Ophelia Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 My chickens have a big basin filled with bird sand in their run to use as a dust bath which they have chosen to ignore. As they are ex-batts I thought that maybe they have never had a dust bath before so weren't sure what to do. Today while they were out free ranging I discovered my cheekiest hen, Dorothy, giving herself what can only be described as a mud bath underneath a bush. She was rolling around, flapping her wings and enjoying herself even if she did end up caked in mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Our silkie has a tendency to get thoroughly caked - her previous mum introduced us after she'd been in the veggie patch and was very nicely encased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 A couple of mine were caked in mud today. I can only think they were celebrating the melting of the snow! Saronne x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Mine avoided bathing whilst they were free ranging, but I caught Kipper "dust bathing" in the sparkly clean Aubiose in their run today!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Unfortunately - or should I say fortunately??? I managed to change the aubiose just before the worst of the weather just in time. It's a bit grubby now - but still they bath in it. Erin thought the run looked like a huge golf ball this evening. Lots of chicken shaped holes in the run. Well apart from poo there is also plenty of stalosan and diatom. And we had taken the cover off the proper dust bath, but they just scratched around in it and said we actually prefer poo - it stops us smelling of anti peck spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milliechick Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I have a lovely cream Pekin, and she loves to hide behind a pot in the garden (where she can't be seen) and flap around in mud to her hearts content. I'm sure she didn't do that when she first came, I think she has been taught bad ways by the Australorps! What is best to use (apart from mud) for a dust bath? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I've taken the dust bath out of their run as they prefer to dig in the Hemcore. Best of all, they prefer proper mud in the garden. They have had the whole day out today as they were cooped up yesterday, and Not Impressed. Unfortunately they'll be in tomorrow too, as we have some work to do at our wildlife site. They turn themselves from nice clean fluffy chickens into little balls of mud, but miraculously it all dries and falls off and they look clean after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
