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There isn’t usually a need to wash a chicken unless you are showing a chicken. You may feel that you want to get your white chicken back to a nice shiny white or give your hens some TLC. Whatever your reason for giving a bath you should make sure you do it the correct way to avoid stressing your chicken out.
Three beautiful clean chickens drying off after a good wash
If done with care your chicken may end up enjoying the experience. Read on to find out the best way to get a squeaky clean chicken. Using a sink is the best and easiest way to wash a chicken.
- Fill the sink with warm water and place your chicken in the water for a couple of minutes. Take the chicken out and place on a flat surface such as the draining board if you have one. You can use baby shampoo and a toothbrush to gently scrub your chickens legs and feet, Try to gently remove any dirt.
- Return your chicken to the sink and using a jug pour water over the chicken's body. It may take a while to fully wet your chicken as they have some waterproofing on their feathers.
- Work up a lather on the feathers with baby shampoo or a special poultry shampoo. Be careful and ensure you have washed everywhere on your chicken. Take care when washing the head to not got soap in your chickens eyes.
- Rinse the soap off your chicken. Ensure that there are no traces of soap left as this may affect the condition of the feather when your chicken is dry.
- Take your chicken out of the sink and wrap it in a towel.
- Using a cotton bud wipe around the beak and nostril to get rid of any dirt or dust.
- Pat dry your chicken.
- You can use a hair dryer to dry your chicken. If you choose this method you should have the lowest heat setting and lowest power setting. Blow the feather in the direction they grow working from the head down to the vent. Work your fingers through the feathers to aid drying. If your chicken lifts its wings it may be too hot so stop for a while letting your chicken cool down and then begin again.
- You can dry your chicken by putting them in a box with a heat lamp or placing them by a fire (this is difficult unless you have trained your chicken to sit still). Generally a warm room is best way to dry a chicken quickly.
Top Tips: Never leave your chicken unattended in water. Don’t place a wet bird in a cold environment. If your chicken is panicking stop washing her and try again when she has calmed down.
Comments
Chicken-Man, 3 December 2024
I have a different way of bathing my chickens that is very easy I’d like to share, I call it “The 3 bucket bath” So first you’ll need 3 buckets, I use 3 5-gallon buckets. The first bucket you fill with warm soapy water, I use a few drops of Dawn. The second bucket you fill with warm water & vinegar, I use 1-1/2 cups regular white vinegar in a 5-gallon bucket. The third & last bucket is filled with plain warm water. Take your chicken and starting with the first bucket (warm soapy water) slowly lower it into water so she can adjust to water. Hold chicken in the soapy water up to the neck only, never dunk head under water & don’t submerge ears under water (clean head and neck by hand). While holding chicken in soapy water use hands to gently wash, spreading open wings to wash under the wings. Then move to second bucket (warm water & vinegar) repeat same process holding chicken in the water with ears & head above the water and wash like you did with soapy water. The vinegar will help kill & protect from parasites. Finally take chicken to the third & last bucket of plain warm water and rinse the same way as you washed. Once done with the 3-buckets, I use a bath towel and basically roll the chicken up like a burrito with the head fully sticking out, to get a majority of the water off her then I place her with a heat lamp until fully dried. Doing one at a time by myself usually the hen drying by heat lamp will be fully dry by the time I get done washing the next chicken in line. Hope this helps someone out. Good luck & take care.
Kari, 13 July 2021
My chickens got into poison ivy. Didn't hurt them one bit. It's probably in their fathers and on their feet. Now I have it in many places from handling them. HOW do you wash the urushiol off of them so that I can once again pick them up? Is TECNU outdoor skin cleaner an option? Dawn? Anyone else has to deal with this?
Isabel, 16 June 2021
hi i have a white silkie and I was wondering what shampoo should I use on her.
Photo, 16 March 2021
Very Impressive blog!! I loved your blog commenting mistakes related article.. i am gonna share you on my social media audience.
Henny, 25 October 2019
It’s very useful and seen as though my light Sussex hen who’s just gotten over being broody is at the bottom of the pecking order, all the others are ganging up on her and she has scabs all over her wattle and comb. We’ve been applying petroleum jelly and salt water and the scabs are improving, she’s now back to laying eggs. But she is so dirty, her head is black and a is her body, the sand here is so dry in WA so it sticks to her so well, and won’t come out. But this bathing technique was so useful and I’m so glad you made this site. She’s all white again and at the top of the pecking order seen as thought she’s bigger than all the silver laced Wyandotte’s golden, laced Wyandotte’s and rode island reds. I can hear her squawking right now waiting for her morning feed. Can’t wait for more updates possibly even ones to help with chickens being hurt/cut.