Dawn?

[KerryP]

Why is the 4-H leader washing chickens with a water bath in the first place would be the better question? As said if you have a valid reason to wash the chicken with soap, like them being covered in oil then sure Dawn is better than the alternative, but normally there is no reason to wash a chicken with water... As said Dawn strips oils very, very well, it will actually cause harm if it's done for no valid reason as it will strip the good and essential oils out of the feathers and skin...

Some people will wash them prior to slaughter to remove any fecal mater, dirt and the sorts to make for a cleaner de-feathering process and in that case Dawn is acceptable...

Others might choose to use it as a mite wash, as it does a decent job of killing mites, but again this causes potential harm as it removes the good oils as well, so you have to weigh in to see if the good outweighs the bad...

Meep is correct... baths just usually aren't needed at all. Dawn is great for cleaning a chicken if they've been involved in an Exon mobile oil spill (

), but otherwise, you want those birds to keep the natural oils they've worked so hard to spread onto their feathers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The certified APA judge that will be judging 4H chickens gave a talk to some of the kids and parents involved a couple of years go. I was sitting in the audience to see what he would say. Someone asked him if the chickens needed to be washed for the show.

His response was that when he judged the best chicken won, whether it was washed or not. So, no, they do not have to be washed for showing when he is judging. However, in case of a tie in the quality of the chickens, the one that did not make him want to immediately go wash his hands after handling it might win the tie-breaker. My conclusion was that wise people wash their chickens before the show even if it is not required.

Unfortunately I don’t remember how to wash the chicken being discussed.

 

[MeepBeep]

My conclusion was that wise people wash their chickens before the show even if it is not required.

i have little doubt about that, but there are many other mild cleaning options available that don't totally strip away the oils vs the extremely harsh options like Dawn... IMO, the harsh stripping of the oils caused by Dawn is likely to take away from the overall feather appearance defeating the purpose...

In the end Dawn is a harsh soap, I know several people that use it on their show cars to strip off all the old layers of wax, polish, grease and grime before a show so they can apply a brand new coat of wax for the shoe, in the end, Dawn IMO is nuclear option to clean a chicken...

 

[TroyerGal]

Um... what about "dawn helps save wildlife"? I would totally use it or baby shampoo

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Um... what about "dawn helps save wildlife"? I would totally use it or baby shampoo

It saves wildlife from oil spills. Animals that would otherwise die but when it is used, the animals are closely monitored to make sure that they have regained their natural oils that the dish liquid strips before returning them to the wild. But the point of many posts above, unless the chicken is in danger of death otherwise, it isn't recommended to use soap, of any kind really, for a bath.

 

[MeepBeep]

Um... what about "dawn helps save wildlife"? I would totally use it or baby shampoo

I think we have to keep things in context...

-Madge! You use a dishwashing liquid to soften hands?

-Doesn't everybody?