CLEANING THEMSELVES?

[mpoland33]

So I've only had my girls for 2 weeks and today was the first warm day....BUT I noticed tonight that about 5 of the 9 are cleaning? themselves under their feathers. They arent really pecking but they are pecking around their tail feathers and under their wings. I looked at 3 of them but don't see lice or mites. Is this normal behavior?

Also, from what I can tell from their feeding tonight, they are all eating and drinking fine. A couple of them roosing on some fallen tree trunks in the shade tonight...but active otherwise.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Birds have a preen glad at the head of the tail. They use it to oil their feathers and put them all in place. I'm assuming you are talking about chickens? How old?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Wait until you see them "dust bathing", don't panic, it's normal & natural. Or when they walk into sun light & drop, scared the heck out of my 5yr old the first time he saw his chicken do both.

 

[PollyGirl21]

Preening is normal. All chickens do it. It's just a way to clean themselves up a bit. Mine preen quite often. Sometimes when my white silkie preens under her wing, we can't see her head from one angle and she looks like a round white fluffy snowball!

 

[Kathy Golla]

That drop thing in the sunlight is hilarious, on their side with their wing out and the eye pupil all small they look like aliens..chuckle.

 

[PollyGirl21]

Yep, I love it when my ladies sunbathe. They seem so content there all bunched together soaking up the sun!

 

[mpoland33]

Birds have a preen glad at the head of the tail. They use it to oil their feathers and put them all in place. I'm assuming you are talking about chickens? How old?

sorry, yes, chickens...9 weeks old

 

[mpoland33]

Wait until you see them "dust bathing", don't panic, it's normal & natural. Or when they walk into sun light & drop, scared the heck out of my 5yr old the first time he saw his chicken do both.

haha well that's good to know. I've been so scared to death about mites, etc. and being new at it is sometimes stressful haha

It's funny all the things that i read up to the point of getting chickens...housing, bedding, feed...and there is so many things and quirks they have that I didnt know they did and i have to do a quick google search haha

I got them at 8 weeks and they didnt know how to roost- I didnt even think that would be the case. A week and half later they are all roosting and putting themselves to bed.