Shampoo for chickens

[KimH1205]

I gave my first chicken bath today. Being new at this I used baby shampoo. It went well but she is a paint silkie and the baby shampoo didn't really get all the discoloration out from the sand she rolls in. Anyone have any ideas of which shampoo to use to brighten up the white that is chicken safe. I use quick silver on grey horses but wasn't sure it was safe for pullets. Attached a pic of results.

 

[cavemanrich]

Your chicken looks clean to me
Yes I know what you are asking,,, I think the shampoo you use for your horse, should be safe. Make sure you rinse well.
I use coconut shampoo for my dogs. Works well on them. I do not bathe my chickens. They do the dust bath on their own. I don't have Silkies
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

 

[perchie.girl]

There are a couple of articles written on Bathing chickens....
People who show chickens go into more detail...

but
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-give-chicken-baths.64517/

The warm water seems to relax em and I hear they love the blow drier....

deb

 

[Acre4Me]

My tween showed chickens at fair last year. Well, everyone else was washing their chickens, so we figured we should too.

We looked into some baby shampoos and mild liquid soaps. We tried each of them on hands first to see how much sudsing and how well they washed off. We wanted a lower sudsing and easy rinse product that was very mild and fragrance-free if possible. Out of the several products we tried, we ended up using a very mild dish soap that was labelled along the lines of "natural" and was marketed for use on baby nipples and bottles. It was a product the previous owners had left behind, but assume it was purchased at local grocery or Walmart in the baby area.

We used a bin and water from the spigot at the fair grounds. The chickens got clean, the product we used was everything we could have wanted: low-sudsing, easy to rinse, and fragrance-free. And yes, chickens do like the hair dryer. They will stay calm while you are drying them. Good Luck.

 

[Shadrach]

I hate to do this given the advice/recommendations you've received above but washing chickens in water is not a good idea. Using any sort of shampoo is even worse.
Here's why.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/why-chickens-bath-in-dust-and-not-in-water.74441/

 

[Acre4Me]

I hate to do this given the advice/recommendations you've received above but washing chickens in water is not a good idea. Using any sort of shampoo is even worse.
Here's why.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/why-chickens-bath-in-dust-and-not-in-water.74441/

Luckily, the vast majority of chickens will not be bathed! We only did this for the show. Our chickens have been happily dust bathing ever since, and it is what they are hardwired to do. For fair this year, we will again bathe and dry the chickens because the judges are looking at all parts of the chickens and for feather color and sheen, etc. The OP may also be bathing the chickens for show, but has not said what their purpose is for bathing their chickens.

 

[Shadrach]

When I was still living in the UK I knew a couple of people who took their prize chickens to show. They bred chickens just for showing. It was an incredibly complicated business.
The breeding stock could never come into contact with any chicken that had been shown.
The risk of introducing disease into what may have taken many years and many generations of chickens to establish as best stock just wasn't worth the risk.
Mostly, if the chicken didn't win a top ranking once the show was over they killed the chicken. It sounds a bit barbaric but if you have a breeding stock and say half a dozen show chickens that you need to keep separate then it gets expensive and requires multiple quarantine coops and runs. Killing the chicken may well have been the kindest and most economic option.
These people didn't wash their chickens. What they did was provide suitable dust baths and each had their own recipe for what went into the baths; often a particular type of wood ash mixed with other natural material.
Before the shows they brushed their chickens feathers with a shaving brush. after teasing out any noticeable imperfections in the lay of the feathers they used to oil the feathers with coconut oil to give a sheen and put them straight into a pet carrier so no dust attached itself to the feathers.
Things have probably changed now.

 

[FishMtFarm]

When I was still living in the UK I knew a couple of people who took their prize chickens to show. They bred chickens just for showing. It was an incredibly complicated business.
The breeding stock could never come into contact with any chicken that had been shown.
The risk of introducing disease into what may have taken many years and many generations of chickens to establish as best stock just wasn't worth the risk.
Mostly, if the chicken didn't win a top ranking once the show was over they killed the chicken. It sounds a bit barbaric but if you have a breeding stock and say half a dozen show chickens that you need to keep separate then it gets expensive and requires multiple quarantine coops and runs. Killing the chicken may well have been the kindest and most economic option.
These people didn't wash their chickens. What they did was provide suitable dust baths and each had their own recipe for what went into the baths; often a particular type of wood ash mixed with other natural material.
Before the shows they brushed their chickens feathers with a shaving brush. after teasing out any noticeable imperfections in the lay of the feathers they used to oil the feathers with coconut oil to give a sheen and put them straight into a pet carrier so no dust attached itself to the feathers.
Things have probably changed now.

You have to remember too that your article is referring to the standard feathered chicken. Because silkies lack the barbs that hold the feather together, they are not water proof and the dust does not preen out of them as well. We have bred them to be different so they require human intervention to keep them clean and healthy.

 

[getaclue]

I use 4 totes, and Dawn Blue Dish Liquid. In the first 2 totes, I put plain water. In the third, I add just a tiny bit of vinegar (1/4 tsp per gallon of water). In the fourth is plain water. Pay attention to the temperature of the water. It should be slightly warmer than lukewarm, so the chicken will enjoy it, and it's more effective in soaking, and loosening the dirt. Fill them enough so the very top of the back of the chicken is out of the water when the chicken lays down.

Put the chicken in the first tote. The first time they may fuss at first, but they quickly settle down, and enjoy it, then they'll lay down in the water. Let them soak for at least 15 minutes. Rub the feathers around the vent area so that they're clean. Continue soaking if needed. When the vent area is clean, move the chicken out of the dirty water, into tote 2. Now put a little Dawn Blue Dish Liquid in your hand, and a little bit of water, and begin working it around on the chicken's back, wings, and keep working it down to the tail area, and vent. Use a SOFT toothbrush to clean their legs, feet, and toenails. Wash up the neck some, but not as high as the head.

When they are clean, move them to the next tub with the vinegar water, and rinse them good in the vinegar water. The vinegar does a couple things. It removes all soap residue so the feathers have a sheen, and it balances the pH back out, since the Dawn is a bit alkaline.

Next do the final rinse. Don't skip this step. It removes the vinegar water, further balancing the pH, and any remaining residues that would dull the sheen. Now depending on the weather, you can wrap them like a burrito, or if it's warm enough they won't get a chill, pat them dry. IF you want to blow dry them, be sure the dryer is held far enough away, so they don't get too hot, or burned.

Now for the face, and head. Use a washcloth, OR baby wipes. I use plain water on a washcloth, cleaning the comb, top of the head, sides of the face (careful of the ears, and eyes), wattles, beak, etc. Now take a little petroleum jelly, or bag balm, and begin rubbing it between your fingers, so it melts some, then begin rubbing it on the comb. Don't use much, since you don't want it to attract dirt, but you want it to liquefy into a very thin layer as you work it into the comb, wattles, beak, legs, feet, and toenails.

Be sure to replace the water in the first tote for each chicken, and in the rest as needed.

 

[KimH1205]

Thank you..very helpful