The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
SHOW BIRDS REQUIRE
CAREFUL ATTENTION
Haste Makes Waste in Getting
Poultry Ready for
Exhibitions.
CONDITION rs IMPORTANT
ny FRANK HECp.

II a breeder does not give a little at
tention TO preparing his birds for the
show he cannot expect 20 get the same
results as the breeder who does. A bird
picked up right out Of the yards without
having received any special fitting. can
always be improved In some ways
The coat may not make the man. hut
! fine feathers and stylish carriage GER
tainly make the show bird. and this can
he controlled to certain extent. White
birds should be washed, and black, bun
| and partl-colored birds should have their
plumaEe cleaned.
Birds that are wild and object to being
handled Will not assume n natural posi-
tion IN the show coop when the judge
approaches them, and he therefore can
not do them Justice in Judging their shape
Handle them often and tame them. Birds
intended for showing should be handled
and put in show condition weeks before
the show He who waits Till the last
minute Is apt to see his competitors
awarded the prizes.
II Is astonishing how careless the aver
age exhibitor Is in examining the birds
10 he sent to the show Many birds are
disqualified for defects which the Judge
finds readily and which have been entirely
overlooked by the exhibitor II YOU do
not know what defects are disqualified
lions IN your variety Of fowls make II
your business to find out what they are
and then take "A little pains to examine
each bird carefully. Each variety Of
fowls has its special disqualifying points
nd there are also many that apply 70
AL breeds and varieties In general It
would he impossible to enumerate all Of
them in the space allotted 10 this article
DO not go to extremes IN preparing
birds for show Punrling Jobs of prepa-
ration are worse than none at all. Combs
and legs smeared with vasellne, half
washed plumage, feathers full Of corn
meal or starch dirty plumage soiled with
droppngs, dried blood on combs and wat
ties. hi oody or greasy plumage about the
head and other similar things will cause
bird 10 lose many points under the sec
tion Of judging which Is termed "cond-
ton" DO not exhibit a bird that Is out
of condition physically. Confinement in
the showroom will aggravate Illness Of
any kind and the bird will seldom II
ever win prize. Birds with scaly legs
should be treated for this defect a long
time before the show. Applications Of
lard and vaseline viii cure bad cases.
Broken feathers in wings and tail are
the points that often lose a prize 20 other
wise winning specimens. and these broken
feathers are nearly always the result Of
causes which might have been prevented
Coops should be ample in size. too many
birds should not be crowded together.
and In other ordinary WAYS care should
he taken TO prevent broken feathers All
small feathers that are broken should he
plucked. Exhibition coops should not he
less than 90 inches deep, 30 inches high
and 90 Inches long, coop 25 inches
long will do for two ordinary sized birds
To clean paint from birds that have come
In contact with newly painted GOODS or
houses, saturate cloth with benzine and
rub the feathers with II. using a clean
portion OF the cloth with each stroke The
feathers themselves may be saturated
with the liquid n they are badly stained.
A great many white birds are ruined for
show purposes by allowing them TO run
through tall weeds OF various kinds, The
weeds become broken or bruised and the
sap imparts a brassy greenish color to
the plumage.
PlumaRe win lose much Of its gloss and
the color becomes dead II the bird is re-
peatedly exposed to alternate rains and
the hot sun This applies with especial
force TO mounting fowls Some successful