Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Claireabella]

I swear, my black silkie (Mo Mo) is as mad as a box of frogs!! On a few occasions now, she's plonked down in the middle of lawn and started trying to have a dust bath (no dust of course ) Because of her big hairdo, she also runs forward (totally oblivious to where she's going) and then walks back a few steps and runs forward again...shouldn't laugh but very funny! Is this a silkie thing?

Edited September 15, 2014 by Guest

[Luvachicken]

No idea if it is a silkie thing but you did make me laugh

[Beantree]

Check for lice, red mite in the coop and Northern Fowl Mite Claireabella. Ours did the same and were riddled with lice.

[Chickabee]

My silkie is very with it. She knows exactly where to be and when to get out of the way. She loves a dust bath, but I've never seen her do it on the grass

[Claireabella]

Thank you but definitely no lice or mites. She was treated when we had her (about 5 weeks ago) and again last week (vet instructs 2 treatments, 1 month apart) so I'm pretty confident no crawlies The houses are also dismantled and cleaned once a week religiously, definitely no red mite

 

Here she is

 

 

An impressive hairdo for a young 'un; I think she does a few back steps to try and avoid things or other chickens as she's running around!

[jjiande]

She is gorgeous.

[Chickabee]

She is lovely. Is she very young

[redsunset]

That is so cute! Beautiful chook. No idea re the lawn bit but bless her for trying

[Margaret]

She is lovely, and you still have that green stuff.......whats it called?

Oh yes grass

[Claireabella]

Thank you for your lovely replies; she is a real sweetheart.

 

I think I've come up with a theory We put slabs in the grass to make a path since the lawn was a real mud bath last winter. Every few days I take the hosepipe down to wash the poop off the slabs and sometimes this dislodges some soil. Mo Mo was pretty close to a slab when she was trying to dust bathe and I'm wondering if she's trying to get that bit of soil that washed out but when she rolls onto her other side she appears to be just on grass. Mmm, I wonder?

 

She is 19 weeks now Chickabee but those photographs were taken about 3 weeks ago, just before her and Penny came out of isolation. Mo Mo was quite badly feather pecked at the base of her tail and on her back when we got her (and Penny was missing a few tail feathers too; I probably should have walked away but I didn't ) but she is feathering up beautifully now

 

Another thing is, I do worry that I can't see her eyes unless I pick her up and I wonder how she can see with all that fluff? As I've said before, my other silkie, Daisy has more of a mohican, so her eyes are quite visible...

[SueChick]

I am not surprised she was trying to bath in a little bit of soil - mine are just the same - I caught one of my ladies dust bathing in literally a sprinkling of soil on the patio! Her sister was bathing in the soil around the acer tree which is in a huge pot and as the spills of soil landed below her on the patio Maggie was frantically gathering it up to dust in it! I wouldn't mind but I have made them a lovely dust bath in their run with especially bought play sand in it! Cheek!

[MaryHen]

Mine dust bath anywhere they can..apart from the dustbath I bought for them...they just poo in that (well it was a cat litter tray!!) ...I think they like space around them to dust bath, hence why the litter tray doesnt work!

[Cat tails]

Mine just made a actual dustbath of the bit of grass I still had... I wasn't looking for a bit and they had dug a whole as deep as themselves....

[Chickabee]

 

Here's my white silkie fifi, she's 3. She doesn't suffer fools gladly

[jesschicken24]

Mine dust bath anywhere they can..apart from the dustbath I bought for them...they just poo in that (well it was a cat litter tray!!) ...I think they like space around them to dust bath, hence why the litter tray doesnt work!

 

Mine are exactly the same, although, I do occasionally see one of them sitting in it. No dust bathing, just sitting!

[Egghead68]

Beautiful silkies!

 

Our ex-batts used to dust-bathe on concrete, carpet, you name it. We kept moving them to a proper dust-bath area and throwing a bit of soil on their backs till they got the hang of it.

[Valkyrie]

On holiday in Yorkshire, and went for a walk which went on the Pennine Way for a bit and found this - not sure about dirt - looks like a dusty stone and grass is good enough! :

 

 

 

[MaryHen]

Well Jesschicken24, I did notice Grizzy in the dustbath bathing on Sunday

[Claireabella]

I'm pleased to report that Mo Mo has found soil (in the flower border admittedly) and taken a proper dust bath!! Chickabee, Fifi is gorgeous. Those are great pictures Valkyrie, fancy coming across that! I wonder where are all the other chickens are? Good news MaryHen, mine hardly ever use the 'proper' dust bath - they just perch on the edge and poop in it too! In fact, all their favourite dustbathing places are in my flower borders