July 18, 2010

The hole that George dug

Due to our recent heat wave, George took it upon himself to dig a nice-sized hole in our yard to aid him in cooling off when he chose to be outside.

It was actually much larger than this.  It was shaped to accommodate a 100-pound Labrador body.  However, since the hole was right by the gate that we share with our neighbors Herm and Eileen, Neal filled it back up, concerned that Eileen might trip and fall when making her weekly treks to our house to deliver compost scraps and other goodies (yes, I know that was an exceptionally long sentence!).

But the freshly dug ground proved to be too tempting for someone.  I caught Ginger in the act of re-digging the hole-albeit a chicken-sized hole -, but she was having such a wonderful time that I let her be.

She was very entertaining.  Even Tucker came over to check out the action.

And what a bit of action there was!  If you've never watched a chicken dust bathe, you have no idea what you are missing.  They dig and kick up the dirt, and roll, and kick, and fluff the pillow, then sprawl out with wings splayed for some cooling action. Then, in less than a minute, they start all over again until the hole feels just right. Such a sight to see!

After Ginger had sufficiently dusted and cooled herself, making a total mess of the hole Neal tried to repair, she hopped up and ran to find her sisters, who were lounging in the coolest spot of the yard....under a huge pine tree.  Ginger asked me to give George her sincerest thanks for preparing such a luxurious spot for her spa treatments.

4 comments:

cousin Arnetta said...

They do like making "dust bowls" even without the help of George's digging ... I think it has something to do with dusting for mites in their feathers... at least that's what they used to say... haven't looked it up for a fact, tho.

Anonymous said...

It's magical how everyone gets along at your house. :) We've got quite a few holes around here too. :)

AJ-OAKS said...

Ginger is downright beautiful!
Don't ya' just love the holes the chickens make. There are so many holes around the yard now. But hey, if it makes them happy, then so be it. It's just a hole right?! :)

Lilla said...

Arnetta...you are right. The dust bathing is a behavior used to ward off mites and lice. And besides that, I think it just feels good to them!

Justina...I continue to be amazed. Wonder if it will go as smoothly when we add donkeys to the mix??? If you've already got the holes, I think you need to add some chickens to your farm!

Cindy...Ginger thanks you for the compliment! And you are right...what's one more hole in our grass-free yard if it makes my girls happy?!?!?!

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