4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[LJ's Chooks]

Anyone got any advise on how to bath a chook... some tame, some not so happy being handled!

 

the dust bathing went a bit mad last week, even when the dust bath was a mud bath. Lilly and Maisy both look like they've taken up mud wrestling and Pickle needs a spruce up after being dosed with stockholm tar a month or so ago, she just looks drab.

 

Do i use baby shampoo or ecover? submerge or shower????

 

[Egluntyne]

I'm not sure I'd bother tbh. They will only do it again in a day or so.

[daj198]

When Penny got a messy bottom from laying soft eggs we put some warm water in a washing-up bowl and just tried to clean it off with our hands. It worked, but it looked like we'd put hair gel in her feathers as the fluffy bits stuck to the tube bits. She had a dustbath afterwards (when she was dry) and then she looked great!

[Faye&Ant]

I agree with Egluntine, I wouldn't bother as you could be doing it everyday I just make sure their feet are not clogged up with mud balls and let them get on with cleaning themselves in their dust baths

 

I would imagine feathers flying everywhere trying to clean the girls

 

Good luck and hope its fun

 

Faye x

[LJ's Chooks]

I was hoping for that answer.... I don't fancy a drenching, but they do look grim!

 

I think i may need to do pickle just to get her free from stockholm tar spray, it doesn't seem to have come off and everything just sticks to it. Maybe a bucket and a bath for me too!

[Chuckov]

I did wash Ginger and Nutmeg's feet the other day as I thought they looked grubby

 

I stood them in a couple of inches of warm water with a little Ecover in it and gently scrubbed their legs and feet in a downwards direction with an old toothbrush.

 

They both seemed to quite like it and spent the next 5 mins examining their differently coloured feet

 

When they've been rolling around in wet mud, I have resisted the urge to wash them, and have found that the mud balls soon drop off or are preened off!

[Egluntyne]

When I have done botty washes I just use a few drops of ecover in warm water, a bit of a rinse and a pat dry with an old towel.

[LJ's Chooks]

Do you think next door would mind me using their swimming pool.... ?

 

[chelsea]

I have done a full bath before on our chooks

 

We have to do the cochins feet reguarly and thought what the heck and did all off them!

 

We have tubtrug with warm water, drops of ecover or johnsons baby shampoo

lather hens up with an old sponge

have another tubtrug with plain warm water for rinsing

rinse chook

wrap chook and towel dry

then dry on warm setting with hairdryer until dry.

 

The chooks love it, it is a 2 person job though IMO and does take some time!!