Bathing a baby chick

[sonjab314]

I've been hatching chicks for the last 24 hours and one has dried but the fathers are all gunky and dried to his back. Any ideas on how to clean him up? I've never encountered this before. I was thinking a cotton ball with warm water but I dont want him getting chilled after the bath is over. I'm am open to all suggestions. Maybe after I bathe him put him back in the incubator to dry off again? It's still running with one more egg in there to hatch.

 

[dsqard]

On my hatch I had one that I had to help out and it wound up kinda sticky. I used Q-Tips and warm water as best as I could when it was newly hatched. I didn't get all of the sticky stuff off then so I waited about a week and then did the whole process again. By this time the chick was a little bigger and a little better at regulating body temps. I also took a hair drier and dried the chick on the second go round. It was pretty funny to see the chick enjoying the nice warm air. I did put the drier on a low setting and made sure it wasn't too close to the chick so it wouldn't get too hot. For that first week it did look like the poor thing had been hit with a bottle of hair gel but it didn't seem to affect the chick.

 

[sonjab314]

This little bugger hatched in the middle of the night and was dry when I woke up this morning

. I went ahead and used warm water and cotton balls and placed him back in the bator since it is really warm in there. But I am going to keep a good eye on him.

 

[sonjab314]

Well that didn't work. It's hair is still sticky. I wonder if I could use just a drop of baby shampoo????

 

[secuono]

I've always left them alone. Once the feathers grow more, the chick will preen it's feathers clean on her own.

 

[sonjab314]

Quote:
Thanks for the tip. I may do that unless I see the others picking on him. That's the only thing I was afraid of.

 

[Silkie-Feet]

i always take a dry tooth brush and gently brush the dried sticky feathers and they fluff up and the chick looks normal.

 

[gryeyes]

I have washed baby chicks before, when they were all gooped up like that. I used warm water directly from the tap (testing the temp first, of course) and a tiny dab of Dawn liquid. No dunking, and it was easy to turn the little thing around under the stream of water for washing and rinsing. Then I towel dried it, used a hair dryer on low, and when done, plunked it directly under the heat lamp in the brooder.

 

[jim_yang]

I think soft clothes soak it in warm water will work. toothbrush is a good try too just don't brush it hard.