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Post by miamiferret2 on Apr 2, 2011 22:17:43 GMT -5
 it was so funny a few years ago on one of our weekend trips to key west, a chicken was crossing the road and a car was driving along and he wasn't stopping. about 20 people (most of them drunk) on Duvall ran into the street with their hands up yelling "STOP! STOP! DON'T HIT THE CHICKEN!!!!!" LOL.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2011 23:21:25 GMT -5
 ;D |
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Post by Sherry on Apr 3, 2011 0:32:11 GMT -5
Oh, that's hilarious ;D Sakuraferret- we usually provide our ferrets with dig boxes for inside the house. Any reason you couldn't have a largish pan with dirt for your hen's dust baths?
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Post by sakuraferret on Apr 4, 2011 8:24:46 GMT -5
That's a great idea! I was thinking the same thing. I am just not sure what to have the chicken dig into. I remember Thistle did the peck and scratch everywhere, she didn't care it was hard wood floor or carpet...although I think she prefered the carpet. lol Actually when she did go outside, she didn't peck and scratch much, just kind of pecked through the grass like a very selective eater. Actually I wonder though if I could make a Chinchilla-style dust box and use chinchilla dust so she can get a dust bath? I guess if a chicken isn't picky about the peck and scratch, I could just buy some mealie worms and toss them around on the carpet for bug fun time. And if I find live crickets, i'll toss a live cricket out and let her go into hunter mode. I remember Thistle LOVED chasing bugs, she was my little bedroom pest control. Not a bug in sight after she was adopted. LOL I would jokingly offer to rent her out for natural pest control to my friends scared of spiders and what-not. Speaking of enrichment, here's a toy I want to try out at some point. Might work as a "chicken toy" as long as my hen can get her little beak inside to snag a bite. www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+16566+22377&pcatid=22377 |
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Post by Sherry on Apr 4, 2011 9:01:47 GMT -5
Maybe if you put smaller bits in, she could sort of "roll" it around, and get the ones that drop out?
As for the "dust" bath, if I remember correctly, ours(from the farm), just rolled in the dried out soil. No idea what a chinchilla dust bath would be made of.
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Post by sakuraferret on Apr 5, 2011 22:21:49 GMT -5
I could buy some potting soil and dry it out, but it might not be the same texture of fine dry dust. Plus I am not 100% sure if potting soil is safe, although I suppose a chicken would roll in it in the garden. I could try collecting some dust in a park maybe, but there's parasites and other baddies that might be there. If I had an oven I could bake the soil, but unfortunately we don't at the moment (most Japanese houses don't have ovens).
The chinchilla dust is a fine powder made to replicate volcanic ash I believe, it is very very fine. It might be the closest thing to a dusty dry soil chickens like to roll in. I think it should be safe, it is certainly free of parasites and other baddies.
I have an idea to buy a plastic tub with a lid, and modify it into a dust box for Hoshi to use whenever she wants to have a dust bath. I will probably try the chinchilla dust if I can find it, I think she will love it.
I still need to think of some more foraging ideas, I think that will help a ton for enrichment.
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Post by Sherry on Apr 6, 2011 0:49:32 GMT -5
Sounds like the chinchilla dust might just work then. For foraging, I don't know if you could set little boxes around with treats in them?
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