How To Wash A Chicken

2015 - Volume #39, Issue #6, Page #22

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How to wash a chicken is a skill that comes in handy for folks who raise show chickens, and for the growing number of people who keep chickens as pets.
  The skill also proved to be useful for brothers Seth Isola, 13, and Toby Isola, 11, who won grand championship in 4-H livestock demonstration at the Becker County Fair in Minnesota. Since they couldn’t show their chickens, due to the outbreak of Avian Influenza in 2015, the brothers got creative.
  Outfitted with rubber chickens, three plastic totes, and towels, they played “Splish, Splash” and “Chicken Dance” in the background and entertained and educated the judges.
  The first step is to make sure that it’s a good day for chicken bathing. It should be warm and sunny.
  Three tubs are needed to hold enough warm water to cover the entire chicken except the head. Add about 1 tablespoon of Ivory liquid or liquid Castile soap to the first tub. For white or light-colored chickens, add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax.
  The second tub is plain rinse water and the third tub has vinegar in the water (2 cups/gal. of water). That’s to help shine the chicken’s feathers, Seth says.
  The first bath can be the trickiest, so he suggests, “hold the chicken in your armpit to calm it down.” Then holding on to the bird firmly with a one hand on top and the other hand on the chicken’s rump between its legs, gently plunge the chicken up and down in the first tub.
  “Always keep their heads above water. Don’t scrub or rub or you will break their feathers,” Seth says. “Just soak them thoroughly, then lift them up to drain.”
  Repeat the plunging and draining in the second and third tub.
  After the vinegar water drains off, gently pat the chicken dry with a bath towel. You can also use a blow dryer, but keep your hand between it and the bird to make sure it doesn’t get too hot.
  Once the bird is dry, check its beak and nails to see if they need to be trimmed with a nail clipper. Just cut a little at a time, Seth says, and have a powder-like baby powder handy in case a nail starts to bleed.
  If the chicken has mites, it’s also a good time to dust it with lice powder.
  Finally it’s time for “makeup” to bring out the red in the comb and wattles by rubbing them with Vaseline or baby oil.
  Winning the championship with their demonstration was fun, the brothers say. But next year they hope they can get rid of the rubber chickens and wash real chickens at home to get ready for the county fair.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Seth and Toby Isola, Menahga, Minn. 50544 (ph 218-334-2665; jonisaisola@yahoo.com).

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How To Wash A Chicken LIVESTOCK Miscellaneous How to wash a chicken is a skill that comes in handy for folks who raise show chickens and for the growing number of people who keep chickens as pets The skill also proved to be useful for brothers Seth Isola 13 and Toby Isola 11 who won grand championship in 4-H livestock demonstration at the Becker County Fair in Minnesota Since they couldn’t show their chickens due to the outbreak of Avian Influenza in 2015 the brothers got creative Outfitted with rubber chickens three plastic totes and towels they played “Splish Splash” and “Chicken Dance” in the background and entertained and educated the judges The first step is to make sure that it’s a good day for chicken bathing It should be warm and sunny Three tubs are needed to hold enough warm water to cover the entire chicken except the head Add about 1 tablespoon of Ivory liquid or liquid Castile soap to the first tub For white or light-colored chickens add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax The second tub is plain rinse water and the third tub has vinegar in the water 2 cups/gal of water That’s to help shine the chicken’s feathers Seth says The first bath can be the trickiest so he suggests “hold the chicken in your armpit to calm it down ” Then holding on to the bird firmly with a one hand on top and the other hand on the chicken’s rump between its legs gently plunge the chicken up and down in the first tub “Always keep their heads above water Don’t scrub or rub or you will break their feathers ” Seth says “Just soak them thoroughly then lift them up to drain ” Repeat the plunging and draining in the second and third tub After the vinegar water drains off gently pat the chicken dry with a bath towel You can also use a blow dryer but keep your hand between it and the bird to make sure it doesn’t get too hot Once the bird is dry check its beak and nails to see if they need to be trimmed with a nail clipper Just cut a little at a time Seth says and have a powder-like baby powder handy in case a nail starts to bleed If the chicken has mites it’s also a good time to dust it with lice powder Finally it’s time for “makeup” to bring out the red in the comb and wattles by rubbing them with Vaseline or baby oil Winning the championship with their demonstration was fun the brothers say But next year they hope they can get rid of the rubber chickens and wash real chickens at home to get ready for the county fair Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Seth and Toby Isola Menahga Minn 50544 ph 218-334-2665; jonisaisola@yahoo com

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