Giving a chicken a bath may not be as terrifying as you may think.
Being able to show off your prized hen at the county fair marks a sense of pride and honor in communities around the globe. Washing chickens may sound time consuming and dangerous when you consider the behavior of your chickens, but one chicken should only take around 15 to 20 minutes to wash, and then the chicken will need 12 to 18 hours to dry completely. So if you are planning on going to the fair during the day, it is best to wash the chicken at least 24 hours before you go, giving the chicken ample time to dry.
Instructions
1. Fill each tub up with water between 80 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a mild detergent to the first tub to make the water really sudsy. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar per gallon of water to the second tub of water.
2. Pick up the chicken so that the chicken cannot spread out its wings. Place the chicken inside the first tub with the detergent. Using one hand to hold the chicken and the other hand to gently wash the feathers from the bottom to top, be careful not to pull out or damage the feathers.
3. Place the chicken in the second tub that has vinegar in it. The vinegar will help to remove the mild detergent from the feathers better than water alone. Using the same motions while bathing the chicken, carefully rub the feathers from skin to tip to remove the soap suds.
4. Place the chicken in the last tub that only contains clean water. Again, use the same motions to remove any excess vinegar and soap suds from the chicken.
5. Pick the chicken up out of the water and remove as much water as possible from the feathers using a squeegee effect. Begin at the base of the neck and move your hand to the rear of the chicken. Follow with a towel.
6. Place the chicken into the drying cage to dry for at least 12 hours. Make sure no heat sources are too close to the chicken as they cannot handle direct heat for extended periods of time. Make sure the chicken has fresh bedding in the bottom of the cage.
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