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This morning I informed my "girls" that "Puxatony Phil", the famous groundhog, had seen his shadow (which meant six more weeks of winter). Now if chickens could groan I'm sure mine would have. I swear I saw a tear in Willa's eye. 
Feeling rather sorry for the "girls" I decided to set them free for a quick bath and stroll.
Some of the "girls" headed straight for the leaves to forage, while others found some grass to nibble on. Frozen, but somewhat edible.
The "girls" are in the beginning phase of molting and would rather not have their photo taken. All of them have taken such pride in their appearance and would rather not disclose their bare spots to the public. A naked chicken butt is not a pretty sight, trust me.
Gladys my glamour girl was happy just to stretch her legs and have some "alone" time.
Being in the constant company of nine other women is not always easy. I hear ya Gladys.
Sweet Henny Penny, my shy little gal wanted her privacy and opted to hide behind the Rhododendron to bathe.
Others opted on a communal bath
Miss Pip headed to her favorite spot secretly hoping she would have it all to herself, unfortunately for her it did not work out that way.
Now, if you have never had the pleasure of watching a chicken bathe, you are truly missing out- it is quite entertaining. Chickens scratch to loosen the soil and proceed to throw it over themselves and usually any others that are near. They flap their wings to make sure the soil gets underneath, they roll themselves over, around and on their back, just as a dog might do. It is a hoot to watch. Once one begins the others soon follow and more than likely will "pig pile" on one other.
Upon completion the chickens stands, fluff their feathers, give sort of a shake and swish their tail feathers back and forth. Now you have a clean and proud hen. Believe me when I say an amazing amount of dirt comes flying out. (Think Pigpen from the Snoopy comic strip) Now you have a clean and hopefully mite free chicken. A clean chicken is a happy chicken.
Charlotte just wanted you to know its not easy maintaining such beauty.
And with that, good night from Dog Trot Farm.
Feeling rather sorry for the "girls" I decided to set them free for a quick bath and stroll.
Some of the "girls" headed straight for the leaves to forage, while others found some grass to nibble on. Frozen, but somewhat edible.
The "girls" are in the beginning phase of molting and would rather not have their photo taken. All of them have taken such pride in their appearance and would rather not disclose their bare spots to the public. A naked chicken butt is not a pretty sight, trust me.
Gladys my glamour girl was happy just to stretch her legs and have some "alone" time.Being in the constant company of nine other women is not always easy. I hear ya Gladys.
Sweet Henny Penny, my shy little gal wanted her privacy and opted to hide behind the Rhododendron to bathe.
Others opted on a communal bath
Miss Pip headed to her favorite spot secretly hoping she would have it all to herself, unfortunately for her it did not work out that way.
Now, if you have never had the pleasure of watching a chicken bathe, you are truly missing out- it is quite entertaining. Chickens scratch to loosen the soil and proceed to throw it over themselves and usually any others that are near. They flap their wings to make sure the soil gets underneath, they roll themselves over, around and on their back, just as a dog might do. It is a hoot to watch. Once one begins the others soon follow and more than likely will "pig pile" on one other.
Upon completion the chickens stands, fluff their feathers, give sort of a shake and swish their tail feathers back and forth. Now you have a clean and proud hen. Believe me when I say an amazing amount of dirt comes flying out. (Think Pigpen from the Snoopy comic strip) Now you have a clean and hopefully mite free chicken. A clean chicken is a happy chicken.
Charlotte just wanted you to know its not easy maintaining such beauty.
And with that, good night from Dog Trot Farm.
11 comments:
Are they fenced in where they free range? I just wondered if they ever wandered too far. I hope to have chickens some day and your stories and pictures are so great. I love reading them.
What beautiful girls!
Sandy
loved seeing your girls.....
i want chickens......
kary
xxx
Great photos. The "girls" are beauties. Thanks for sharing their adventure and giving me a smile!
They love you now for sure Julie...hopefully an early spring is on the way despite Ol Phil!
Please let the girls know that Cedar thinks they are all beautiful!
"A clean chicken is a happy chicken!" I love that Julie :) Poor little Miss Pip, some little hen beat her to the best place. It looks perfect. You are a good little hen Mom Julie!! Fun post, it would be fun to see your girls in action with their dust baths.
You described the bath perfectly. AND I SAW Green sprigs of lawn! Oh how jealous I am.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Ginny my girl's free range with out fencing. I never leave the yard while they are out and keep a close eye on them. Winslow aids in that department as well. They do tend to roam, I've been know to head to neighbors yard's and lug them home. Usually if I just call "GIRLS" and shake the oatmeal box they tend to surry home.RR I need computer lessons, if I knew how to load a video I would certainly share as it is such a fun and interesting event to watch. Thank you everyone for the kind comments on my girl's and all the well wishes I have received concerning my explosive head.
you are having TOO much fun with these girls!!!
I love to watch my hen Freckles bathe like this! The rest of my chickens are only 3.5 months old & for some reason they do not take dirt baths. Freckles will teach them, I'm sure! And yes, you described it perfectly! I always find myself just watching my chickens & laughing at their antics -they are so entertaining!
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