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How should we 'wash' our chickens... newbie help please!

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Hi everyone!

 

This is my first post so please forgive me for the length of this.

 

We have recently bought 2 white silkies last sunday. Unfortunately, they started off being quite poorly. After ringing the breader (who said that their sneezing was caused by a change of climate) we took them to the vet, who diagnosed them with Mycoplasma. Since their antibiotics have started to work, they are perkier (thank goodness).

 

The problem we have now is how do we clean them? the eglu has been cleaned and disinfected, and chipbark changed, but we have flies that constantly harass the chickens. Also, their wings are a bit mucky still from the discharge occured earlier in the week. We have made a soil bath, but they seem to be ignoring it.

 

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

 

John

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A shallow bowl of warm water and gently rub. Then rap them up tightly not too tight in a towel. And they will stay still then on the lowest setting blow dry them (just found out about the blow drying bit and everything :lol: )

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I bathe my chooks in the kitchen sink, if you make the water chest height they dont struggle and its much easier to get them properly wet

 

A jug to wet the back helps

 

Use baby, dog or horse shampoo

 

A jug or mixer tap to rinse it off, a shower also works!

 

Dy with a towel then keep in overnight to dry or use a hairdryer

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First of all settle her down, you can't bath a hyper bird. Fill up the sink\ bowl\ whatever with warm water, warmer than what you would call warm, remember, its for a chicken. Then mix a bit of Baby Shampoo into the water, then plonk her in and then rub with your fingertips gently all over the chicken, whilst pouring the water on her, you can add some more shampoo directly onto her if you feel she needs it. Remember to clean her vent, and underneath her. then, empty the sink and get a few jugs of warm water again and wash out any shampoo. Human anti dandruff or sensitive hair conditioner works just as well. This is just a tip but i then get the birds out of the sink and towel dry them. Then spray Aussie hair conditioner on her then leave for a few minuets, then blow dry on the lowest setting, (warm, not the cold one) hold atleast 4 inches away from her feathers.

Let us know how you get on.

:D

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We had to wash the bum of one of our ex batts today as it was really messy and clumped with dried poo :?

 

I took a bowl of warm water with some washing up liquid in it and my OH picked her up and we just very gently sat her in the bowl and washed her. We didn't actually think of rinsing her off, so when we realised she was walking around the garden with a soapy bum we went up behind her and rinsed her off with the watering can :shock:

 

For a while she was quite disgruntled and she was walking around with her head bent underneath her trying to look at her bum, it was quite funny. As the weather was nice and warm she soon dried off and her bum is once again nice and clean and fluffy :)

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Hi All,

Thank you so much for the advice. We managed to wash both of them with warm water and they are looking alot better (and smelling better too... :D ) Tori was easy and Kari didn't even notice she was gone! But when we took Kari, Tori was clucking and running round looking for her...!

 

Now they are relaxing together in the sunshine!! 8)

 

Donna

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