When we brought home the leghorns, we noticed immediately the sad state they were in. Not sure if it was due to age, living conditions or a mix of both, but they were filthy and me and Farm Girl decided to give them a bath. We had never given a chicken a bath before. It actually went very well and contrary to what I had read about leghorns they were very friendly and didn't give us a hard time.
But try as we might, there was no cleaning those dark, poopy butts.
And some were worse than others.
And lets face it, I wasn't real crazy about eating eggs coming out of those behinds. But I had no idea how to clean them up if a bath wouldn't do the trick. Well it turns out, they knew exactly how to look after themselves. After several weeks on our farm, I noticed the other day how clean and white their feathers looked (they were pretty dull and dirty looking when I brought them home) and when one of them bent over to peck at some grass, I was delighted to see a huge improvement.
The leghorns are looking far healthier now and I'm no longer ashamed to have them living on my farm...or frightened I'd get e-coli from eating one of their eggs.
So you gave your chickens a bath? I've never done that! I know people do when they show their birds, and I think I would have followed suit with you if they looked really bad compared to the rest of the flock.
The big question is: what do you use? Shampoo? Conditioner? Dish soap?
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michaele
10/20/2011 11:50:56 am
It doesn't take long in a good environment does it? They are lucky to be at your farm.
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I live a very simple life on a small hobby farm along with my husband, three kids, and an assortment of animals. Life may be simple but I love every minute of it.