dusting

[broodmother]

i have 16 chicks, my 10 oldest chicks are meat birds then i have 3 leghorns and 3 red productions. this morning i noticed 3 of my red rangers dusting like crazy. they have shavings for bedding, is there a chance that there are parasites in the bedding? should i switch to something else?

 

[chicklover 1998]

no they will be fine if they are in a brooder inside away from adults, but if they are brooded in the coop then there could be some parasites.

 

[broodmother]

thank you soo much, i was worried

 

[chicklover 1998]

Yep no problem, I'm into my third batch of chicks and these new ones I got (1 silver laced wyandotte, 1 leghorn, 1 serama, and 1 ameraucana chick) first time I have ever seen them dust bathe in their bedding before, my fist batch was a bunch of barnyard mutts and my second was 5 RIR and 3 ameraucana, I knew what they were doing but it surprised me because I hadn't seen chicks dust that early.

 

[perchie.girl]

Dusting is a way to exfoliate and get rid of dander. Growing birds will have a very strong desire to do this because they are constantly shedding feathers as they mature.... Older birds will Dust daily especially when the weather is good and the ground loose.


deb

 

[donrae]

It's perfectly normal and a good sign. They do it as a preventative, to stay healthy. Pretty much all animals have some form of self-grooming.

Here's some of my grown ladies having spa time....

 

[broodmother]

thanks to all for the replies! i love watching them dust and am happy that they are happy chicks!

 

[donrae]

Wait until they sunbathe. They lay with one wing and one leg stretched out and you think they have some weird neurological thing going on.....they're just soaking up some rays

 

[pinebarrens]

My chicks have started sunbathing when we take them outside, it's pretty darn adorable. They all crowd into the very sunniest spot they can find and flop over en masse. The first time they did it, they all started making that little trilling/purring sound they do when they're super happy.

Mine also dust bathe in their pine shavings, even though they have a box of dirt which they also use, and go outside every day if the weather is nice (and dust bathe there too.) I 've never had chicks before, but I thought maybe they do it so much because growing their new feathers itched.

 

[andrea2chicken]

Wait until they sunbathe. They lay with one wing and one leg stretched out and you think they have some weird neurological thing going on.....they're just soaking up some rays 

mine sometimes sleep like that. Lol I am praying it warms up this week enough to take them for their first outdoor adventure