any tips on getting and keeping chickens clean?

[chickpuffs]

It is winter in Montana, the first for our pullets: 3 leghorns and 2 Bantam (1 Cochin, 1 American Game).
They have made a deep "dirtbath" hole. Since it has snowed, our leghorns are looking quite dirty, probably because the dirtbaths are now moist. I don't know whether I should let them be, or if it is unhealthy to let chickens get dirty like this.
I hesitate to bathe them with water in the cold weather. In the summertime, I tried cleaning their bottoms with soapy water and a rag. They didn't seem to like it, so I didn't force it, as I wasn't sure whether it was necessary in the first place. Since then, I've found this forum and would like now ask for basic hygeine tips, please. Thank you!

A side note-
We are considering adding more sand to their run (we had mixed a bag into their dirtbath a few months ago), and would like to change out their coop floor straw with sand. I've read that sand helps somewhat to keep them clean.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I live in a flood zone, so I most certainly do have a few easy suggestions.
The first thing I did to keep my birds dry and clean was carefully select an area that they had an escape from the water should the rains start. So I picked an area that had formerly had 2 dog kennels with cement slabs. The coop overlaps those slabs, but at least they have a place to stand, apart from the nesting boxes and roost, in the event of water and mud.
Then when the leaves and needles started falling off the hundred or so trees I have, I started bringing them in. Chickens will scratch. They will scratch mud if thats the only thing they have, so I try to give them something else, if possible. I put a real thick layer under their roost, which I now need to replace.......like last week.
When I see that my chickens have filthied up the leaves, I add more and it keeps them clean. I don't just coop them. Sometimes they have access to the goat pen or garden, so it gives the coop a break from all that scratching. The fresh leaves also gives them a treat, because I somehow import a stray bug and a few blades of grass, along with the leaves.
I did bring in some sand a few months ago, to raise a few low areas and I might do that again, because I have a half load of top soil I haven't finished using, but those are my suggestions.

 

[MissJenny]

Sand in the run and shavings in the coop seem to be the cleanest solutions. Right now we're under several inches of snow (pretty) which will soon dissolve into several inches of mud (not pretty).

How muddy/dirty are your birds? Caked and coated? Or merely direputable looking?

Jenny

 

[Keri78]

Here's a few things that have helped me...

I add fresh hay to my runs & nesting boxes every month. My chicken tractor runs would be a flooded yucky muddy mess if I didn't continue to build it up with hay. The hay seems to be great for water drainage and also keeps their feet up high off the ground. They still dig down to the dirt sometimes to take a dirt bath but better than a muddy run! Also looks nice a fresh when people come over to visit.

I find the best way to keep clean chickens is to free range them..the more time they have to free range the less poo you have to deal with and the cleaner they are! Mine LOVE scratching through the hay building little nests(the hens) and even eating some of it when I fist put it in!

Just what's working for me right now. I would NOT bathe them in the winter...they could get really sick really fast! Hang in there...spring's coming!!!

HTH, Keri PS. I tarped my runs for the winter...this HELPS A TON!!!

 

[LynneP]

When you can manage it, roof your run. Keeping them dry makes a world of difference...

 

[chickpuffs]

Thank you for your helpful hints- covering the runs is a great idea!
I like the leaves idea, too- when I had the chance this autumn, they would get new piles every so often.
Their run is quite large, and covered with fruit tree netting to keep hawks and other predators out. We like our birds to have "stuff to do," so we put in straw and seeds/nice scraps to scratch, and they have a small "fort" made of corn stalks and pine boughs, which they turned into their "private bath" (deep dirtbath).*
As for their condition: they are not mud-caked, they just look grubby. So, as long as it's healthy, I'll let them be for now and take the advice to clean, "refill"[sand/scratchy stuff] and cover their run.
Thanks again for the advice!

p.s. We too love to let our chix run in our penned-in garden. Now it's too cold to "babysit" outside, and too risky to leave them under the open skies.

*-a fun idea -"dirtbath spa": In the early autumn we got a big bag of sand and I mixed in a couple cups of DE, essential oils (sweet orange, tea tree) and dried peppermint leaves. I mixed this in the area where they were taking baths.