It never ceases to amaze me how great my chickens are at digging holes! They love to scratch around, wiggle down and flap around the dirt To keep themselves clean, chickens take dust baths This summer, I’m working on making a dedicated area for my chickens’ dust bath I’ll keep you posted on if they actually use this area or if they continue to just dig dust baths wherever they want Haha!
The Perfect Dust Bath
Have you noticed your chickens laying around in a dusty spot, kicking dust all over themselves? Chickens love to roll around in the dirt and dust It may sounds backwards to ‘bathe’ in dust, but chickens have good reason for rolling around in the dirt When chickens cover themselves in dust, they are doing so in order to take care of their feathers and skin Chickens can easily become infested with external parasites like mites, fleas, ticks and other insects
Most of these insects prefer to hop onto patches of clean skin that they can easily gnaw through to get
How to Make a Chicken Dust Bath
Why Do Chickens Need Dust Baths ?
If you’ve owned chickens, you’ve probably seen them giving themselves a dust bath Chickens will lay in a shallow area of scratched up dirt and kick it all over themselves If you haven’t seen it before, it can look a little frightening like your chicken is having a seizure Don’t worry though, it’s totally normal and necessary for your chicken’s health!
Chickens have evolved over time and have learned to take care of themselves when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene While we think of bathing as a process requiring soap and water, chickens are much the