Chickens going on outing, how to get them pretty in winter?

[taprock]

My son's 4-H group is taking their animals to visit a local care facility. Both are bantams and kept in an unheated coop. One has had mites - he's not going if I find any on him that day. First, if I dust him and then bathe him should that get rid of the mites quicker than ivomectrin? Second, if I bathe them I know I have to get them very dry before I put them out. My thought was to bath them just before the visit so they wouldn't get dirty again and would have the time of the visit to dry additionally...... but I don't want to stress them too much. Can anyone give me an idea of what is best for their health?

I'm in Northern Michigan where it is currently 27 degrees out.

 

[six_eclectic_chickens]

Let them take a dust bath. They love doing it and it is very effective for getting rid of parasites. If you give them a bath they wont be dirty but will probably splash water and hate you for it. We had a chicken fall in our pond and all the bugs in her immediatly started crawling all over the tops of her feathers so If you can put up with an unhappy chicken that may be the way to go, but make sure the water is warm.

 

[cmom]

I am originally from Traverse City, but moved to Florida when I was young. I would bathe the birds. You can take a hair dryer on low and blow dry them.

 

[Sooner]

Washing a chicken can be done with little fuss if you are prepared but first you need to be aware that the chicken will take a long time to dry even with a blow dryer & it would be best to wash the chicken one evening & keep him/her in the house over nigth to make sure it is dry all the way through. As for the mites you need to get those take care of quickly or you will have a sick chicken very soon.

My DD washes her chickens for shows all the time.

 

[rancher hicks]

I would be leery of washing them and then putting them back into an unheated coop. Chickens have oil on their feathers just like ducks do. It helps the rain to roll of and to keep them warm.

I suggest Ivomectin and dusting a few days before they go on the visit. Dust heavily under the wings and around the vent area.

Be sure to dust all roosts and corners of the coop at cleaning. Dust inside nest boxes. For roosts you might want to rub them down with mineral oil or vaseline. Mites come out at night and hide in cracks and crevices during the day. I like to give my birds a "sand box" and toss in lots of DE to bath in. You can also dust them on a regular basis to prevent problems.


I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[MissJenny]

If you bath him after dusting him that will wash off the dust... also this time of year bathing is not a good idea. Dust only and I am assuming by "dust" you are using a Sevin dust. DE dust is a preventive, not a cure.

Jenny

 

[stoopid]

When you say "local care facility", what exactly is going on?
To me, it sounds as if there could be bedridden people, I wouldn't take a bird dusted with powder, and make the infirmed sleep in it!
I would bathe them. See if you can get any more info.
If they are just going to be running around on the floor, ok then, but if they are visiting hospital rooms, I would get them a bit cleaner. JMO

 

[taprock]

The animals will be held and petted. This is part of the reason I was hesitant about medicating with out also having a bath to wash off the chemicals.

 

[stoopid]

Maybe if you have a garage to acclimate them to the cold afterwards?
I have a bantam roo, I tried to use him as a therapy animal. The director said dogs and cats, no chickens.
He gets bathed all the time, whenever we bring him to a party. Wears a diaper, and behaves like a gentleman.
I would try to get rid of the bugs, and bathe them afterwards. It would be more fun with both of them together.

This is him relaxing after the bath, waiting to get dried off.

 

[taprock]

Quote:
Adorable! We aren't doing diapers but taking pads to put on laps if someone wants to hold them and lots of baby wipes! If the mites aren't gone they are not going, no one needs to be exposed to the mites. Just when I think I've gotten them all I find more.