Milly has been running around with soggy knickers. I managed to surprise her today, and brought her in the house to clean her up. I could see that it was beyond the wet-cotton-wool-pad option, more drastic action was called for.
A minute later I had Milly standing on a towel on the draining board,eating cat food and corn, while I put some warm water in the sink. A couple of minutes after that, and she was in the sink having her knickers washed. Not my favourite job.
The promised sunny weather failed to arrive, so I decided to use a hair dryer on her. I used to use a hairdryer on Scarlett, and she really liked it. I wasn't sure about Milly. i dug the hairdryer out of the chicken cupboard (I don't use one on my hair), and I eventually managed to find the diffuser, which I find essential for making sure that the feathers dry without singeing the hen.
To my surprise, Milly seemed to quite like it. I was able to hold the hairdryer in one hand, and use the other hand to flick throgh ther feathers to help them dry. She didn't show signs of wanting to escape.
As I put her back in the garden, I saw that Custard was also claggy. Flushed with the Milly success, I had no hesitation in bringing her in and standing her on the towel while I ran fresh water. She wasn't so happy.
She didn't mind standing in the warm water, but she did object to me cleaning her nether regions. And she wasn't too keen on the dryer. Not frightened, but she was a bit stressed about being inside. She ended up on the windowsill, and I dried her while she was there.
Of course the clearing up isn't half as much fun as the hen washing, especially as I have to disinfect the sink area and the surrounding worktop. (And, thanks to Custard, the windowsill).
Hope they stay clean for a little while.
A minute later I had Milly standing on a towel on the draining board,eating cat food and corn, while I put some warm water in the sink. A couple of minutes after that, and she was in the sink having her knickers washed. Not my favourite job.
The promised sunny weather failed to arrive, so I decided to use a hair dryer on her. I used to use a hairdryer on Scarlett, and she really liked it. I wasn't sure about Milly. i dug the hairdryer out of the chicken cupboard (I don't use one on my hair), and I eventually managed to find the diffuser, which I find essential for making sure that the feathers dry without singeing the hen.
To my surprise, Milly seemed to quite like it. I was able to hold the hairdryer in one hand, and use the other hand to flick throgh ther feathers to help them dry. She didn't show signs of wanting to escape.
As I put her back in the garden, I saw that Custard was also claggy. Flushed with the Milly success, I had no hesitation in bringing her in and standing her on the towel while I ran fresh water. She wasn't so happy.
She didn't mind standing in the warm water, but she did object to me cleaning her nether regions. And she wasn't too keen on the dryer. Not frightened, but she was a bit stressed about being inside. She ended up on the windowsill, and I dried her while she was there.
Of course the clearing up isn't half as much fun as the hen washing, especially as I have to disinfect the sink area and the surrounding worktop. (And, thanks to Custard, the windowsill).
Hope they stay clean for a little while.
