what are they doing???

[swmommyto3]

ok 2 of my araucana hens look like they are hugging each other. one lays on her side in the grass w/one wing slightly extended and then the other is coming over laying almost on top of her and extending her wing too??? they actually look like they are trying to hug but Im thinking its some sort of pseudo-mating thing???? anyone?????

 

[Buster]

sounds like a dust bath to me.

 

[utahmethodist]

It sounds like dust bathing to me too. My hens are real "monkey-see monkey-do" creatures. If one of them starts to preen, scratch, or dust bathe the other one has to also. So if one is stretched out in the dirt the other will get as close as she can to do the same thing, often laying right on top of the other.

 

[FloridaChickenChick]

Mine were doing something similar this afternoon...One was sitting down and another one came and practically sat on her head. They are so funny! Eventually there were about nine of them all sitting right smack close to each other.

Man, it's too hot for that much closeness! And those little chickens are HOT!

 

[PotterWatch]

My chickens always seem to try and dust bathe in the same place. Makes for some strange arrangements, lol.

 

[swmommyto3]

idk! they do take alot of dust baths but for this they arent moving at all! but yes sort of similar look w/wings spread but the difference being the are laying on their side?! and kind of zombie like!? the first one did it I thought she was dropping dead!!! she was walking along sort of fell sideways and layed there untill the other one walked over and did the same thing on her! then one got up and about a full minute later the first one got up! granted its hot 90+ but still odd.

 

[Buster]

Mine do that a lot when they lay around when it's hot. I think it helps keep them cool.

 

[Pine Grove]

They are sun bathing...

 

[arlee453]

Or cool bathing - they scratch up the dirt, then lie on top of the cool dirt they overturned, wings outspread to help cool their body temps by exposing the underside of their wings (less feathers) to the cool dirt.

When the suck all the coolness out of the dirt, they scratch around again and stir up some more cooler dirt.

It's like turning your pillow over on a hot night to get to the cool side...

 

[fivebigreds]

Quote:
That is what they are doing , there's very few places on a bird that they can have the sun tough their skin and soak up the vitiman D . I got some hens once from a man that kept them in a stall with no sun. The poor things coulden't get enough suning when i brought them home.