Bathing a chick?

[The Coop Crew]

Hi guys! I have an 8 week old pullet who is cross beak and therefore requires mash for feeding. The problem is…she gets SO messy. I think she needs a bath but I don’t really know how to go about doing it.
Any help is appreciated!
Picture for tax

 

[Hungry Chicken]

Hi! I am not familiar with cross beak but she is adorable. She doesn't look too messy in my opinion (you should see how dirty some of ours get ) In my experience some of our hens have loved getting a bath though

Depending on how skittish she is you might want a second person to help you hold her. What I've done is have someone hold the chicken as I run some warm water over her so she gets used to it. Also warm water is probably more comfortable. Then gently rub soap into their feathers. If they're particularly skittish you might find yourself getting a bath too... After that rinse them off and use a towel/paper towel to dry them off. Some of our hens have enjoyed a hair dryer to dry them off, others just air dried under the sun. But if they're air drying make sure they're dry before the sun sets so they're not cold.

For her face I'd use a moist paper towel and be extra gentle. I wouldn't use soap because it would be too risky getting it in her eyes/maybe bead too. Good luck!!

 

[The Coop Crew]

Hi! I am not familiar with cross beak but she is adorable. She doesn't look too messy in my opinion (you should see how dirty some of ours get ) In my experience some of our hens have loved getting a bath though

Depending on how skittish she is you might want a second person to help you hold her. What I've done is have someone hold the chicken as I run some warm water over her so she gets used to it. Also warm water is probably more comfortable. Then gently rub soap into their feathers. If they're particularly skittish you might find yourself getting a bath too... After that rinse them off and use a towel/paper towel to dry them off. Some of our hens have enjoyed a hair dryer to dry them off, others just air dried under the sun. But if they're air drying make sure they're dry before the sun sets so they're not cold.

For her face I'd use a moist paper towel and be extra gentle. I wouldn't use soap because it would be too risky getting it in her eyes/maybe bead too. Good luck!!

Thank you!!! Luckily she’s my favorite little gal and doesn’t mind being handled at all. Her chest is all crusty from dried mash and that seems to be the only messy part on her (the girl really LOVES her food ). Maybe I’ll just take a wet paper towel and try to clean her chest vs giving her a full bath. Thank you for the helpful response!