Sand Bathing! Do Roos and Hens both do this?!

[EggPoopers]

I've had hens in the past, and thought it was hilarious to let them run around in my moms garden and bath in the soil (and ruin her garden in the process, hehehe take that mom...)

anyways, I have a couple 3 week old chicks, and only ONE of them is performing this behaviour with the pine shavings they have as bedding. (I have a pair of chicks 1 cockerel 1 pullet but I haven't been able to tell yet which is which) But if only hens bathe then maybe this is how I'll be able to tell mwuhaha.

Is sand bathing something that hens and roos both do?! Or is it just a hen thing? I've never had a Roo so I wouldn't know.

Thanks!!!

ps. Its super cute seeing a little barred rock chick COVERED in yellow pine shavings.

 

[bargain]

Sure

In the chicken world both males and females take "sand or dirt or cedar baths", so no, you cannot use this behavior to to determine who is what!

 

[EggPoopers]

Darn! Worth a shot. lol. I wonder why only one of the chicks is bathing then ...

The one that is bathing is also the chick which has started to grow its comb. The other chick has no sign of a comb yet! (The one who is growing the comb has a yellow comb so far).

 

[FeatherPainter]

If you give them a small box with sand or potting soil in it they'll all jump in I bet, very cute to see them all bathe at one time. They will eat some sand and dirt too, don't worry.

 

[sumi]

The comb growing quicker is usually a sign you got a roo...
Give them some soil to bath in, chickens off all ages love dust baths. Though you got me thinking now... I never see my roosters bath, only the hens.

 

[Parismymare]

barred birds have the sexlink gene, and if i remember right the solid chick is female and the other one is male

 

[gryeyes]

My roosters do occasionally dust bathe. The dominant one less frequently, and when he does, it's with his favorite hen. Because he is so seldom "off duty" I do love to see him relax in a nice spa time with his gal.

 

[azygous]

My roosters dirt bathe all the time, however, they do it when they think no one is looking. I caught my SLW roo Stan in the act one day and got this pic. He's no longer among the living, but my two present roos will slip off for a solitary dirt bath whenever they can. My Buff Brahma roo Penrod really gets behind it, and he can be heard oinking to himself in guilty pleasure.