Finders keepers is a game played by chickens who want you to be involved in their lives. There are two versions. The rules are the same but the things you find are not! This version relates to the dust bath experience and is the nicer version!
Aim of the game:
To make a mess somewhere inconvenient to a human who is trying to give the rest of the world the impression that they have a tidy home and garden
Equipment:
- A dry patch of soil
- A chicken
Rules
- Any location can be legitimately used for a dust bathing hole
- For full effect your soil needs to be light, crumbly and slightly sandy, clay soil is not as effective from the chicken perspective.
- Once the dust bathing site has been identified the hole must not be filled in under any circumstances. An unhappy chicken lays no eggs!
- Any number of chickens may join in at any time.
- A site can be abandoned at any time but may be reoccupied whenever the time is right. If you fill it with fresh soil you will get the evil cluck and much re-excavation
How to play
- Allow your chickens freedom to roam around your garden and identify a suitable dust bath site. This is likely to be in a sheltered but sunny spot, in the middle of a nicely dug patch of ground where you might want to plant something. Alternatively it will be on the edge of a flower bed next to the lawn where stones can be strategically placed to destroy your mower or under a bush where the roots need excavating, obviously.
- Wait patiently for the flock to work at their preferred dust hole. This involves scraping away the edges with their beak scratching and scraping away the soil in the hole with their feet and any amount of rolling around just to get comfy. Do not be surprised if a bit of pecking goes on when they all pile in. At some unknown secret signal, your chickens will start to dust bath in earnest getting themselves in a disgusting mess flicking dust around amongst their feathers and generally having a fine time. Your chicken will be in full eruption mode making a funny furry purring noise, not to dissimilar to a cat, she will be very happy. This is your reward!
- To make up for your happiness, after the bath is finished, a bit of preening has to happen. Your chicken will find a suitable place to stand and start by shaking a tonne of soil out from her feathers. If you are very unlucky this will happen on the patio and by an open door. It will lead to a clean up operation, Lucky you! On no account are you to clear up this quality soil and put it back in the hole. Finders Keepers!!
Winner;
The winner is always the chickens, if they are feeling kind the shake down happens over the flower bed. If your chickens are feeling really generous they will leave you a little pressy to go with it. If you are holding her at the time you are deffinately the loser!
For those of you with no imagination here is a guide to version 2
There are no rules
How to play
- Allow your chickens the freedom to roam
- Go about your daily life and enjoy your garden.
- Finders Keepers!!
Note to all free ranging chicken owners
- Take your shoes off before you go indoors!