Chicken dust bathing: what you need to know

Chicken dust bathing is poultry’s birds way of keeping clean and groomed. Like their counterparts in the bird kingdom, chicken’s preferred material of bathing is dirt.

Availability of dirt as a bathing material depends on the poultry housing system you implement.

The why of chicken dust bathing?

Poultry birds engage in dust baths to clean and groom themselves. Besides hygiene it is possible chicken bathe in order to groom themselves for mating.

Additionally, chicken bathe in dust in order keep their feathers in good condition. Dirt and dust bathing help straighten their feathers. Straight feathers enable chicken to control their body temperate. Unconditioned feathers mean that a bird may feel excessively cold when it is cold and hot when it is hot.

Reasons why chicken bathe in dust:

• To keep clean
• To condition their feathers
• To rid themselves of parasites
• To engage socially with each other

Chicken also bathe in order to rid themselves of parasites and also to prevent themselves from parasites. There are a specific mites and fleas that prey on chicken, sometimes jumping to chicken from other hosts such as rats.

Dirt and dust bathing is also an activity in which chicken engage socially with each other.

The how of chicken dust bathing?

Chicken bathe by scratching dirt to dig a shallow trench or ditch. They then sit in the ditch, roll around, and scratch the ground to throw dirt and dust all over their bodies.

Dust bathing is also a social activity for chicken. They are likely to lay on the ground, in contact, and throw dust all over themselves.

When they are done dust-bathing chicken stand and shake their bodies so that excess dirt and dust is freed from their feathers.

How often do chicken bathe?

If chicken have access to dirt on a daily basis, they are likely to bathe as often. Chicken living in cold climates may not bathe as often as chicken living in warm climates.

Key takeaways

• Chicken bathe in dirt and dust
• Chicken bathe to keep clean, condition their feathers and skin, rid themselves of parasites and engage socially