How to bath a 12 pound Muscovy Drake and what kind of shampoo?

[Muscovy Man]

So, if anyone of you guys remember that I have a hydrophobic (yes really!) 12 pound Muscovy Drake named General Lee. Well it has been a very long time since he actually took a really nice bath and his white plumage is all scruffy and caked with mud. The problem is that he is my show duck and I want to prepare him at the fair this summer and can't show him if his plumage isn't white. I also need to know what kind of shampoo to use on him and what have you used for cleaning your birds? I do have some dog shampoo that is natural and safe for dogs but do you think it would be safe on ducks?

 

[Smartie_Pants]

You have to be careful with shampoos, because they will strip the natural oils off of the duck. Maybe try something like baby wash? Something that is made to be super gentle. Before soaping him up though, try putting him in the tub and using just water to rinse him off. The mud will come off, and you may not need soap.

 

[Duck_feeder]

Wildlife rescuers use Dawn dish soap to clean Oil from oil spills off ducks. If a simple water bath doesn't do the trick, I'd try the dish soap instead because shampoo often contains unnecessary chemicals like fragrances or anti-dandruff fungicides that might affect a duck.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Try apple cider vinegar mixed in with some warm water with a tad of Dawn, but not too much. You don't want to strip all the oils off. Also, it is MUCH easier to do this outside in a large plastic storage container than in the house. Good luck!

 

[crj]

Since you don't want to strip the oils from the duck how about using some Lemon Joy. That has always been good for pets and plants. Dawn cuts grease so you might want to stay away from that unless your duck falls into a bucket of motor oil like my cat did years ago........... dawn worked great for that.