What to do With a Dirty Chicken? Give it a Bath…..

start raising chickens

I was planning on continuing my series of posts of “Lesser Known Plants for the Garden” today…..that is until I saw my sister’s latest blog post.

Now for those of you who may not be familiar with my youngest sister; she is a resident of Double S Farms where she lives with her family and my mother.  They are just a 5 minute drive from my house.


Last year, my sister decided to start raising chickens.  She took some classes and built a chicken coop with her husband’s help.  Then the chicks arrived in the mail…..they were absolutely adorable.

Start raising chickens

Start raising chickens

Since then, we have been witness to their antics….

Start raising chickens

They love eating food that drops from the kid’s dinner plates.  In this case macaroni and cheese.

Start raising chickens

 Trying to find some vegetables to eat….

And grateful recipients of their eggs…..

Start raising chickens

For those of you who have raised chickens, you know that sometimes they get dirty (you know where), and that can cause their eggs to also be dirty when they are laid.

Well, this was happening to my sister’s chicken, Flo.  And so something had to be done to solve Flo’s dirty problem.

Well, I learned something this week.

Did you know that you can give a chicken a bath?

Give it a Bath

I have mentioned before that my sister is somewhat of a trendsetter. Just look at her gloves…..aren’t they so cute?

There was no way around it….Flo needed a bath.  Now you would think that chickens would hate baths….kind of like cats.  My sister fully expected to have a fight on her hands involving scratches from Flo’s beak and claws.

Well Flo had some surprises in store for my sister…..

Give it a Bath

Little Farmer and Littlest Farmer decided to help their mother (Chicken Farmer) to get Flo clean.

Once she was put into the warm water, she was very calm and stayed still while she was being washed.  She actually seemed to enjoy it.

The weather was in the upper 70’s that day (warmer then usual this time of year) which was perfect.

Give it a Bath

You can see how dirty the water got (Flo had just gotten done rolling the dust).

Now Flo was a clean chicken.

But my sister wasn’t through yet….

Give it a Bath

Flo needed to be dried off.  Believe it or not, she didn’t mind the blow dryer at all.

I am sure that my sister never thought that she would ever be using her hair dryer on a chicken 😉

The other chickens were very curious at what was going on with Flo.  Maybe they were even jealous of the beauty treatment that Flo received. 

Give it a Bath

Next week, my sister is expecting a special delivery of some new chicks.  She had so much fun picking out the new breeds that they will add to their flock.  You can read about them and see pictures from her blog post.

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I will get right back to blogging about some more lesser-known plants for you to try out in your garden.

So stay tuned 🙂

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
19 replies
  1. Darla
    Darla says:

    Your post title is going to make people just have to come see what in the heck this is about….darling post!!! I love this…how many people will be washing their chickens now?

  2. rohrerbot
    rohrerbot says:

    This is great!!! I had no idea that chickens can be bathed….and they stay in one spot:)

    I really enjoy reading your blog…you've got some excellent stuff. It seems that there is always something to write about or report. I have to admit that I have become addicted to photography and writing. It is a lot of fun. Anyhow, hope you have a great Friday!!!

  3. Diana (Di)
    Diana (Di) says:

    Noelle, what a hoot! I have never seen a chicken get a bath… love firsts! I keep trying to convince my husband to let me have chickens, but he continue to state that he is the only animal I'm allowed to have (we've had horses, cattle, dogs, cats… ) so I'll enjoy those that your sister has. Hope all is well.

  4. Brad
    Brad says:

    I never even thought to bathe a chicken. An old roommate used to keep them and they were indeed dirty. Wish I had known this then. A friend of mine just recently got some chickens. I'll pass on the advice.

  5. Curbstone Valley Farm
    Curbstone Valley Farm says:

    We found out when one of our hens was egg bound just how much they love baths. Sitting in the warm water she almost fell asleep! We had to hold her head up! We're not raising any chick this year, so I'll have to pop over to your sister's blog for my spring chick fix! 🙂

  6. Marguerite
    Marguerite says:

    Every time I read a post about chickens I seem to learn something new but I had never anticipated reading about using a hairdryer on a chicken! Way to put a smile on our faces.

  7. Candy "Sweetstuff"
    Candy "Sweetstuff" says:

    Oh my goodness this post was so great! It really made me laugh out loud. Especially the pic of Flo in the tub of soapy water. It is amazing to me that Flo allowed herself to be bathed and then blown dried. So great!

  8. Anonymous
    Anonymous says:

    My Mother raised chickens when i was a kid and im 76 Loved to see your buetiful place and those chickens my Mother would love..Thank you. You have brighten my day

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