Chook Me!

What can I wash little chicks with?

I have 9 one-week old chicks that I need to look after for a day and they are dirty. Can I wash them with a mild soap? Or just water? Or should I not wash them at all?

Public Comments

1. Put down a shallow dish of water, they will wash themselves.
2. The only setback to washing them could be them catching cold, getting sick, or something as a result of the wash. That would be the only thing that would deter me from bathing the chicks. If they came to you dirty, then it's probably not a big deal. If they came to you clean and downy, you should probably wash them. I'd suggest a mild baby soap (since they limit the chemicals in it, and make it milder on purpose) or just use plain old warm water, which does wonders without soap or chemicals. Use your best judgment. You'll do just fine.
3. I wouldn't wash them, they can get cold or a chill.
4. don't wash them! chicks are always dirty but you should clean there cage then put liter in it for them to brush of in.
5. I'd would leave them alone. They're too young. If you do put in too much water you may drown them, and you only have them one day. Don't even try it.
6. Do not wash them at all. The closest thing to washing a bird is through spraying them with water, and sometimes using a mild cleanser made specifically for that purpose. But young babies, especially without proper feathers, should not be sprayed at all. If they have dirt or poop on them, use a clean toothbrush and dry brush it off them.
7. No do not wash them at all. They would get chilled and could die from loss of body heat. They will learn to preen and clean themselves once they get larger. The fuzz they have now will shed out to feathers. Do not worry about how clean they are. The only time you should "clean" one is to remove the paste up off ines rear end if it gets pasted up other than that no cleaning.
8. I would not advise washing young chicks. Washing them will make them very cold, they will become very stressed and may die. You may also accidently pull out their down, or drown them. Instead, make sure their cage is clean. Make sure they always have fresh, clean water and food (no soiled water) and the floor of the cage has clean litter. The only circumstance where something like that would be okay was if their was feces blocking the vent of the chick. Then you would need to wet only the feces and very gently pull them off with a wet rag. Adult chickens do not naturally bathe on their own in water, they instead take 'dust baths' by wallowing in cool, fine dust. This suffocates parasites that are living in the feathers and thus promotes good feather health.
9. no don't wash a baby chick it will kill it.
10. You can wash them with one of the two things that wouldn't be much of a problem, a) a shallow dish of water, or b) just spritz them with a water bottle turned on a mist setting.