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KMH

is it ok to wash a grubby chicken?

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I have had red mite in the chicken coop, and used a homemade recipe found on google to get rid of them, consisting of vegetable oil, water, washing up liquid and tea tree oil sprayed over all surfaces and well into cracks and crevices. It worked a treat at getting rid of the red mite, but my white leghorn has obviously rubbed up the wall of the coop when perching and has got some of the mixture on her feathers. She has then had a dust bath and all the dust has stuck to her feathers. I now have a grey hen instead of a white one, and the more she dust bathes the worse it is getting. I think she has groomed and spread it all over her now. Her tail feathers are almost black and it goes right up her neck. Would it be best to bathe her to clean her up, and if so what should I use, or, should I just let her be. She doesn't seem particularly bothered by looking like a tramp!

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OK - I bit the bullet and washed her. I wasn't looking forward to it, but she was a little angel. I put 2 washing up bowls in the bath, one with baby shampoo in it and one with just water. She wan't too keen at sitting in the water, but happily perched on the side of the bowl while i used a cup to pour soapy water over her, and then rubbed in more shampoo into the heavily soiled areas. I avoided eyes. ears and the comb area ( so that is still dirty), and then transferred her to the clean rinse water. It took two bowls full to rinse the suds off (I bottled out of trying to use the shower!). Then i lined the sink with a towel and popped he on it, wrapped her up and gave her a cuddle to blot the worst of the water off. Then we had a go with the hairdryer - I think she quite enjoyed that, as when I lifted her wings to do underneath she held them up to make it easier. She is now mostly back to being white and fluffy. I put her in the run on the grass to finish drying completely. Now we will have to see if  when she dust bathes it all clogs up again or if she can just shake the dirt out. 

Oh yes, and I've found now that making up the oil/water gloop and using a cloth or tissue to wipe the roof and around the cracks and crevices at the top of the coop seems to trap the mites just as well as spraying the whole house, so this may become part of my cleaning regime, and because it isn't near the roosting bars or lower parts of the coop hopefully the hens won't get oiled up.

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 That's an interesting mix which I haven't tried, or even heard of.

Yes it's fine to wash her as you have done. When showing chickens it is the normal routine a few weeks before the show, which gives time for the natural oils to be preened back into the feathers. We often wash mucky bottom feathers like that and ours usually like the hairdryer.

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