Do chickens need baths?

[e72071]

Does anyone give their chickens an actual bath or is there a product that will clean them? Obviously chickens get into all kinds of things but obviously with my white rocks they are more obviously dirty at times. Should I give them an actual bath and if so what do you use?

 

[getaclue]

I use 3 totes, and big dry towels to wrap each one in after their bath. Use tepid (slightly warm) water, and change it out as needed. Don't overfill the totes, because the chickens will lay down in the water. They settle down, and enjoy it. 1 gets Dawn original blue, made like dishwater. When they settle down, they usually lay down, so it's easy to let them soak clean. 2 gets a LITTLE bit of vinegar in the water. Just dip them in, and out. This restores the pH balance, and puts a nice shine on the feathers. 3 gets plain water to rinse them in. Don't skip this step. Then wrap them up like a burrito in a big dry towel.

 

[aart]

I would not bathe a bird just because it's a bit dirty looking.
If it's butt was caked with poop that it was preening off,
then I do but I don't use any soap.

Bathing with soap will strip all the oils off the skin and feathers,
it worked hard to get those feathers all just right.

They should be able to shake and preen the dirt off themselves,
tho it might take a few days after a muddy day.

If it bugs you that much, maybe stick with non white birds?

 

[Akrnaf2]

No they don't.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do chickens need baths? They take them by themselves, they are called dust baths. They don't need any other kind for health reasons.

Does anyone give their chickens baths? Obviously, yes. People that show chickens usually give them a bath before a show. As a chicken show judge once said, when he judges a chicken he gives the prize to the chicken that best meets the requirements whether they have had a bath or not. But if it is a tie, the one that doesn't cause him to feel he needs to go wash his hands after handling it will probably win the tie-breaker. If you are showing chickens you take any advantage you can.

Other people give their chicken baths for their own reasons. That's just personal preference. As long as the weather is not cold enough to chill the chicken I don't see any health problems with giving them a bath, but I'm not aware of any health benefits to giving them a bath.

If you want to, go for it. People that rescue oil-soaked wildlife, including water birds, use dawn dishwashing soap to clean the oil off. That's probably a good choice of product.

 

[getaclue]

Anyone that shows their birds, bathes them. The first couple times they preen, the natural oils are replaced, so it's no big deal. Again, it's up to you. They don't have to have a bath, but it gets all the various gunks off of them.

 

[getaclue]

Take an old soft toothbrush, and gently clean their legs, and under their toenails while they're in the bath water. While they're wrapped up, and calm, take a nail file, or dremel, and blunt their toenails. Put a tiny bit of vaseline on their combs, wattles, and legs. That helps prevent mites, and stick tight fleas.

 

[e72071]

I would not bathe a bird just because it's a bit dirty looking.
If it's butt was caked with poop that it was preening off,
then I do but I don't use any soap.

Bathing with soap will strip all the oils off the skin and feathers,
it worked hard to get those feathers all just right.

They should be able to shake and preen the dirt off themselves,
tho it might take a few days after a muddy day.

If it bugs you that much, maybe stick with non white birds?

It's not that it bothers me I was just asking. I know they dust bathe to clean themselves but these dirt area was more on the back of her head and neck so I didn't think she could get to it on her own.