August 10, 2011

Beat the Heat, Chicken Style

They take turns

No wonder the water in this dish is always so dirty.

23 comments:

Grace said...

Oh my goodness! That's hilarious! I used to have a dog who would gently, slowly, and ever so tentatively ease his tushie down into the kiddie pool we had for him. It never failed to make us laugh.

Crow said...

LOL!

That chicken is giving me ideas. ;-)

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Well if the ducks can do it, why cant they ;)

Mama Pea said...

Come on, Leigh, spring for a wading pool for them. Poor things! ;o} (Such a funny picture!)

Heather said...

Now that's a great idea... and I thought chickens weren't very bright:) I think I'll put a "pool" out for my girls and see if they catch on. Thanks!

Renee Nefe said...

tell the chickens that they should be glad they don't live in Texas (I know I am!) or they would be laying hard boiled eggs!

and I would love to see a chicken pool. ;o)

CaliforniaGrammy said...

Hmmmm . . . you've given me a great idea. It's been in the high 90s here for a few weeks and I think the girls might love this idea. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

My Delaware hen does this too!! LOL... it *has* been awfully hot though!

* Crystal * said...

LOL....I make mud puddles for mine & they wallow like pigs :-)

Yesterday we were 108° so I really don't blame them. My goats have even taken to liking their legs & bellies hosed down......

I've also found that providing an alternate cool off place for the chickens keeps their drinking water a bit cleaner.

Leigh said...

Grace how funny. Maybe he was getting "used" to the water, LOL

Crow, not a bad idea at all, is it? ;)

Jane, that's exactly right! Too bad I don't have any ducks!

Mama Pea, actually Dan found some large plastic tray like boxes in the dumpster and brought them home. I suggested we make a wading pool for the chickens, which he obligingly did. The chickens came over to take a look, discussed it amongst themselves, took a drink and walked away. They still haven't waded in it but they still take turns in the water dish! Go figure.

Heather, good to hear from you! Do give it a try, though it seems that only 2 of my 4 breeds are interested.

Renee, laying hard boiled eggs, LOLOL. See Crystal's comment below, she lives in Texas. :) I'll have to get a photo of the one we did make.

CA Grammy, let me know what they think!

Peggy, it must be the breed. My Delawares were the one breed that seemed to love the rain. That same hen always comes running anytime I dump out the water dish. Actually, she started the wading, the Barred Holland got the idea from her. The others aren't the least bit interested.

Crystal, yikes! Poor you. We put a wading pool of sorts in the chicken yard (see my reply to Mama Pea), but all the chickens will do with it is drink out of it. For some reason, that old dog dish is the place to be!

Woolly Bits said...

I esp. like the look of the birds - "what are you looking at there"?:)) no privacy, really....

trump said...

We can learn a little something from chickens, what that is im not sure,lol. Richard from Amish Stories

Mama Pea said...

I laughed out loud at your description of the chickens checking out their new wading pool! Ingrates . . . ;o}

bspinner said...

Those chickens have the right idea!

A Wild Thing said...

Never a dull moment is there...with all the great things going on at our funny farms, who needs cable TV...!

Leigh said...

Bettina, exactly! In fact, anytime I come around they look at me like that!

Richard, I agree. When you figure it out, let me know!

Mama Pea, and it still sits there, full of water and untouched by any chicken. :)

Barb, they certainly do!

Sharon, you said it! There is always something amusing going on. What could be better than that!

Sharon said...

I think chickens are fabulous entertainment. It's not hot here, not even close, and I'm past being concerned. Actually, I am alarmed. Your chickens wish they were here.

The Apple Pie Gal said...

Ha! Can ya blame them? I vote for a make shift kiddie pool and see how many dive in!

Theresa said...

I have a horse that loves to play in the water tank. I hear him splashing with his front hooves in it. Makes a mess, annoys me to no end and requires I go out and tip and refill the tank, and it hasn't even been hot really.
That is a pretty cute photo though. Maybe the girls would like a mist system? :)

BrokenRoadFarm said...

LOL!! I put a foil roasting pan full of water in their run...they avoided it like the plague (which is the case with anything new) - then they just starting drinking the water :-)

badgerpendous said...

Love it! Duck envy...

Susan said...

I'm so glad mine aren't the only ones doing that! Actually, the turkeys are even funnier, since they want to drink from the hose while I'm filling their water pans. Silly birds!

Leigh said...

Sharon, they really are. Would you mind sending some of your cooler weather our way? I'm about tired of all this heat.

APG, next time I'll show you a photo of what we did for them. And I'll let you know what they thought about it, LOL

Theresa, how funny. I wonder why some animals like water, others don't. I hadn't thought about a mist system. That's a very good idea. We'll have to see if we could rig something up. I feel badly for them because they pant so much.

BRF, chickens are so suspicious! It's hilarious, isn't it?

Badgerpendous, LOL, If only they knew :)

Susan, how funny. I used to have a cat that loved to drink from a running faucet. He wasn't particularly fond of water, but he loved that faucet.