How to get a chicken back to white?

[booklover]

I got a white EE hen who used to be pure white with a little black but now her white is got brown and stained and discolored
Anyone know how to get her back white/keep her that way lol?

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Two parts to my answer:

Addressing the current feathers -
If it's simple grime - give her a bath with suitably safe products.
If it's permanent staining - you may need to let her molt out the affected feathers and wait for her to grow in clean ones.
Is it possible that it's not dirt? Its possible it might be a discoloration of the feather over time due to age, color leakage, or sun damage.

Addressing the cause -
If it's dirt - you might want to see if you can make changes to your coop / run area so that she has less opportunity to get so dirty. Dust bathing is fun but mud bathing is not..
If it's age or inherent genetic color changes - then consider that this might just be her new color and nothing can be done.

 

[booklover]

Two parts to my answer:

Addressing the current feathers -
If it's simple grime - give her a bath with suitably safe products.
If it's permanent staining - you may need to let her molt out the affected feathers and wait for her to grow in clean ones.
Is it possible that it's not dirt? Its possible it might be a discoloration of the feather over time due to age, color leakage, or sun damage.

Addressing the cause -
If it's dirt - you might want to see if you can make changes to your coop / run area so that she has less opportunity to get so dirty. Dust bathing is fun but mud bathing is not..
If it's age or inherent genetic color changes - then consider that this might just be her new color and nothing can be done.

It's definitely dirt stains, we had big storms a week or so ago and mud was unavoidable. All the chickens got filthy but her feathers are stained

Thanks! I'll try my best to get her back clean and i will definitely try to fix the drainage around the coop

Do you know of any safe products to clean her with?

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

It's definitely dirt stains, we had big storms a week or so ago and mud was unavoidable. All the chickens got filthy but her feathers are stained

Thanks! I'll try my best to get her back clean and i will definitely try to fix the drainage around the coop

Do you know of any safe products to clean her with?

Well then that's and easy fix then!!!

There are a variety of products that are designed for animal washing - dog/horse washes etc. Some of those may be medicated for control of unwanted hitchikers.. so pick the one that best suits your need.

For your girl a simple liquid dish soap, baby shampoo, or person shampoo (for blonde hair??) would also work just fine. Use the most simple one you can find (in terms of ingredients all you need is soap - the less additional chemicals the better).

Whatever you choose to use, be sure to rinse her VERY thoroughly after to avoid her ingesting any left over soap when she preens.

 

[booklover]

Well then that's and easy fix then!!!

There are a variety of products that are designed for animal washing - dog/horse washes etc. Some of those may be medicated for control of unwanted hitchikers.. so pick the one that best suits your need.

For your girl a simple liquid dish soap, baby shampoo, or person shampoo would also work just fine. Use the most simple one you can find (in terms of ingredients all you need is soap - the less additional chemicals the better).

Whatever you choose to use, be sure to rinse her VERY thoroughly after to avoid her ingesting any left over soap when she preens.

Thanks!! I think i have dawn soap i can use, do you think that will work?

I've given her a bath before and she just stood in the mud room preening for half an hour after

 

[booklover]

I found some shampoo and she is now moping lol

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I found some shampoo and she is now moping lolView attachment 2603942

I find my birds love the hair dryer.. for help with drying off and keeping warm. I put it on the lowest warm setting and keep it at a distance that gives them warm fluffy air but won't overheat them.

I aim to get all the underfeathers dry at a minimum and then pop them in a warm place in clean shavings to let them do the rest.

 

[booklover]

I find my birds love the hair dryer.. for help with drying off and keeping warm. I put it on the lowest warm setting and keep it at a distance that gives them warm fluffy air but won't overheat them.

I aim to get all the underfeathers dry at a minimum and then pop them in a warm place in clean shavings to let them do the rest.

Jewel likes the hair dryer too she just kinda basks in it lol
She's on a soft towel right now in my back room because i don't have anywhere else to put her that's not drafty

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Jewel likes the hair dryer too she just kinda basks in it lol
She's on a soft towel right now in my back room because i don't have anywhere else to put her that's not drafty

I was gonna say - that picture didn't look like she was moping - rather she's "relaxing" and enjoying her "spa day" hehe <3

 

[booklover]

I was gonna say - that picture didn't look like she was moping - rather she's "relaxing" and enjoying her "spa day" hehe <3

She did look like she was relaxing but the dirty looks she kept shooting me said otherwise