[Ma Lowe]

My girls have been free ranging the garden for a while now and as you can imagine my once neat garden now  looks like something from the wilderness lol The time of year is also a factor with leaves everywhere etc.
The girls seem to be finding all the muddy bits and have even taken to mud bathing in soil that is not that dry. The black girls(not being racisit there)look the same but my 2 white girls are a mucky browny grey colour and every time I see them I want to take them indoors to the bathroom and give them a bath.

Do any of you bath your girls or is this a no no lol

[Sassy]

I don't really know whether or not you should bath them. If you were showing them you probably would but then you may have special arrangements for keeping them warm etc. Personally I would be reluctant to bath mine as I feel it would take oils for keeping them warm and dry from their feathers.

[treacleminer]

I've only bathed my light sussex if they have had really mucky b*ms, otherwise yes, tend to be decidedly off white - one has a nice set of brand new feathers and was looking quite spick and span for a while but it won't last

[Flowerpower136]

I've only washed mucky bums, and then not fully submerged, but sponged over the sink.  I'd be a bit worried about removing oils.

Our Tilly gets filthy because she's not got any 'top coat' feathers, only the fluffy white undies, and quite often she looks as though she's been buried for a week and then dug up again.  Just awful, and like you, I'm very tempted to get the shampoo out!

But, when she dries out properly, it just like having a dust bath.  I think it does their feathers and skin good.  Afterall peeps pay good money for mud treatments

[compostqueen]

I wouldn't wash them this weather but on a lovely hot summer's day certainly 

If one of them gets egg on her butt I'd wipe that off but, or really cacky wet poo but not a full blown bath as you can't get em dry unless it's in the warm indoors 

[hillfooter]

You can bath chx in bucket of warm soapy water using animal safe or baby shampoo.  Towel them as dry as possible and then blow dry with a hair drier.  Taking care not to over heat them.  Fluff their feathers up and rub lightly as you use the drier to get them really dry.  They actually don't seem to mind and quite like the warmth from the hair drier.  It takes a lot of time to get them dry enough to return to the cold outside but doesn't seem to be detrimental re natural oils which chickens don't seem to have nearly as much as ducks.  I don't have experience of ducks so I wouldn't advise bathing them without allowing their oils to recover.  It would probably remove their natural water proofing.

I've recently bathed a couple of cockerels after they had been fighting in muddy conditions they were both completely black and unrecognisable. It seemed to revive them and they didn't struggle at all.

Regards
HF

[noshed]

We could have done with a film of that HF!

[Ma Lowe]

Thank you all for your replies. Think I will leave them as you just know that once you get them clean they will head straight for the mud bath. 

[goosebusters75]

i have bathed some of mine, and blowdried them. they seemed to enjoy it, and enjoyd the blow dry more, Sitting a chicken in a warm bath helps if they are egg bound also.