lol OK, I'm only laughing because, as a parent, it's shed new light on how my kid antics must have crossed my father lol.
My first chickens came to me when I was 7yo. There was a runt who really didn't look like she'd make it, but give a girl a sweet baby & guess what? LOL Her name was Chickadee & she became my new appendage until she grew up & couldn't be identified from the other 4! Finding out MUCH later, dad brought home 5 chicks because he knew "some just might not make it"- HA! Right! Every single one survived & thrived.
What makes me giggle though is the day I was in the garage 'grooming' my chickens & in walks dad with an utterly stumped look on his face... I was brushing them with one of those soft baby brushes... lol See where this is leading right? Well then dad had to explain how feathers worked & their interlocking fibers that keep them protected, etc etc. and that was the last time I brushed my chickens... lol
So... the way you FIRST told it, you washed your chickens weekly, then you later said you just sponge them off with some warm water.
If you WASH them (soap & water) you'll wash off all their natural oils with the soap. If they're really dirty or got into something, that's fine, but to do that weekly to an animal such as a chicken that really needs those oils to survive, I wouldn't suggest it.
If you're just sponging them off with WATER, they probly love it! I don't think you'll harm them by only using water & sponging down their backs or something, but wouldn't suggest 'scrubbing' them up with the sponge as it would again, disturb their feather layers & oils.
Lots of animals love playing in the water & your chickens might just be some. Yes it could be considered 'odd' in a cute way, but it's takes all walks ;-)
& I agree, I think your friend was poking some fun. Farm animals are generally just that, even if the farmers really love them, they usually let them be themselves. Ya know, pigs rolling around to stay cool (even if they get really dirty), horses rolling in the dust, chickens playing around without 'treats' or baths ;-) There's usually too much to do to concern themselves with the foofy parts of turning all their farm animals into 'pets'.
I sorta disagree though, my mom & I both can sustain the 'pet' part with our farm animals, we've just always been that way. The animals do what they naturally do, we just sorta spend some time foofing on them some. We get unimaginable pleasure out of grooming up our horses till they sparkle, knowing FULL WELL once we turn them out again they'll be rolling in a nice wet dirt hole just to rub our noses in it!
