TRAINING YOUR BIRDS FOR SHOWING

Jax · **Joined:** Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:17 pm **Posts:** 1

Thank you excellent help for my young son. he's a juinor in our club and now a junior here on the forum

Roy P · **Joined:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:50 pm **Posts:** 27

Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Nail Clippers (human or avian)
Nail File or Emery Board
Silk Cloth
Soft Rag
Hairspray or feather conditioner
Petroleum Jelly or Light Natural Oil

1 Thoroughly bathe the chicken, paying special attention to the legs and feet. The legs should be free from mites and the feet and toes should have no dirt whatsoever. This is especially important for feather-footed breeds.

2 When the bird is dry, trim the beak with either nail clippers or a beak trimmer designed for birds. Do not trim the beak short. Only remove the excess length on the upper beak so that it meets evenly with the lower beak. File any rough edges off with a nail file.

3 Trim the toenails with the nail clippers or avian nail clippers. Again, they should not be trimmed short enough to bleed, only to remove the overgrown ends. Long toenails make a bird look neglected and sloppy, and can also be grounds for disqualification.

4 Polish the chicken's feathers with a silk cloth to get the maximum sheen. Rub in the direction of feather growth until a sheen appears.

5 Apply hairspray to the feathers to set them and give them a finishing touch, and also to repel dirt. Do not spray the bird directly. Spray a soft cloth, and then pass the cloth over the bird to coat the feathers. Aqua Net hairspray works well. Poultry supply houses also sell feather dressings especially for shows.

6 Apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly or a natural oil such as olive oil to the legs, comb, wattles and earlobes to make them stand out and to give them a healthy glow. Buff lightly with a soft cloth.

7 Keep the bird clean until show time. If necessary, apply another coat of hair spray to smooth the feathers just before placing the bird in the show cage.

Read more: How to Groom a Chicken For a Poultry Show | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5964075_groom-c ... z1EXqy2490

halfdozenhens · **Joined:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:36 pm **Posts:** 1

Do you use anything in the water for washing the chicken like baby shampoo?

SaxonyDucks · **Joined:** Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:50 pm **Posts:** 17

baby shampoo is ok or an all organic soap is good but not perfumed

PRETTYBIRDS · **Joined:** Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:52 pm **Posts:** 11

Baby shampoo is your best choice not soap

MartyM · **Joined:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:23 am **Posts:** 14

This might be good for someone starting out
Beginner's Guide to Raising and Showing Chickens Video DVD
http://www.purelypoultry.com/beginners- ... p-725.html

MartyM · **Joined:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:23 am **Posts:** 14

Check out Mad City Chickens DVD while you are there
http://www.purelypoultry.com/mad-city-c ... p-734.html

MARANMAN · **Joined:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 3:06 pm **Posts:** 38

First rate information a credit to all of you but especially soozorps well done

Karen_H · **Posted:** Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:24 am

Information is great as usual :-D

I think it is important for our chickens to be handled anyway (not just for shows) so that if you need to pick them up to treat them for something it is not as great a shock to the system (as I have been finding out)

I don't have plans to show yet - but with info like that and getting some confidence up it may just be something for the future

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

MARANMAN wrote:

First rate information a credit to all of you but especially soozorps well done

hi MARANMAN

and as you slipped past my radar - welcome to the forum

as you say - the credit goes to all that have contirbuted to this subject - I just happened to be the one to start it (I am always 'starting' something and not always as polite as it could be being the resident grumpy old woman here that definitely speaks her mind

)

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