat them.

BTW, we use pure wood ash from the stove. Make sure it's been cold for a day prior to putting with birds. Coals in a good fire box will stay hot for a long time. We've an old galvanized tub under the elevated coop.

 

[theblondeangler]

Well I COVERED the inside of the coop earlier. blasted all the walls, entire floor and all the roosting areas then dumped the leftover in the wheelbarrow that was about half full of shavings(been cleaning the coop out, slowly but surely) so they will get a chance to bathe in it if they want to.

I guess I will see in the next week or so if it's bothering any of the birds. It was only dusty when i was taking it out of the bucket but it settles almost immediately. I didn't even cough or sneeze when i was throwing it all over the place so I don't think the chickens will have any problems with it(respiratory).

Have you had an issues with the Ash? I let mine dust bathe in it weekly as we clean out the stove. I did notice black poop though.

 

[Chullicken]

I use it on occasion seasonally thing for me. I do however screen it first to get out the large chunks as they can be potentially problematic for foot injuries. Then again, some members would just prefer we all keep our chickens in sterile bubbles and feed them via tubes..

 

[Chullicken]

Have you had an issues with the Ash? I let mine dust bathe in it weekly as we clean out the stove. I did notice black poop though.

Yeah mine too, they do naturally consume it as an intestine cleaner the extension vet told me awhile ago. Something about black chicken poop amazes me to this day..just can't believe chickens eat what they eat sometimes. lol

 

[theblondeangler]

I have a large wood stove that is my sole heat soure in the house. I have to clean it at the very least once a week and I am wondering if it would be safe to use the old wood ashes in the coop and for the chickens to dust bathe in?

I do DLM in the coop and was thinking i could toss some ashes around in there as well, maybe help kill/keep away mites & lice? also soak up some moisture. This time of year it's hard for the chickens to find a dry place to dust bathe so I was also thinking i might be able to put in a "dust box" and keep some wood ashes(only) in there for them to play in.

Wasn't sure if old wood ashes were safe for them or not so I figured I better check with everyone here first before i did something possibly very stupid

We do the same thing and our flock loves it. We don't have access to dirt this time of year so we use wood ash and they love it.

 

[Cryss]

Lots of discussion about safe and unsafe. I'm going with safe. Assuming there is nothing toxic in a burn pile. I.e.: pained wood, tires plastic etc. Is it safe to use ashes from a burn pile that would have all manner of yard clippings? Specifically boxwood, holly, and crepe myrtle?
And what if the pile contains poison ivy or poison wood (this one does not but just wondering)
I'm new at this and loving raising my chickens!!

UNDER NO CONDITIONS EVER EVER BURN POISON IVY!!!!
The oil that causes the rash does not dilute or dissipate when cut down, uprooted, or whatever. When burned the oils rise in the air and you and any creature nearby breathe this oil into the lungs producing poison ivy rash inside the lungs! This can be deadly for any human! I see no hope for a bird. http://www.kplctv.com/story/24090476/dangers-of-burning-poison-ivy/

 

[Cryss]

Question...we burn paper products. Since paper is made from wood pulp are these ashes going to have the same effect?

 

[acolt45]

Our Girls LoVe the Fire Pit.

 

[Tkin]

BTW, my background includes "basic chemistry" in college and also includes p-chem, statistical thermodynamics (chemistry) and some quantum chemistry. Where in the heck did you get your information that it is safe!? Lets compare our sources!!

Oh dear, we got ourselves a distinguished graduate of an online chemistry course. It's not enough to take chemistry, you have to understand it. Wood ash, is made of wood, which trees could never survive with a very high or low ph value. Also someone already mention wood ash is mostly calcium carbonate; which people take as an acid reducer. More importantly, there is this thing chemist do called an experiment; go put ashes in water one with baking soda another vinegar and see it not react. If only universities in the US offered a refund for poor quality of service.