It is that time of year again, time to prepare my chickens for the Puyallup Fair. I entered 4 of my bantams in the open poultry show. My white Bantam Frizzled Cochins need baths to be their very best sparkling white. This is Mrs. White. She and her rooster are getting baths today.
I have a a bucket filled with warm water in which I swished around some pet / animal bluing shampoo that is gentle enough to not strip the natural oils of her shiny feathers, but will clean them. The bluing helps rid her feathers of any yellowing , I want her sparkling white!
I rub shampoo in carefully and check all her feathers, rubbing more shampoo into any stubborn stains or yellowing. I also worked on her feathered feet, gently removing clumps of dirt stuck in the feathers between her toes.After I am satisfied she is as clean as I can get her I will place her into the next bucket of warm water for rinsing.
Surprisingly, once chickens are gently placed in warm water they relax completely and are very easy to handle. They seem to enjoy being washed, and why not? A massage in warm soapy water sounds pretty good to me too!
A final rinse into a big tub of clean warm water and we're almost done.
I spread out her wing feathers and make sure they are clean and well rinsed. Look at these beautiful feathers, they remind me of angel wings.
Mrs. White is now bundled into a big warm towel and I pat her dry, then wrap her up again in the towel and place her in a clean crate filled with fresh cedar shavings. I kept the crates with the drying chickens in the house over night so the chickens would not get chilled. I covered the crates with towels so they were dark inside, helping the chickens stay calm.
I brought the crates outside and let the sunshine warm Mr. & Mrs. White. The poultry show is next week, but you should bathe your chickens a few days before the show. I will change the shavings in their crate every day to keep them very clean.
She might not win anything at all, but as far as I'm concerned, she is a winner and a prize all by herself! Later on I will bathe my 2 little Bantam Barred Cochins. Wish us well at the fair. Better yet, visit them at the Puyallup Fair. It starts next week.
The chicks that arrived in the mail in January are growing up quickly. This is one of my favorites, she is a white bantam frizzled Cochin.
See how curly this little frizzled chick is.
I have been brooding the chicks in our dove-cote and the doves are nesting too.
This dove cannot completely cover her growing baby anymore, can you see most of her baby sticking out from under her?
Here is a smaller frizzled Cochin next to a barred bantam Cochin.
Look at the comparison of frizzled feathers ( top ) next to Silkie feathers. Both are so pretty to me, but the Silkie is by far the softest and fluffiest.
I love my chickens, and the doves too!
~This is the time of year I evaluate our poultry, place orders for new poultry, and read my poultry literature to keep up on what's going on in the poultry world. I had Miss Frizzle out to photograph her and I also had a stack of poultry literature out to read. I decided to get Miss Frizzles' opinion on my reading choices. Regarding the story book above she said "hmmmm, I could go for a vacation like this little chick, I think I will read more about this Cheepy Chick..."
~"Oh, this looks interesting, Kathy might be reading the article about Fowl Language and how to understand ME! This could be a good thing..."
~" EGGS? Cooking eggs ? Cooking ...EGGS!!!!!!! My babies?.........................................."
~" Oh no, this is very distressing...."~
~"I think I will just hide myself right here. Maybe Kathy will not notice me...."
~This is one of many little frizzled bantam hens I have. She weighs less than a pound and is at least two years old. Notice the feathers. They are very curly and curl backwards. This little hen is covered from head to tail to feet in shiny blue-black curly feathers. She has several sisters in the bantam pen that resemble her. Isn't she cute?
~Close up of the feathers. "Frizzles are one of our odd breeds, and little is known about their origin." American Poultry Standard of Perfection~
~Close up of the wings and wing tips. " It is not unprofessional to give free legal advice, but advertising that the first visit will be free is a bit like the fox telling the chickens he will not bite them until they cross the threshold of the hen house." Warren E. Burger
~Aren't her tail feathers frilly and flaunting? She is so tiny and soft and curly. She lays eggs too! I still don't understand why more people do not have pet chickens. They are so much less bother than cats and dogs and parrots! Plus, they lay eggs you can eat and they are very funny. Chickens can get very attached to people too and are easily contained should it be necessary. They are cheap to buy and keep, what more could a person want? You can even bathe them regularly to keep them smelling fresh.Hey, some people even dress their chickens in cute little outfits......can't you just picture the rich and famous cruising all the best places with a smart little chicken in their big handbags or sports cars?
