Does anyone bathe a chicken?

[luvmyhens]

My girls are white and with this last rain they look like dalmations. I want to take them a bath today is a warm and beautiful day to do it. The question is how would I go about it? What soap should I use? and does anyone do this or am I just ridiculous.

Thanks for your responses

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

yes, everyone that exhibits chickens bathes them, they have store bought chicken soap, i use baby shampoo if they are mine. If on the rare occasion i buy adult birds, i use dawn as soon as i get em home. I bring em inside one at a time and use the tub, towel dry, and let em warm under a light or outside if its nice. i use a toothbrush for feet, toes, and comb. u can use a small rubbermaid tub outside, but i dont like to haul hot/warm water....... have fun, and take pics, the last time i had a friend from the city visiting, and he laughed and took pics, he said he knew now i was country!!! go figure

 

[7L Farm]

What , now I have to bathe them. Glad I got red chickens.

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

HAHA @ 7L! yea, my dad tells me..... Now boy, why dont u put ribbons in thier hair like ur granma's lil poodle dog?..... I, in a very sarcastic tone, tell him, cuz chickens dont have HAIR!, then he points at my silkies, and i shut up! I bathe the ones i get from other places for mites and other topical coodies, and then i worm them, and quarantine for 45 days. I bathe mine here for my sister to show, before they sell, or when the white silkies get pooped on.

 

[PepsNick]

Show birds do, but Most laying hens you give bathst o in sand or dust. But heck, sure, you can do it

 

[mandelyn]

I bathed a couple of chickens. One was my favorite bantam roo Jibbers, who got into with my doberman I had at the time and he was covered in drool and totally stressed out. Nice warm bath and a blow dry on medium heat. He was loving life! Then he got to watch TV wrapped up in a towel. He had a same-day recovery.

2 birds from a swap I had to bathe, both daily while treating for scaly leg and mites. One turned into a total pet, the other didn't care for it and hated me for life. Win some, lose some I guess.

If they do like it, be careful that their head doesn't sink into the water in relaxation. Two of the 3 just about fell asleep. I have since started using the kitchen sink with the handy sprayer on my most recent birds. I bleach it after wards for sanitation. In my dream coop, I'll have a wash sink with a sprayer in the feed/storage building located 5 steps away from the coop. But, kitchen sink for now.

 

[Sootsie]

I bathed and blow dried my silkie before a show last year, didnt help much though she still looked like a scarecrow

 

[equinehugger3]

Once my little Blue Cochin got pooped on, so we had to give her a bath. My little brothers and I filled up the little 'chicken bathtub', and brought it out in the sun. We gently put our little Cochin in the tub, and she drew up her feet, and started to float! It was so cute and funny, watching her bob up and down gently in the water, and she eventually closed her eyes. (Isn't it so cute when chickens close their eyes?! I love it!) It was so adorable, but we never got her to do it again.

 

[teach1rusl]

Even mild dish washing detergent works well. If the water is warm and you're gentle with them, most seem to love it

after the first minute or two...

 

[wood&feathers]

Usually my small layer flock just dust bathes. But they free range, and my Australorp started pulling her tail feathers and turned out to have lice. So all four hens and the rooster were taken in to the bathtub for a bath, drying and inspection. I used the Adams flea shampoo folks on here recommended. For good measure the affected bird got another bath each week for a month.

I probably got lucky, perhaps noticed her problem early, but haven't had any trouble since. Our sweetheart rooster was the best - he seemed to drwse and liked it. The top hen was another story.