Dusty chicken.?

[SammileeChickie]

I don't understand why people say chickens are dusty.? What do they mean by dusty.? My chickens don't seen dusty to me, they never left a dusty mess when I had them in my room in the brooder.?
Are they dusty when there is a whole bunch of them because I only have two.

 

[Toddrick]

I used to wonder what my sister was talking about when she said they were dusty. My chicks were raised in the library for the first month, and there was no dust.

Then I moved them out to the garage in a dog crate. Now everything in my garage is still covered with dust! I think after four weeks they start scratching so much that they shred the line shavings into dust, and they pick and shake their feather dust everywhere. Plus I suppose putting some sand in there for them to dust bath in didn't help, but truthfully I don't think they figured out how to dust bathe until months later.

 

[KathieMc]

I know that my Buff Orpington's are dusty little buggers...and it has nothing to do with kicking up and scratching at their bedding. It has to do with the dander that their bodies create and when they scratch in itch or preen the dander floats around and lands where we can see it.
The same thing happens with my African Grey and this is the reason I use a Hepa Filter in the room with her cage. All you have to do is wear a black t-shirt, hold your bird/chicken close to your chest and start petting...once you move the bird away, you'll see the fine dust the produce.

 

[SammileeChickie]

I know that my Buff Orpington's are dusty little buggers...and it has nothing to do with kicking up and scratching at their bedding.  It has to do with the dander that their bodies create and when they scratch in itch or preen the dander floats around and lands where we can see it.
The same thing happens with my African Grey and this is the reason I use a Hepa Filter in the room with her cage.  All you have to do is wear a black t-shirt, hold your bird/chicken close to your chest and start petting...once you move the bird away, you'll see the fine dust the produce.

How weird.! I have never noticed they produce fine dander. They live outside and my backyard has a lot of sand but they don't make dust and their coop isn't dusty