How to Bathe a Chicken

Today I received seven more bantam (mini) chickens from a friend who could no longer care for them. They aren’t fully grown yet, and are quite small. There are two Rhode Island Red bantam pullets (pullets are young hens under a year old), one Partridge Cochin pullet, one Barred Cochin cockerel (cockerels are young roosters under a year old), and three Porcelain Bearded D’uccle pullets. I’m very excited!

Whenever I bring home new birds from friends, I always bathe them prior to placing them in the coop, even if I still plan to quarantine them. I have several reasons for doing this. One, it gets rid of most external parasites, such as chicken mites. Two, it washes the droppings of any other potentially sick birds from the chicken's feet. And three, it gives me a chance to better inspect the bird for infections such as abscesses or other health issues.

It is especially important to bathe birds before a show, such as the fair, because you want your birds to look their best. Judges not only judge how well the chicken fits into its breed standard, but also how well the owner has groomed it and it's overall health and appearance. Bathing is a surefire way to impress not only the judges, but the public as well.

In this post, I’ll teach you how to bathe a chicken.

You will need:

·         Dawn dish soap
·         A utility sink or a plastic tub
·         A clean toothbrush (optional)
·          Towels
·         A hair dryer
·         A warm spot (preferably indoors) with a heat lamp, food and water for the bird to recover.

Here is our bird before the bath:

Step one:

In a plastic tub or utility sink, run a bath of lukewarm water and add some dish soap. (Dawn is the best brand for this.)

Step two:

Gently place the bird in the water, holding onto it the whole time. Swish the feathers around until the bird is completely wet. Try to avoid getting water or soap into the bird’s eyes and nostrils.

Step three:

Work the bubbles into the bird’s feathers. This includes the body, wings, neck, and any feathers on the feet. Also, if you have one, use a clean toothbrush and extra dish soap to gently scrub the bird’s legs.

Step four:

Drain the sink or tub and rinse the bird in lukewarm water. 

As you can see, the bird is completely soaked.

Step five:

Towel-dry the bird as best you can.

Step six:

Move the bird to an area lined with clean towels. Get out your hair dryer and put it on the lowest setting, then blow-dry the bird until it is completely dry.

The bird is now dry.

Step seven:

Move the bird to a warm place (preferably indoors) with a heat lamp, some food, and water to recover. Within about half an hour, it should be over the initial stress of being bathed and can be moved to the main coop.

Good luck!

Meet the Newest Additions to Our Flock!

Today, I received two Old English Game bantam chickens from a family friend. (Bantams are miniature chickens, about one third the size of a regular chicken. They also lay mini eggs.) I fondly named the hen Adelaide, while the rooster already had a name: Mo. Old English game bantams make great pets because firstly, they are filled with personality. Second, they will go broody readily. Third, Old English Game bantams are palm-sized, perfect for little hands. This also adds to the cuteness factor!

Broodiness is when a hen instinctively decides to sit on a clutch of eggs. Broody hens will puff up their feathers and only leave the nest to eat or drink. If approached, they will growl and sometimes peck. Broody hens are almost always unrecognizable from their former self, but their regular disposition returns after their chicks grow up or are taken away to be raised by humans.

Old English Game bantams come in 17 varieties. (Varieties are colors and color patterns) These varieties are Golden Duckwing, Silver Duckwing, Black Breasted Red, Brown Red, Barred, Brassy Back, Crele, Ginger Red, Mille Fleur, Red Pyle, Self Blue, Spangled, Wheaten, White, Blue, Black, and Splash. 

I have been waiting for a breeding pair of Old English Game bantams for over a year now. Mo, the rooster, is either Ginger Red or Wheaten, and Adelaide is a Silver Duckwing. I have spent my afternoon researching this breed in great detail. 

This is only the beginning. (Insert maniacal laugh here) I plan to breed Adelaide and Mo, and I plan to show them at the county fair this year. I am also in contact with a breeder, and may soon get my hands on a pair of Self Blue Old English Game bantams.

For now, say hello to Adelaide and Mo!

Adelaide. Can you believe how small she is in comparison to my hand? She is fully grown.

Mo. Is he handsome or what?

The Joy of Tadpoles

Spring is my favorite season. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons. The flowers, the bugs, and the animals are a few of them. But most of all, I love it when the frogs begin to lay their eggs.  For years, my brother and I have loved to ride our go-kart out to the pond behind our house and hunt for frog eggs, or spawn. It’s really fun to collect and care for the developing frogs, and in this post I’ll teach you how.

First, you’ll need to search for frog spawn. Try looking in ponds and large puddles, and ask people who have ponds if they’ll let you look in theirs. You’re bound to find it at some point, so keep searching!

On our way to the pond

Wading in

Searching for frog spawn

Isn't that magical?

Once you find some spawn, gently cut the twig or stick it’s attached to so that you can remove it from the pond. Then, gently place it in a jar of pond water such as this one:

Now, you’re probably going to want to collect all of the spawn you see, but try to resist the impulse. For one, you don’t want to damage the ecosystem by over-collecting, and secondly, if you care for the spawn properly, every egg in the yolk sac will hatch into a tadpole. You’ll have to provide housing for every tadpole that you hatch! So unless, like me, you have a lot of tanks, you probably shouldn’t go collecting more than one or two yolk sacs at a time.

The necessary equipment for keeping tadpoles. A turkey baster, a small net, a magnifying glass, an aquarium thermometer, algae wafers, tap water conditioner, and a journal. All that's missing is the tank itself!

 In order to hatch tadpoles from the egg, you will need a hatching tank. My brother and I have found that it is easiest to have two separate tanks. One is used to hatch the tadpoles, and one is used as the tadpoles’ habitat until they turn into frogs. The hatching tank should be very simple. It shouldn’t have any decor or substrate. (Substrate is material that covers the bottom of an aquarium, such as sand or gravel.) It should contain only water and the yolk sac itself. It needn’t be large, a capacity of about a gallon will do.

One of our hatching tanks. As you can see, the tadpoles have eaten their yolk sac and are ready to be moved to a grow-out tank.

The water should be treated with a tap water conditioner manufactured for fish. My favorite brand is API. Water conditioner removes chlorine, heavy metals, and chloramines from tap water, all of which are toxic to tadpoles. Once the tadpoles hatch (which usually takes about fourteen days), you can leave them in the hatching tank for a few days to allow them to get their bearings. Then you can move them to the grow-out tank. The grow-out tank should have a capacity of at least 5 gallons. The water in the grow-out tank should also be treated with water conditioner. If you decide to use a substrate (you don’t have to) do not use aquarium gravel. Young tadpoles will get stuck in it and die. Use aquarium sand instead, as the grains are too small to allow space for tadpoles to get in between them. The grow-out tank does not need a filter. An air stone can be provided, but I have had tadpoles both in tanks with and without them, and have found no difference in the development of the tadpoles. You’ll also want some sort of hiding spot in the grow-out tank, a terracotta pot works exceptionally well for this purpose. Avoid any decorations made for fish, as they often contain metal which is toxic to tadpoles when rusted. You’re usually better off simply using a few rocks from the garden as decor. Pondweed is a very good choice to add to the grow-out tank, as tadpoles will feed on any algae that grows on it, and it will function as an extra hiding spot. 

25% water changes should be performed in the grow-out tank weekly. The correct amount of water can be removed from the tank using a small pitcher. Be sure not to catch any of your tadpoles in it though! Replace the water with conditioned water that is the same temperature as the water in the tank.

The first few days after hatching, the tadpoles will feed on their own yolk sac. After they’ve finished, you’ll need to think about feeding them. Most tadpoles are herbivores, so you can usually feed them wafers manufactured for algae-eating fish. If your tadpoles just won’t eat the wafers, perhaps they are carnivores. In this case you can feed them a high-quality goldfish food. I feed my tadpoles daily. The amount you feed will depend on how many tadpoles you have. If the water starts to dirty, start feeding less.

Good luck, and have fun!