We had never owned chickens before.. So we had a lot to learn.
One of the things I've learned is that they dig holes everywhere ...... DEEP holes. Their pen now looks like a war zone.
Last week I noticed a couple of them sort of sitting or squatting in some of these holes.
They kept squirming around and kicking up dirt with their feet. Sometimes they would even lay over on their sides as if they were trying to turn completely over.
Finally, I realized they were trying to get the dust and dirt onto their backs. Like this.
They were so absorbed in what they were doing, they pretty much ignored me which is unusual because they usually run over to the fence to see if I am bringing them any goodies (like fresh greens, bugs, caterpillars and the like).
I searched the web and found this web site that talks about chickens and why they take dirt baths.
I've seen wild birds taking dust baths before and knew it was to help eliminate mites and such. So, I shouldn't be surprise that chickens are any different. At any rate, they were very entertaining to watch!
No comments:
Post a Comment