(not sure what thread to label this as.) Chicken Bathing.

[GalloNegrito]

I have recently bought a White Rooster, he's a handsome guy, nice white and yellow feathers with a few dots of black.

What shampoo or whatever should I use to bathe him? I want him looking his best. I have used water with normal dish soap before, it worked okay, I just don't want it irritating him.


(Side question: I heard of people putting peroxide on feathers to whiten them, I like the idea of him being a bit whiter but I'm a bit perturbed for some reason. Will they whiten just his already white feathers or will they whiten his black and yellow feathers as well?)

 

[ChickenKeep01]

You shouldnt need to use any soap/shampoo just some water

 

[azygous]

I would stay away from any chemicals and harsh detergents. However, for deeply soiled birds, I've used children's liquid bubble bath, just a tiny dash in a tub basin of warm water. I usually don't even bother to rinse, but it's better for the feather health to rinse.

 

[aart]

When you 'wash/bathe' a chicken with soap and water,
you strip all the hard work they've done to 'waterproof' their feathers spreading the oil from the oil gland at the base of their tails to all their feathers.

Unless they have poop stuck on their feathers that they can't preen off themselves,
or have run into some greasy mess, it's best to leave them be.

 

[CluckerCottage]

When I have to clean up one of my birds, I just use unscented Dove soap and rinse twice..
Some folks that show birds use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing to make their white birds gleam!
I guess just a few drops in their bath water does the trick.
Not sure if that will lighten your birds' other feathers, though.
Good luck!