how do you wash chickens?

[silver1polish]

For christmas I got a show kit and do you know what it was the ............. MURRY MC MURRY SHOW KIT! And I'm reading the book and it's full of information and they even have little cartoons

Here's a nother one

The woman is probably thinking "ya right"

 

[Skye727]

I have just been using Dawn. Works great on my white Cochin who likes to play in the mud. I might check out that kit!

 

[RikkiMarie]

I have a white/yellow hen that I use for egg laying and while she is my biggest baby, she is also the worst to give a bath to but I will tell you that it is fun and easy to give a chicken a bath. (It's easy for me to give her a bath at least because she is smaller...for now. lol)

I always use the bath tub and put a rag down so she feels secure and I use the shower head and baby shampoo, carefully avoiding her eyes. She enjoys it and her favorite part is the hair dryer!

 

[Bocktobery 10]

My chickens seem to enjoy getting a bath. A few do not, but most do.

I use either a laundry tub, or one of those rubber gardening tubs. I put it in the bathtub under the faucet, put warm water in it almost to the top. Like what RikkiMarie said above, put a towel down for traction and don't have too much water in the tub that the chicken starts to float. The water usually comes to about their 'shoulder' height. I use baby shampoo , but sometimes I use just plain water, or salt -if I'm doing it to get rid of mites. Try not to let your chicken drink the water! I also bought an herbal natural shampoo of lavender and thyme, but this doesn't lather up so much. I thought it would be good to stave off bugs. I have no conclusions about that yet. ..... Oh I should note that I never wash their head. I don't wash chickens 'professionally' for shows or anything like that, I just usually do it to get poopy bottoms clean, or if the chicken needs a bath for some reason.

Once I'm done lathering them up, getting in between the feathers gently, I pick them up and tilt them side to side and rinse then under the spigot- warm water of course. (never use cold, or too hot- you can shock their system.) I put a towel around them when they are done to get most of the water off of them, then blow dry on warm heat with the hair dyer. <Note: Some hair dryers can suck feathers into the vent- so do be careful. I always hold the hair dryer a few feet away from them.> They don't always like the hair dryer, but I think after a while, as long as you are careful about not heating them up too much with it (always keep it moving) they seem to like it.

I have one of those old hood hair dryers and I'm thinking about giving a try with the chickens if I can make sure it is safe to use with them. I think they would absolutely love the massaging streams of warm air. I can just imagine a hen sitting under that thing, sleeping while drying off.

I think if you have more 'wild' chickens it would be more difficult to bathe them. My chickens seem to trust me a lot and I can walk right up to them and pick them up, so of course that can make a difference. I do think that once a chicken gets used to the warm bath, it will like it and calm down.


I have to say that the show wash kits sound interesting. I will have to look into it!