chicken cleanliness

[ipie68]

do chickens need baths

 

[mstricer]

I would assume only if you are showing. You can offer a dusting area, that should do it.
Michele

 

[Imp]

They will take dust/dirt baths if they have access to the ground.

I have never water bathed a chicken, but some people do. If they get into something or show chickens.

Imp

 

[Aria]

We keep our BARN clean. We have a pooper scooper we use daily.

I understand some (showing) do bathe their show birds. Aria

 

[simplynewt]

How do they react to water being sprayed on them? We havent had any rain to speak of in months and I was just wondering.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I had to bath one of mine. She had a big lump of poop stuck fast to the down below her vent. It wasn't coming off with a washcloth so I had to soak the whole chicken.

 

[foxypoproxy]

I only bath mine if they are really dirty and are stuck with mud or/and poop in places that won't easily come off by itself.
Some breeds get dirtier then others.
For example, my polishes crest can get dirty very easy and he can't clean it himself.
Japanese also get kinda dirty because there legs/feet are so close to the ground they sometimes drag their wings in muck (but i imagine this is something they could preen off themselves if needed).

For hygiene in general, chickens take dust baths which help rid and prevent lice and mites.

So in general, chickens don't normally need baths.
But special circumstances can occur when they do.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Rain, no problem; but a hose or squirt gun is a major evil force in chicken minds.

Imp

 

[Ksane]

I bathe mine a lot and I don't show. They relax and practically fall asleep in the bathtub. I also bathe all new chickens when I get them before they go into quarantine. I just like bathing animals, I guess lol My husband laughed at me years ago for giving the baby bottle calf a bath-but he was dirty

 

[featherfriendlyinIowa52]

We could bath our birds in saltwater...start the brining process early!