Unlike some wild birds that you might see splashing in puddles, chickens do not, on their own, take water baths. They prefer dust baths (see the FAQ about lice to find out why dust bathing is essential to their well-being.) But, there might come a time when you want to get your chicken clean. Perhaps you’re going to a poultry show, or taking your hen to a public appearance, or maybe you’re tired of seeing a manure-crusted butt and you want to clean it off. Whatever the reason, not only is it fairly easy to give a chicken a soap-and-water bath, but it seems to be an enjoyable experience for the bird!

A large utility sink makes the chore easy, but you can use tubs of water outside as well. There are four steps: get the hen wet, get her soapy and clean, rinse her off, and finally, dry her. During all steps take care to be gentle and calm. Don’t ruffle the outer, sleek, feathers, but keep them lying smooth. The fluffy down can be swished and handled a bit more. If your hen is especially mucky, you’ll want a few changes of water, which should be warm but not hot.

This video shows how bathing a chicken is done.

One of the joys of chicken keeping is calling one’s hens and having them come running to you in that flapping, rolling, comical way that they have (like toddlers with full diapers.) Not only is it amusing to see chickens hurrying to you, but it is behavior that is essential to a well-managed poultry yard. There are many situations when it is essential to be able to have your flock hasten home, and to be easily closed up into a secure pen.

The key to teaching your chickens to come is for them to see you as the font of all good things. First, they have to have no fear of you. Always work around them in a calm and confident manner. Take the time to sit on a low stool and be amongst them. Not all chickens like to be held, but most like to be around people, after all, they are curious animals, always looking for amusement. Just wearing a shirt with a bright pattern is enough to occupy their minds!  They’ll see you caring for them daily, filling their feeder and waterer. They’ll know that a compost pail means good things to rummage through in their pen. When I garden, I save unearthed grubs and buckets of weeds for them. Soon enough, your hens will always be watching out to see if you have something good for them.

But, to have them come in an excited horde when called takes a tad of training. Put something extra-special, like cracked corn or hulled sunflower seeds into a small container. Stand near the hens, shake the treats loudly and say, “here girls” (or “ladies” if that’s what you call them.) Toss a few treats at your feet. They’ll get the idea, quickly. Do this a few times. Then, you can try it a bit further away. In short order, when the hens hear you say, “here girls” they’ll come running, just as enthusiastically as mine do, as you can see in this video.

Some people like to sit with their hens in their laps, others would prefer that the birds stay at their feet. But, regardless of how you like to hang with your hens, being able to pick them up easily is essential for their care. You’ll need to check them for lice, or injury. You might need to move a hen from one pen to another, or pick it up when it gets in your flower bed. Chickens that are used to being handled and held are easier to care for.

Some chickens are innately friendly and fearless, but most of them respond to arms swooping down to scoop them up as any prey animal would, with fear. So, the first thing to do is to spend time with your chickens so that they can get to know and trust you. If you get your birds as chicks handle them, but be careful to be very gentle, and don’t fuss with them so much that you annoy them. Adult hens will respond positively to a person sitting on a low stool in the midst who is tossing delicious treats or simply sitting in quiet companionship. Your chickens should recognize that you are the bearer of good things, like water, food and entertainment. If your chickens run away when they see you, then rethink how you interact with them.

Picking up a chicken is a learned skill. You need to do it quickly and firmly. Hold their wings at their sides so that they can’t flap. Always talk quietly and calmly.

I’ve made a video so you can see how I pick up my hens. I hope that it helps in your daily care and interaction with your flock.

When a respiratory disease shows up in a flock, it hits hard and fast. Within days of one hen showing symptoms, many of your other chickens will, too. There are a variety of respiratory ailments caused by numerous bacteria and viruses, but the tell-tale signs are similar for all of them. Eyes bubble with mucus, or blink shut with exhaustion, chickens struggle to breathe, and they hunch up, listless. and weak. Left untreated, many of your chickens will die. It’s no wonder that farmers who make their living from their animals cull at the first hint of illness. No one wants to see death rampage through their flock. However, for the backyard chicken keeper, there are other ways to deal with respiratory disease.

I once brought home a lovely Rhode Island Red pullet. Within days, all of my other hens came down with a respiratory disease caused by the bacterium, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, (MG.) The bacteria which causes MG is an odd creature; it lacks a cell wall. That means that it is fragile when it is outside of the birds and can be killed with heat, sunlight, disinfectants, or simply time – after 3 days, it dies. But, inside the birds, it is virulent and can lead to severe respiratory disease. My chickens became so sick, and their eyes so crusted, that they couldn’t see to eat. Meanwhile, my new Rhode Island Red looked fine – a hen can look perfectly healthy, but still be carrier of MG (which is another reason why for many farmers it’s and economic necessity to destroy an entire flock when the first hint of illness appears.)

Fortunately, there are drugs that work. Three days on Tylan (an antibiotic), and some terramycin squirted in the eyes, and all were back to normal. Although these hens might now be carriers, I’ve never had another attack of MG, even when new birds have joined the flock.

My hens have suffered from other bouts with other forms of respiratory illness, too. The symptoms vary, but all have similarities showing raspy, tired breathing. Unless you do a blood test, you’ll never know exactly what your birds have, but, that doesn’t matter, since treatment remains the same for any respiratory disease.

The first line of defense is that when you see a hen that you suspect is ill, isolate her and observe. If she has respiratory symptoms, then you might want to medicate. If only one hen is showing symptoms, isolate her and treat. If any of the other hens look even a tad off, I’d put antibiotics in their water, too.

Avian antibiotics are available at feed stores and on-line.Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotics and usually knocks out any bug that your flock has. It can be bought on-line or in your local feed store. It’s good to have some on hand. Follow the dosage directions carefully. The drugs are packaged for huge flocks, so to get the dose right for a few hens, I use a digital kitchen scale. Usually, you’ll dilute it in water and dose them through their water font. However, your sickest hens might not be drinking. Use an eye dropper or a syringe to pour the medicated water down the hen’s throat. Tylan is a powerful drug, and more specific for severe cases and MG. Tylan might come in pill form, which makes it easy to give to an individual hen, but not so nice when you have a dozen or more hens to medicate!

Continue to medicate according to package directions. The ailment will return if you stop dosing before the advised number of days. You’ll have to discard eggs that were laid while the hens were on antibiotics. I’ve read recommendations to throw out eggs up to ten days after the last dose.

I buy meat from farms that raise animals without antibiotics. I’m against feeding sub-therapeutic drugs just so that animals can survive in stressful housing. But, I’m grateful that I can use these drugs when my animals are ill!