Dirty chicken

[chickenannie]

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I would consider separating him from the flock until his head heals because the other birds will attack him where they see blood.

 

[boxermom]

Thanks chickenannie. I already seperated him. I tried washing his head, but it didn't work very well, as I had no one around to help me. Once he dried, he looked a little better. I put him back in with the group since I didn't want him gone from them too long. He's doing fine. I don't know if he was picked on or if he got his comb nicked. Anyway, now that I know I can use dog shampoo, that will help the issue of the bath.

 

[gsim]

I would be careful using any shampoo in winter time. Shampoos will remove natural oils on bird feathers and they will then get wet to their skin which could be bad in cold weather. Many municipalities use aircraft to spray a soap solution on flocks of starlings shen they swarm and move south in Fall, to wash out their natural oils and then they die of hypothermia.

 

[Gargirl]

I am so happy to read this since I have 2 chicks roughly 5 weeks old that managed to get disgusting thanks to a coop that isn't finished so they are stuck in an aquarium. I will probably be giving them both baths tomorrow now that I know that I can.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

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I like where your head is at

A chicken shouldnt NEED a bath with water and soap.

 

[PoultryPedia]

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Fill a bowl with warm water. Dip a Q-tip in the water & daub it on the bloody spots on his comb, skin and feathers. Wait a couple minutes for the water to soak in & soften the dried blood.
Then wet another Q-tip & gently scrub at the spots on his skin. Then use a damp washcloth to wipe off blood from feathers, too.

Don't remove large scabs because that would make them bleed. Let them fall off naturally. You can daub on a little Neosporin to help them heal faster.

Waterless hand sanitizer (the kind you use instead of soap) is often good for removing gunk, too. If water doesn't do enough good, you can squirt some of that on your hand, gentle rub it onto the rooster's head (Be careful to keep it away from his eyes), and then clean it off using a paper towel.