Girls wallowing in the dirt??

[henmom12]

I'm a new mom so I'm still learning. Thanks ahead for any advice! My girls are 5 mos old, just started laying 2 wks ago and also some have started wallowing in the dry dirt. Is this normal?

 

[theoldchick]

Absolutely!

 

[annep]

Dust bathing..They love it!

 

[ceeceeholt]

Mine are happiest when the dirt is flying

 

[Sjisty]

Hi Hen Mom -

Welcome to BYC!

The first time I saw mine dust bathing, I thought they were in pain and dying!

 

[JodyJo]

LOVE it...I have holes in one area near my barn....its great for them, helps them remove bugs etc, a dust bath!

 

[harveyhorses]

Yep, and they are amazing rototillers, don't stand behind them when they start digging.

I let mine in one of my raised beds before I planted my fall crop, they had a blast and no need for me to turn the soil at all!
Then they have their designated dust bath spot sometimes I have to walk right over them because they are all piled up in one 'waller'. They had a good one yesterday, now it will be a mud bath for a while, rain rain and more rain.

 

[christina1982]

Completely normal. My hens have scratched out two holes (like dogs) in their pen just for dust bathing! I put some DE in their and ta daaaa.....they dust themselves lol.

 

[Hinotori]

Dust baths are calming chicken spa times. Mine have favorite spots that I have to fill in with dirt or sand every now and then because they get down so deep. Mine also prefer to dust bathe right after eating watermelon.

 

[Alethea]

It's chicken bliss and helps keep them clean of mites. It's also fascinating to watch.