by Lori Leigh
Story and photos
It is that time of year when wood ash is easily accessible. If you have access to wood ash from a fire place or wood burning stove, why not put it to work for your chickens.
Dust Bathing
Natural – All year round, dust bathing is a chicken’s natural way of keeping clean.
Necessary – Dust bathing deters and/or kills parasites, such as fleas, mites, and lice.
It is natural for chickens to create dust bathing areas during the warmer months when the ground is more pliable. During the colder months when the ground is frozen, a little help may be necessary.
You can spread a handful of wood ash on a chicken or you can create a dust bathing area for them to do the work themselves. The ashes can be put into a container or dumped directly on the ground. If possible, try to put the ashes where they will not get wet.
The chickens will spread their wings and roll around in the wood ash, getting it in their feathers and on their skin. If there are any parasites already on the chicken, they will suffocate from the ashes. When done bathing, the chicken will shake off any excess ash and dead parasites. The aroma of the ash will also help to deter parasites.
Feed Supplement
Wood ash offers calcium and potassium. Adding wood ash to your chicken feed (less than 1% ratio) may help to extend a hen’s laying period and can help reduce the smell of chicken droppings. Even if you don’t mix wood ash with the chicken’s feed, it’s nice to know that if they ingest any while bathing it is safe.
In The Coop And Chicken Yard
Similar to how baking soda works, sprinkling wood ash on the coop floor and in the chicken run can help to neutralize odors.
Important!
Make sure that the ashes come from a fireplace, fire pit, or wood burning stove. Do not use ashes from briquettes, burning trash, or wood that had lighter fluid or other chemical coating. These type of ashes can be hazardous to a chicken’s health.
11 Comments
Our local butcher drops off bones here and we burn them along with wood, is this kind of ash good for chickens?
Can I also use wood ash to add it to chicks feeds or it will be hazardous to them and hence is to be only to grown chicken
For chicks, we’d recommend not adding wood ash to their feed. Wood ash contains a lot of other contaminants, and best to keep them away from chicks.
What about when the ash gets wet? Can it turn to lye and hurt the chickens?
When you use ash to make lye, you boil the ashes and then let that mixture cool, and the ashes settle before skimming the lye off the surface of the liquid. This only works with hardwood ashes. If the ash comes from pine or brush fires etc, it won’t produce lye. Additionally, the ash usually is mixed with dirt or sand for your chickens to use. Great question! We think that your chickens will be safe.
I believe that if you mix it and put the ash in the sun it will become good again. we have 17 chicken’s what is a way to make home made food for them so it is cheap
What about ash from a pellet stove?
Jasmin, It will depend on what kind of pellets you are burning in the stove. Some pellets have additives that may not be great for your chickens. The other thing to think about is that because the pellets are already pulverized wood (or other things such as trash paper or corn), the ash that results is incredibly fine (known as “fly ash). It is easier for your chickens to breathe that in, which isn’t the best thing.
Check the labels on your pellets and check the quality of the ash.
(Personal note… pellet stoves are really interesting!!)
What about ash from a coal stove? There is a mound behind my house from years ago. I have been afraid to let my chickens near it.
I love tthis thank you,
What about black walnut ashes ? Are they toxic for hens to dust themselves in ?