Weird winter treat DIRT BATH!

[MareeZoCool]

My hubby noticed my hen pecking st a bag of potting soil the other day. He thought she was starving!

I thought about the birds and how they normally take a dirt/dust bath. Hard to do with 8" of snow! I filled an old basket with potting soil. My hen & roo are happily bathing in dirt as I type.

It sure looks funny, to see that roo sitting in a basket. Hey, for 1 $, the pleasure those birds get is justified.

 

[gritsar]

Get a pic!

 

[tasymo]

What a great idea! I think I've got some left over potting soil in my shed...

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

The floor of my coop is dirt so they can take a dust bath whenever they want too.

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
I grew oatgrass for mine in a flat and periodically cut it to add to their greens. The other day I put the whole flat in their pen. They had a ball with it! Ate all the grass, then had fun digging out all the soil. The ground here is still frozen and the floor of their pen is covered with wood shavings. I know they are bored in there, but they don't want to walk on the snow, so there they stay. It WAS a great treat for them.

Katherine

 

[swdunn0926]

When I clean out our fireplace the ashes go straight to the coop. great for adding sevin dust to, to help out with pest!!! THEY LOVE IT!!!!!!! And it is useful!

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

I throw the ashes from our wood stove to our chickens as well.

They love it.

 

[wishbone]

my girls go in the barn when I put the horse out and dig a hole and all you can see is dirt flying

 

[specklesmom]

Speckles loved to pick out those white (perlite?) things in the potting soil and munch them up. She got chicken grit and oyster shell, but something about those white things in the potting soil must have been irresistable. Or maybe it was just that I kept telling her to get OUT of the flower pots.... How nice that you are giving your chicks a special winter treat!!

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Awww, cute! I'll bet they're really enjoying that.

My wildlife rehab group raised a hen last year (long story), and we gave her a storage tub filled with dirt so she could take dirt baths even as an indoor bird. Chickens sure do enjoy their dust baths!