Poultry pampering?

[Beccazon]

Ok @MROO, bathe me a chicken. I have a brahma I cannot stand looking at any more after a couple mating sessions after a muddy rain. Her back...yuck! Of course on her snow white beauty, it is obvious, and over the last week it has not worn off. (Yes mud is my story and I am sticking to it)

So, is there a best way to bathe a bird who has never been bathed? Chicken spa 101? Lol

 

[MROO]

Ok @MROO, bathe me a chicken. I have a brahma I cannot stand looking at any more after a couple mating sessions after a muddy rain. Her back...yuck! Of course on her snow white beauty, it is obvious, and over the last week it has not worn off. (Yes mud is my story and I am sticking to it)

So, is there a best way to bathe a bird who has never been bathed? Chicken spa 101? Lol

Whew - A muddy Brahma is a BIG dirtball! Mine, except for Herman and the two Kindergarten Dropouts, are all under two pounds. None really get full baths more than once or twice a year, a day or two before a show.

You need three tubs of water (Rubbermaid type bins work well) and a small bucket - The first tub is warmish soapy water - usually Dawn or a mild livestock soap we use for the show calves. The second two are cooler, clean rinse water. The middle one will sometimes have a bit of vinegar in it to cut any soap residue remaining.

We usually tag team it - one person holds and gently rubs in (and out) the soap, the other scoops water and runs interference for potential escapees. We don't do a heavy-duty "wash behind your ears" sort of bath, it's more just to get out the loose dirt and encourage them to thoroughly preen, which straightens out and oils every feather, not just their usual spot-grooming. Herman is the exception. He's fluffy enough (and dirty enough) that he actually gets "swished" back and forth to make sure he's thoroughly wet.

After the bath, we wrap the "bathee" in a towel. Show birds will get a quick blow dry (on cool) just to make sure all the feathers are laying in the right direction. Herman gets a full blow dry. Holy Cow, he's poofy, then ... and he's a true Sulking Silkie for the rest of the afternoon!

I don't know how that system will adapt for your Brahma, but it works for our midgets, so that's how we do it. We've got the advantage of having smaller birds who are all used to (if not particularly happy about) getting baths. And luckily, I have NO white chickens!

PS - If you DO decide to bathe your mudpuppy, take some pictures. It's liable to be very entertaining ... for everyone but your hen!

 

[MROO]

from what i have seen most chickens like being bathed... I wouldnt do it often They dust for a reason this is to get the dander out.... and help with crawling parasites. They have oil in their feathers to keep them shiny and clean and working properly...

deb

Most of mine seem to enjoy the baths, too. It's the restraining part they don't like. Given a choice, Herman and most of my hens will sit in warm soapy,water and just vegetate for a bit, even to the extent of closing their eyes, but as soon as you touch them again, all bets are off! We tried to film Herman doing it once, but he pretty much exploded out of that tub and we were laughing so hard we couldn't record. Have you ever tried to catch a wet, soapy chicken? An ANGRY wet, soapy chicken? When you're laughing so hard you can't breathe? Yeah, Now THAT would have made great Chicken TV!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Ok so who is going to share their techniques for nail trimming? I do my dogs. Similar I assume. But the holding and such...pointers? Tips?

And oiling legs/combs. Best products? (How do legs look if mites set up shop?)

I forget where I read it, but I bought one of those baby swaddler things and cut off the bottom flap. I wrap a chicken up in that sucker and trim nails, inspect feet, what have you. I wish I could remember who it was who recommended that, but it's been a lifesaver!

And I regularly have to bathe my white Cochin. She gets DIRTY! And she's such a beautiful chicken when she's clean. I recently treated for scaly mites, and the oil caused tons of dirt to stick to her leg and foot feathers. It was gross! I had to bathe her. My fluffy white chicken had turned a dark muddy brown!

And my Brahma's toenails grow kind of weird. The toenail on her outer-most toe curls outward and sometimes makes it hard for her to roost comfortably. I use one of those Amope things. Love it! I can use it for beaks, too, but I haven't had to do that.

 

[Beccazon]

Whew - A muddy Brahma is a BIG dirtball! Mine, except for Herman and the two Kindergarten Dropouts, are all under two pounds. None really get full baths more than once or twice a year, a day or two before a show.

You need three tubs of water (Rubbermaid type bins work well) and a small bucket - The first tub is warmish soapy water - usually Dawn or a mild livestock soap we use for the show calves. The second two are cooler, clean rinse water. The middle one will sometimes have a bit of vinegar in it to cut any soap residue remaining.

We usually tag team it - one person holds and gently rubs in (and out) the soap, the other scoops water and runs interference for potential escapees. We don't do a heavy-duty "wash behind your ears" sort of bath, it's more just to get out the loose dirt and encourage them to thoroughly preen, which straightens out and oils every feather, not just their usual spot-grooming. Herman is the exception. He's fluffy enough (and dirty enough) that he actually gets "swished" back and forth to make sure he's thoroughly wet.

After the bath, we wrap the "bathee" in a towel. Show birds will get a quick blow dry (on cool) just to make sure all the feathers are laying in the right direction. Herman gets a full blow dry. Holy Cow, he's poofy, then ... and he's a true Sulking Silkie for the rest of the afternoon!

I don't know how that system will adapt for your Brahma, but it works for our midgets, so that's how we do it. We've got the advantage of having smaller birds who are all used to (if not particularly happy about) getting baths. And luckily, I have NO white chickens!

PS - If you DO decide to bathe your mudpuppy, take some pictures. It's liable to be very entertaining ... for everyone but your hen!

Lmao I surely will photo document it. She is a poof of feather to be sure. And yup...snow white. Which is why it is particularly evident that she is a regular recipient of Pride's affections haha.

I can do a less "Herman" style bath since truly I just want the shmutz off her back. It was a rather damp morning after a storm and humid all day so the earth below them stayed quite moist allllll day. Poor Freckles had no chance of remaining clean. I figured she would have "worn off" the evidence in the last week but...I thought wrong. Lol

My other Brahma is queen bee so she tells Pride to take a hike most of the time and in so doing, has remained...white. The rest are RIRs and a BSL/Black Asian thing. Lucky gals.

A quick splash down should do. Then trying to keep her clean til dry might be interesting. Is it permissible to bathe at roost time and return her to preen then when she is away from dirt etc and closed in the coop with the flock? Or should she be fully dry first? We are Michigan. 85F average daytime right now. Nights drop to anywhere between 50 and 70 depending on Mother Nature's bipolar attitude lol.

 

[Beccazon]

Most of mine seem to enjoy the baths, too. It's the restraining part they don't like. Given a choice, Herman and most of my hens will sit in warm soapy,water and just vegetate for a bit, even to the extent of closing their eyes, but as soon as you touch them again, all bets are off! We tried to film Herman doing it once, but he pretty much exploded out of that tub and we were laughing so hard we couldn't record. Have you ever tried to catch a wet, soapy chicken? An ANGRY wet, soapy chicken? When you're laughing so hard you can't breathe? Yeah, Now THAT would have made great Chicken TV!

Well now what did you expect? You were exploiting his personal bathing time you terrible chicken momma, you!

Sooo...chickentube? I might have to go look into this new idea of entertainment!

 

[Beccazon]

I forget where I read it, but I bought one of those baby swaddler things and cut off the bottom flap. I wrap a chicken up in that sucker and trim nails, inspect feet, what have you. I wish I could remember who it was who recommended that, but it's been a lifesaver!
View attachment 1876683

And I regularly have to bathe my white Cochin. She gets DIRTY! And she's such a beautiful chicken when she's clean. I recently treated for scaly mites, and the oil caused tons of dirt to stick to her leg and foot feathers. It was gross! I had to bathe her. My fluffy white chicken had turned a dark muddy brown!

And my Brahma's toenails grow kind of weird. The toenail on her outer-most toe curls outward and sometimes makes it hard for her to roost comfortably. I use one of those Amope things. Love it! I can use it for beaks, too, but I haven't had to do that.

Oh the swaddler is a fantastic idea!! One person chicken maintenance made easier! I will have to make a similar lil thing! Thx!

And yes, beaks! Now I have heard about doing that. But...I don't quite understand why. I would think that would make eating, at least for a chicken, very difficult. Or is it done just for those that have issues like an overbite type of thing? (Is overbite a term in chickenology)??

 

[krowl]

I'm a good bit further north than y'all - in Maryland, so we get some pretty cold temps, but the kicker here is the humidity. Cold doesn't really cause the frostbite. DAMP cold is the real risk factor, at least around here. Chickens are pretty good at fluffing up and keeping warm, as long as you don't have drafts below their feet (that's why ventilation is usually up high, above the roosts, or low and away from roosts,) but they can't do anything against the humidity. When humidity is high and temps dip well below freezing, it's hard to keep that exposed skin from icing ... hence the Vaseline.
Oh - and there's another reason for oiling combs ... they look really nice, and a little primping never hurts! Most of my roos really enjoy it, too. Sammy will lower his head and totally relax during a good comb massage. I swear, when prepping for a show, he sometimes gets so relaxed it's almost obscene. I almost expect him to light up a cigarette afterwards!

So you just use plain vaseline? and just make sure to get the exposed skin? (legs and comb) I'm new to chickens, so I need to keep this in mind for the winter!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Oh the swaddler is a fantastic idea!! One person chicken maintenance made easier! I will have to make a similar lil thing! Thx!

And yes, beaks! Now I have heard about doing that. But...I don't quite understand why. I would think that would make eating, at least for a chicken, very difficult. Or is it done just for those that have issues like an overbite type of thing? (Is overbite a term in chickenology)??

Their beaks van get overgrown and interfere with eating. It happens sometimes, especially with chickens kept in runs and don't have access to things they can "file" down their beaks. Like this:

(Photo from this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/very-overgrown-beak.1106795/ )

 

[Beccazon]

I recently treated for scaly mites, and the oil caused tons of dirt to stick to her leg and foot feathers. It was gross! I had to bathe her. My fluffy white chicken had turned a dark muddy brown!

I wondered about that. In the winter, far less issue with that. But I will be bummed if I have filthy sticky chickens so I truly hope I never have mites to deal with!