Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-07-12
POU L TRY
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
How TO Have Prize Winners at the
Winter Poultry Shows
(By Michael X. Boyer)
Poultry Editor of the Farm Journal
Exhihifio., Eoulc

Winter Poultry Shows
(By Michael X. Boyer)
Poultry Editor of the Farm Journal
Exhibition Fowls
This is the time to begin pre-
pairing fowls for exhibition at the
winter shows. Only by competing
with other fanciers can the anna
teur guage the worth of his stock
and when he does compete he can
not take too much pains with the
conditioning of the birds. In
this article Mr.. Boyer tells how
to give the fowls the extra care
that often will enable him to Sc
cure the prize which otherwise
would not have been won.
Exhibit at the winter shows,if you
feel that your fowls are of high paul
ity. Do not be afraid of defeat; it
is only by exhibiting your birds in
competition with those of other fan
ciers that you will be able to learn
definitely where they are weak and
study how TO improve them. FIRE.
quently amateurs who have never
exhibited before carry away high hon
ors in some of the largest exhibitions,
but generally il is a good rule for the
novice to exhibit first at the smaller
winter shows. Then when he has
had experience in exhibiting, and has
learned to know his breed thoroughly,
he will be safe in sending his choic-
est specimens to the larger shows.
The successful exhibitor does not
wait until the time of the show be-
fore he selects his birds. From
chickhood up he is constantly watch
ing them. They are fed carefully
and regularly. They are properly
sheltered and cared for, and no labor
is saved that will give them good,
healthy development. The growth is
steady. There must be vigor and
stamina to grow healthy stock.
As the birds grow, culling must be
done repeatedly. Take out of the
flock chicks that have crooked spine,
crooked breast-bone, missing rump,
wry tail, crossed beak, defective
feathering or any other disqualified
tions. Keep only the best--those that
give promise Of making a good show
ing under the standard rules. This
will give room for the selected ones,
and there will be no danger of over
crowding.
Conditioning Is Most Important
The main thing in showing is to
have the fowls in the proper condition
when in the showroom. They must
be made as gentle as possible, so that
they may be handled properly and not
be frightened while In the cages.
Many a good bird has lost a prize for
no other reason than that it was wild
and excitable in the cage and would
not pose or stand.
For two weeks before the exhibit
ton the birds should be placed in
cage so that they may learn to be
quiet and not startled when any one
approaches them. The value of this
fact is illustrated by Judge j. II. Dire
venstedt in the book Poultry Sc
crets." Mr.. Drevenstedt says a prom
inent New York exhibitor at the New
York show had imported a fine Black
Red Game cockerel from England,
took 1t from the steamer direct. and
placed IL in a cage; another exhibitor
had a bird of the same variety in a
cage close by. When the Judge polk
ed his stick into the cage where the
English bird was, the latter would
try to ely the coop" In other words,
il would not pose nor stand while be-
ing examined. The American-bred
bird, when touched by the judging