The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-14
PREPARING FOR THE molnr.

AS the poultry approach the moulting
 season special care and attention must be
 given to their food supply. Food of q
 fattening nature. and meat, should be
 added to the summer ration. They should
 be thoroughly well fed. so that the strain
 or growing an entirely new set of feath- CTS may be sustained by the feeding of
 plenty of food rather than they should l iail into a depleted condition through
 iack of proper care and feeding at this
 critical time
 oftimes the question is asked as to
 whether the .1oult can be hastened | through any care and treatment that might have special influence over the
 moulting of the poultry. There is no doubt that this may be influenced to a certain
 limited extent. Fowls may be shut ID close in a warm, confined house and fed
 pul lttle; in fact, redtlced almost to the
 starving point from having but little 10 l eat. When kept in this condition from eight to ten days they may be turned out ! lo grass run and fed plentifully with fattening foods. which have a tendency | to hasten the moult. We have seen this
 tried to a limited extent, and while some Denehts have been derived in this direc- | ton, some who did not thorouehly under-
 stand and properly manage the process
 gained but poor resuts-in fact, lost many oi the hens they were endeavoring to hasten through the moult All these un- natural methods must be thoroughly nn-
 derstood and properly handled if we hope
 10 gam the proper results. It cannot be praeticed by the inexperienced.
 Those who make use of such methods
 must be thoroughly conversant with their uses and abuses as well. Another feature ] that demands considerable attention dur 1 ing the summer months is the advanced
 preparation of the poultr.' that it is hoped l Will become the prize winners a some of the autumn fairs. or early winter shows
 To gain these desirable results one must 1 have his poultry in the very best condi-
 ton for the fray. Seldom, if ever will
 poultry in very bad condition win the
 coveted prizes at these gatherings. and to
 nave these specimens properly prepared
 one must begin during the summer ] months to give them the care and con ditions that are necessary to bring them into proper form and feather Ofttimes, the feathers upon the back of one of the most desirable show specimens may be l broken off short close to the back The i continual down pouring of the sun upon l this exposed part of the back may blister
 the skin. To avoid this, it is well to re- move the hen to q sheltered place and keep her constantly under shelter of some kind, away from the rays of the sun Either with the thumb and fingers, or a small pair of tweezers. remove the broken feathers from the back. When these have all been removed it is well to anoint the back. either with glycerine or sweet cream. Rub a little of either on the in- l famed part and leave the rest to na- ture, only shelter the hen from the sun. Ofttimes it is desirable to remove broken feathers from the wings and tail as we'll Some go so far as to remove some of the soiled or broken feathers from the body plumage. all of which may be done with successful results. providing they have been removed at least sixty days prior to the time of exhibition
 The necessary requirements of the show room are. first, the best possible plumage to be obtained and maintained during the season; in addition to this good condition. thoroughly cleansed leads and their be- longings, and shanks and feet as well. Quite too often the neglect of these re- ql rements deprives the exhibitor of the prize that might have been won if the demands of conditions necessary had been carefully looked after. There Is no reas- enable excuse that can be offered for dirty shanks and feet of exhibition poul- try, so long there is any soap and wa ter to cleanse them. Many go so far. even during the early 1a.. fairs, as to wash the entire body plumage of the specimens to i be shown, even though they may be par i tially in moult Washing or cleaning of the entire pumage, shanks and feet as well, adds very much to their appearance.
 One can scarcely imagine the amount of
 dirt that will accumulate in and upon the plumage of a fowl until they have thor
 oughly tubwashed the same.
 Tub Washing Simple.
 Tub-washing of poultry is very sim
 pie process Three washtubs are pro- vided, filled w.lh warm water, as
 warm as your hands will bear, the second with lukewarm water, the third with cold water The specimen to be washed is | thoroughly doused or soaked in the warm | water; then the feathers and the entire | body, clear to the skin. is thoroughly l rubbed with soap-Ivory soap seems to be
 the best for this purpose. With this same 1 soap, the legs, shanks anu head and en-
 tire plumage is thoroughly washed Rub l the soap well into the body using your 1 hands and fingers. There is no danger
 whatever of breaking the plumage when
 it is soaked with the water. After the entire specimen has been thoroughly washed cleardown to the skin with soap,
 then lightly rinse it in the same warm
 water From this tub remove the speci- men to the second tub containing the lukewarm water. After having thorough | ly rinsed the entire bird in this lukewarm | water remove it to the tub of cold water
 and rinse it again. Allow the water to drain from the speciment then dry the plumage as much as possible with cloths 1 or towels alWaNS ruDDlnS the plumaRe l the right way of the feathers. After
 being dried as much as possible with the cloths, place the speciment in a canvas covered coop If the sun is shining warm | and hot. place the coop out in the direct | rays of the sun, but do not allow the rays
 of the sun to go through the slats of the 1 coop and scorch or sunburn the comb or | feathers. When the washing process is
 made use of in cool or cold weather. the | coop containing the washed fowls must be l placed near a stove or in very warm
 room Cthe warmer the better). so that
 the plumage will be quickly dried.
 | This same washing process may be | made use of to hasten the moult of poul- try desired for exhibition. Poultry that. has been washed in very warm water. but not hot enough to scald them, if nice ly dried and kept in a warm. sheltered
 coop or house. ofttimes drop their plum
 age very quickly All of these methods
 can be properly made use of, providing
 fowls.
 The secret of success in the show room
 Is to hatch your chicks from eggs which
 have been laid by the highest quality of
 poultry These eggs properly matched and
 the chicks we'll raised and cared for to
 maturity and through the entire lives
 while they are kept for exhibition pur- poses. are surely the most successful. as