It's always interesting what you can learn from practical reenactment of the way people lived.

I recall one thing I'd read- an experiment had been set up with volunteers to live in a Medieval recreated village for a year. Among other things, they were provided with chickens of the breed that would have existed back then. The volunteers were a bit disappointed to discover that the 'heritage' chickens only laid eggs once a year.

The scientists were all excited when they came to examine the site and found the same mysterious circular depressions in the ground that they'd seen at so many archeological sites. What is that! So excited.

The volunteers said ... that's where the chickens do their dust baths. :^)