Preparing for move to new farm

[deacons]

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions about the water and poop. I'll continue to monitor and see what happens. It's actually been weirdly cold since we got here- it was only 45*F as a daytime high at the beginning of the week! That, plus the new forage foods they're eating, very well might have their digestive systems a little off.

You'll see them flopping on their sides and spreading a wing to catch the rays. Chickens have sunbathing down to a science.

Oh yes, these ladies are sunbathing EXPERTS!

 

[deacons]

I'm back with a new question about the transition to the new farm!

As far as I can tell, no one is dust bathing at all. They were very active dustbathers at their last home, and I'd smooth out the "craters" in their favorite spots fairly regularly so that they'd still have loose dirt to enjoy.

The base of their new run is a harder clay than the old one, but I have added several inches of a mix of construction sand, topsoil, and peat moss, which is the same footing they had in the old run. Also, they have access outside to various patches of- what looks like to me- appealing dusting areas (an old sand pile, and open, dry dirt patch where some old firewood and boards had been sitting). But- I see no one dusting anywhere. I am checking for mites and other nasties in the evening when they're on the roost, and I see nothing amiss at the base of their feathers. They do seem to be preening a lot and doing that full body shake where they puff out all their feathers and shake vigorously. So it's been ~3 weeks now since they've been here, and that seems like an awfully long time to go without any dusting. Of course maybe they are doing what they need when I'm not around, but I find it really odd that they wouldn't be leaving any holes behind.

I've filled a huge tub with some plain construction sand, but no one seems interested in that either. Anything else I should do, or just trust them?

Sunbathing, on the other hand, is no problem. Yesterday I walked outside to find a pile of 6 smooshed chickens

PS- the runny poop has improved quite a lot. I have one who is still shooting out rather liquid poop, but the rest seem "solidly" normal (pun intended!! )

 

[azygous]

Could the texture of the construction sand be too coarse? Another reason for not dirt bathing is cover and safety. Perhaps the areas are too exposed.

In three weeks, the chickens should be adapted to their new environment. Glad to hear their poop improved.

 

[Folly's place]

Don't worry about it. They are learning their new place, and will dust bathe eventually. It will likely be somewhere that you wish they would leave alone!
Mary