The best dust bath for chickens is...

I made a dust bath for the chickens from wood ash, sandy dirt, peat and diatomaceous earth and put it in a large metal tub. They did not go in it, so I assumed it was too small of a space for their comfort. I dumped it on the ground and immediately, there were 4 hens vying for the spot, flipping upside down excitedly, and dusting themselves. Is that a good mix? Should I add anything else and how often do they require the dust bath? They quickly demolished the spot and eventually covered it with scratch hay, so I would have to create a new spot for them. The only one who did use the pan was the little tiny tiny Old English Game Hen.
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She looks happy in there!
Maybe a bigger container? I know what you mean, if you put it on the ground it soon disappears...
Sounds like a great mix to me. I dont usually bother with it til winter time and then they do use one, otherwise they are busy trying to dust bath in the straw on the coop floor!

How nice of you to do that thing. Yes, if that is a teeny tiny bantam, that pan is certainly to small for the larger birds. They like lots of room to flip, flop and mop around. Chickens love to dust bath. I need to get more peat into my coops so my birds can bath for surely too. The rice hulls really help to keep the moisture out, and with some peat, I can see my birds in heaven. Most of the coops are dry as a bone, with the poopy stuff mostly below the roosts. Can't wait to get home to see my chickens!! Beautiful and awesome, happy days for us all, CynthiaM.