Chicken baths

[taprock]

Thanks everyone! Watched the video and it was very helpful. I gave three of my dirtiest birds baths yesterday. I used the three wash tubs and it worked great. The hens didn't like the water or the blow dryer. So being 90 degrees I put them in a cage with the fan on them. My roo who I also bathed fell asleep when I washed out his crest feathers. He was so sweet. He also let me blow dry him with no fussing. They all look much better. I have some dirty chicks to do tomorrow!

 

[TexGardenGirl]

Cool video! I have a question to tack onto this topic - how do you wash ointment off their face? I have a week-old silkie whose ear got pecked when she was a day or two old; I thought it was her eye because she had blood all over her face, so I rinsed it with saline and applied neosporin. After a few days she was much better and I'm now ready to return her to the flock, but her face still has baby feathers all squunched up and stuck to her face so she looks strange (it makes her eye look bulgy even though it's not, and you can see all that black skin of her face, and I'm worried she'll get pecked again.

So. Should I just make some soapy water and rub it on with a cotton ball? I don't want to get soap in her eyes but the usual method of protecting eyes (at least in cats & dogs) is to put eye ointment on, and that's what I'm trying to wash off. I can't imagine getting ointment just on her eye without smearing her face again. Alternatively, if I just wash it quickly then rinse her eye immediately with saline (to get any soap out) will that be ok?

Anybody got any experience or tips with this? Thanks!