One of Ollie's favorite activities (besides finding and eating grubs) was taking his dust bath out in his garden. It always took forty-five minutes, and always involved the same maneuvers: fluffing up the dirt, kicking it around, rolling in it and getting it up under his feathers, then lying on one side, his wing stretched out in the sun, rolling over on the other side, stretching out the other wing, then pecking at the dirt for a while before getting out, shaking out the dirt, and walking away looking very pleased.
Lisa, at Fresh Eggs Daily, shares some great tips for giving a chicken a lovely outdoor spa!
www.fresheggsdaily.com/2014/06/build-better-dust-bath-for-your-chickens.html But what about when the ground is frozen and covered with snow?
Ollie had an indoor "spa", and so will our new chicks since it'll still be cold outside when they arrive. We have a big, covered litter box that'll be just the right size for them and have ordered diatomaceous earth, play sand, and organic topsoil that we'll mix with some herbs and some dirt from Ollie's garden. Add a touch of radiant heat, and it'll be a wonderful place for the girls to relax!
When they get bigger, they'll have a kid-sized wading pool full of nice clean dirt-mixture to refresh themselves in when it's cold or rainy!
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Eleven years ago, Ollie came into our lives as a hatchling. Six months ago, he left us after a lifetime of sweetness, joy, and charming antics. It's time to fill the house with chortling, clucking, and chirping again. ArchivesCategories |