The smallest chicken in our flock, Talla, has been plagued with mites around her vent for months now. The nasty little buggers create small sores that never heal and they proceed to feed off of it. Disgusting! It aggravates the heck out of Talla who can hardly take 10 steps without stopping to pick at her vent. I have tired of dousing her with natural pesticides, even if they are safe they apparently aren't effective. So this morning I decided to try a different approach, a chicken bath. While Talla wasn't all that happy she was very cooperative more or less resigning herself to the misery. The mites floated all around her in the water as I scrubbed her entire body, excepting her little head, with coconut shampoo made especially for animals. After the suds she got dipped in a vinegar solution to remove all soapy residue and finally into a warm water rinse. It's been an hour and she is suffering from the worst part of the bath, the drying. She is hunkered in the bathroom in a towel shivering and generally voicing her unhappiness about the situation. Although I did give her some nibbles of Extra Sharp Tillamook cheddar and fresh corn on the cob (which she appreciated by gobbling down) to help ease her embarrassment. Her natural oils that keep feathers from getting wet in the first place have been stripped so the drying process isn't fast. Sunshine would help, but this is Oregon. I've been thinking of blow drying her but I think it would freak her out. I'm happy to report that upon close inspection I see nary a nasty mite. A little cortisone cream on the vent should help her to stop picking the little sores. Tomorrow she should be the most beautiful, she's already the most charming, chicken in the flock.
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