How to Bathe Your Chicken

How to bathe your chicken. Bathing your chicken in the spring can improve their health. There may be  other times your birds may need to bathe, see what you will need plus watch our featured video on How to Give a Chicken A Bath.

Why You May Need to Bathe Your Chicken

PictureLady Silkies First Bath at Chicken Heaven On Earth (2017).
Bathing your chicken may be needed if your bird isn't feeling well, if feces are building up on the vent area, a prolapsed vent, if their feet or legs are injured, if they are suffering from heat stroke, cleaning after mite or lice infestation. Chickens usually take dust bath's which is generally all the bathing they will need. I have found that bathing our birds every spring and giving them each a good chicken spa day where they are bathed, nails are trimmed, vent area is trimmed, and wattles, comb, and legs are treated with petroleum jelly seems to keep our birds much healthier. Keeping your coop clean, eggs picked up daily, and your chickens bathed regularly also deters predators. (If they don't smell the chickens they won't be looking for them) makes sense doesn't it? I live on the Brazos River in Texas where coyotes, raccoons, snakes and skunks are a nightly terror but since I installed predator protection and started bathing my chickens regularly, keeping the coop and nest boxes clean and eggs picked up, guess what? I have not had a predator attack since 2014.

What You Will Need to Bathe Your Chicken

1-3 tubs which hold water (You can use 3 tubs one for washing, one for shining and conditioning, and one for a final rinse or you can use one tub and change the water for each step).
Shampoo (I use Dawn original dish soap).
White vinegar (Keeps pests away and helps shine feathers)
Conditioner (I use horse mane and tail conditioner).
Bluing (I do not use this but I have in the past and it does help whiten birds for showing).
Toothbrush for feet and leg cleaning
Petroleum jelly, coconut oil, or olive oil  (for show birds) to condition comb, wattles, legs, and feet.

Featured Video: How to Give A Chicken A Bath

This is a very informative video about how to give a chicken a very thorough bath. This method is often used to prepare birds for show.
  • Bathing a Silkie
  • Chicken Spa Days
  • Chicken Pedicures
  • Pampered Chickens
  • Grooming  Show birds
  • Trimming Vent Feathers
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New! Bathing a Silkie

Picture
Beautiful Silkie hen named Gary gets a Chicken Spa Day. If you listen close you can clearly hear her say, "Dirty Girl" before she gets her bath. See Gary get her Spa Day
See how to get your chicken ready for summer and how folks are giving their chickens a spa day. Helpful tips and information too.

How to Give your Chicken A Pedicure (Trim Your Bird's Toenails)

After bathing your chicken you should complete the process by giving them a good chicken pedicure by trimming their toenails.
How to Do A Chicken A Pedicure
​How to Trim Beak, Toenails and Spurs
Have you ever seen a "spoiled rotten" pampered chicken? Check out what these pampered chickens are getting! See Pampered Chickens
Even though many poultry shows have closed down due to the fact that chicken owners do not want to cull their birds after the shows, which is a requirement due to health issues in the past with chicken owners bringing contagious diseased birds to the show. The illnesses were spread to other birds who then went home to places all over the world, spreading the infections. There are still some poultry shows going on where birds have to be checked by a veterinarian and kept in quarantine before they can enter the show. At any rate, the grooming methods used for show birds can be used as a guideline for grooming your chickens and mine. How to Groom Your Chicken For Show
It is a good idea to trim you chickens vent (butt) feathers during the Spring and Summer months. This helps reduce parasite infestations, pasty butt, vent gleet, and cloaca infections. Do not trim vent feathers in Fall or Winter as your birds need this extra feathering to keep them warm during cold months. 

How to Keep Your Chickens Cool During The Summer

It is important to keep your chickens cool during the summer months because overheated chickens lay less eggs, make sure they have plenty of shade from the sun, fresh cool water, and proper ventilation in their chicken coop, at the very least. See How to Keep Your Chickens Cool