I'd like to preface this article by stating that this is how we do things at Fawkes' Feather - it's not the only way, the absolutely correct way, or the way you should do it.  It is the just the way we are most comfortable and the method we and our birds are happy with.

We only bathe our silkies when absolutely necessary.  Before a show,

 or if badly infested with external parasites, like mites or lice, is about the only time our silkies get bathed.   
When going to a show, it is usually recommended to bathe a silkie about 3 days before the show.  We bathe, clip nails and beaks, blow the bird dry and place the silkie in a wire bottomed cage or in very deep shavings that are kept meticulously clean.  There is nothing worse than spending hours bathing and drying a white silkie, only to have it lay down in poop and un-do all your efforts!

We bathe silkies in the kitchen sink, although some day I hope to have a deep laundry sink with hot water installed in the silkie building.
 I arrange the shampoo, nail clippers, emery board, blood stop, towels, blow dryers, and comb before I ever get the bird.  Before the bath, I clip nails, and clip and shape the beak.   I fill the sink with warm water, and then add a squirt of Dawn dishwashing detergent to help cut through the natural oil on the bird's feathers and allow the water to get through to the silkie's skin.  I hold the bird in my left hand (I am right-handed), with the bird's breastbone in the middle of my hand, and it's legs held tightly between my first and second finger and my third and fourth finger. Holding a silkie this way gives you complete control and helps them to feel secure.    I lower the bird into the water and use my right hand to wet the silkie all over.    After the bird is completely wet, I apply the shampoo and lather the silkie, paying particular attention to the feet, vent area, crest, and any other soiled areas.   I really like to use Adam's Flea and Tick Shampoo, as it will also eliminate any mites that are present.   Special shampoo for white dogs or horses helps to brighten white feathers, and I use it before shows, after the Adam's shampoo.   Once the silkie has been completely lathered and I feel it is clean, I drain the water out of the sink, and turn the faucet on at a warm temperature.  Still holding the bird, I rinse it under the warm running water, turning it to rinse each area, including the crest, which can be safely rinsed by tilting the bird's head back, and directing the water over the crest, being very careful not to allow the water to run forward into the bird's eyes or nose.
After rinsing, I roll the silkie up in a large towel, making a "silkie burrito", and keep it wrapped in the towel for about 10-15 minutes, so as much excess water as possible is absorbed into the towel.    Then, the bird is unwrapped and the blowdrying begins!   I like to place the silkie on paper towels on top of the towel, because it usually will poop as soon as I unwrap it.  I use 2 blowdryers set on cool and high speed, and don't quit until the bird is completely dry.    If we are preparing for a show, and have a lot of birds to bathe, I set up some cages with heat lamps over them, blow dry each bird for 15 minutes or so, then put it under the heat lamp while I move on to the next bird,  and go back to finish each bird after it has dried for awhile under the heat lamp.   This series of pictures is of a rooster that we have been using for breeding this year, he had never been bathed or blowdried, but he was very cooperative and pretty calm about the entire procedure.   As you can see above, he looked really good when he was finished!

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