Three Happy Hens taking a Bath...

The sight of our three hens taking a dust bath made entertaining viewing the other day.They had found a patch of powdery ash where once we'd had a bonfire.

For quite some time they rolled in it, tossing and flicking the ash over themselves creating the messiest three birds you've ever seen.

And then, of course, when they'd had enough, they came running at us shaking off the dust as they ran..

Dustbathing is quite normal behaviour for hens and other birds. They do it to keep their feathers free from parasites and to help maintain the feathers insulating properties.

They looked awful....but ever so funny!