How To Give Week Old Chicks A Bath?

[chickenlittle32]

Can anyone recommend an easy way to give week to 3 wk old chicks a bath? Or should I wait until they are a little older?

 

[abooth]

When I had to give one a bath I put him in a big plastic colander like you use to drain spaghetti. I ran warm water over him used a tiny bit of mild dog shampoo and gave him a good rinse. I did this in the bathroom sink then gave him a little blow dry. You have to be really careful not to burn them with the blow dryer it can get hot fast.

 

[TexasVet]

Why do you need to bathe them at all? Unless they have pasty butt, I never wash my chickens. I do, however, put a bowl of sand in the brooder so they can take a dust bath.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.ChickenTrackin.com

 

[chickenlittle32]

I have to bath them because they are a mess. LOL As in, getting their feet wet and them going to the feed...(I am guessing for the most part that this is how they became a mess)I'm worried about them getting chilled or getting them too warm with the hair dryer.

 

[nature nut]

To bathe a chick or a chicken get three containers (I just bought a package of 3 gladware disposable bowls) Fill all the bowls with warm water. Add a little tear free dog shampoo,dish liquid, or something like that and put in one small piece of a washcloth or old towel in one, a tablespoon or so of ACV and another piece of towel to the second, and just a towel and plain warm water in the third. Have a drying towel (handtowels work well for chicks) for each baby and your hairdryer set up. Add a tiny bit of soap to the wet rag in the soapy bowl and sit the chick down into the bowl. Gently squeeze the warm soapy water over the chick from the neck down. You can rub with the grain of the feathers or any direction on downy and rub the legs and toes. Squeeze most of the water out of the rag and just wipe the head and beak clean. Pick the chick up and put in down into the warm water and ACV bowl. Again squeeze the warm water over the chick from the neck down, rub with the grain of the feathers, and wipe the head and beak. After the soap seems to be rinsed off well pick the chick up and repeat the procedure in the plain warm water bowl. Then wrap the chick in a dry towel and gently rub dry. After it is towel dried put your hair dryer on warm/low and if you have a diffuser use it. Dry the chick until the downy is fluffy and the feathers seem almost dry. Don't forget to dry under the wings and on the belly. When you are finished put the chick into the brooder under a warming light to finish drying.

 

[Soccer Mom]

I'm pretty low tech. I just hold the poopy part (feet, butt, whatever) under warm water and suds a little dawn detergent on the spot with my finger. Then I dry the baby really well with a warm towel and put it under the heat lamp.

 

[1101base2]

So I know this is an old thread, but high on Google search.

Best is to let then clean themselves in a dust bath for general cleanliness. However if there is pasty butt, or sores developing under the crusties I do the following.

First bribe small bird with treats (don't want to be a traumatic experience)

Then run a bit warmer than bottle warm water and put effected area under stream. With fingers gentle rub out grime. For especially difficult crusties use soft bristled toothbrush, and gently work area in direction of feathers/fluff growth.

Once grime is off towel dry wet areas and then start blow drier.

For mine medium heat on medium speed is just over bottle warm on my forearm and what I use to dry. Using a shaking motion of the drier and going towards and back dry the bird. Do not stop until bird is 100% dry.

My silkie has a constant crust on his feet I clean off about once a week when it starts to bother him (3 weeks old now), but he does not like the rinse, but loves the blow dry.

Lastly give bird praise and another small test and return to flock.

 

[Blackdragonrises]

Ok so I have a week old blue Cochin chick that was picked on by the older chicks( they r older by about a month) and has a crusty spot under one of her wings and on the wing. What do I do for her? I've not had this happen to me before.