It's time for Tuesdays' Show & Tail' over at Angela's West Virginia Treasures! If you have a cute story and picture of a pet, or any furry (or non-furry) friend, you are welcome to join in! Check her blog for the rules, post away - and thanks, Angela, for being our host!
Proper care of laying hens requires some knowledge of their likes, dislikes, and instinctive needs. Dust baths are a necessity for poultry - an inborn desire, which, unmet, can result in infestations of lice and other nasty parasites found in bird feathers. It has been reported that hens in the evil poultry batteries desire dust baths SO VERY MUCH that they will roll around in crowded wire cages, trying to clean themselves. They will do so, even causing sores from the wire sides and floors of these small cages, which rip their skin, causing bleeding, creating an attraction for the other chickens to pick at, sometimes resulting in death of the hen.
My hens, as you know, are rather spoiled. I checked into the proper preparation of THE BATH. It's pretty simple: 1/3 dirt, 1/3 sand, and 1/3 sifted wood ash! Mix it all up, removing any foreign particles, stones, and sharps, and you are all ready to bathe!
I introduced THE BATH - and Lizzy had to inspect the container first.
Prissy tippy-toed away - wanted nothing to do with the suspicious container OR its contents!!! And so ---
I poured the mixture in a shallow cavity that I dug out with a shovel so the girls could test the waters, so to speak.
The 'temperature' was just right; LET THE BATHING BEGIN!!!
See the powder fly? All it takes is one brave CHIC, and they ALL have a 'go' at it!
After all of the activities, Cleopatra decides its time for a little nappy! She settles right down in the bath to snooze! All clean, and ready to begin the perfect day!!!Fly on back to Angela's to join in the party with your own animals!
5 comments:
Hey Monica!
Thanks for joining in again this week! I just love seeing all of your different animals and how you care for them! Your chickies are just too cute! We had chickens when I was younger and I didn't know that you should mix up their bath for them. Ours just makie their own holes in the ground. I think that is how my neighbor's chickens do it too. I'm sure they get a better bath with the way that you did it. They look happy and pretty!
Tuesdays' Show & Tail
Angela
CC, you are so good and kind to the animals. I think they were scared of the tub, but the depression you made was just the thing. I am wondering how they winter over in your clime? My husband wintered his in Oregon easily but his area did not have the temps yours does.
Okay you have some mighty fine hens there.
So they bath without water and they look so clean and fresh.
Penniwig is right - you are so good and kind to your animals - you spoil them like I do Andy!
I used to love to watch the hens dirt-bathe. You could almost see the pleasure they got from it. This was a wonderful and informative post for people who don't have or know anything about chickens. We never mixed up a special bath for ours either, but I can see that mixture would be very good for them to bathe in.
I used to love to watch the hens dirt-bathe. You could almost see the pleasure they got from it. This was a wonderful and informative post for people who don't have or know anything about chickens. We never mixed up a special bath for ours either, but I can see that mixture would be very good for them to bathe in.
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