Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Dustbathing




Watching our chickens dustbathe is always good for some cheap entertainment. And at Little Ant Farm we're always up for cheap entertainment. Several times a day they will make their way over to a corner of the yard dubbed the sandbox. They will toss and turn in the dirt, kicking their legs and throwing clumps of sand and dirt hurling through the air covering themselves with sand like kids at the beach. After a nice bath of dirt they will stand up, stretch in the sun and then shake themselves much like a soaking wet dog- just substitute dustcloud for watershower.


Dustbathing was a most unexpected perk of raising chickens. Chicken novice that I was it surprised me when one day my kids came running into the house screaming that one of the chickens was dying. Not sure what was wrong I turned to the forum at backyardchickens.com and quickly learned that dustbathing is a very normal behavior of poultry and one that serves an important function. By throwing the dust between their feathers chickens are able to suffocate parasites and mites. It is do it yourself pest control for chickens. Beyond that it truly appears that they really enjoy the activity. So if you've had a bad day and are in need of a good chuckle just pull up a chair and watch the birds take a bath, a dust bath that is.

1 comment:

  1. I want chickens but my Husband says NO!!!

    Great Pics!

    ReplyDelete