Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1919 — CONDITIONING FOWLS FOR EXHIBITION INVOLVES PROPER FEED AND TRAINING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONDITIONING FOWLS FOR EXHIBITION INVOLVES PROPER FEED AND TRAINING

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) The beauty contest season for poultry is again at hand and fanciers who previously have fretted over egg record and feeding rations are now concerned witli grooming their birds in their best bib and tucker-a.nd preparing them for inspection by judges at fairs and poultry shows. Something besides external beauty and tine feathers is required to win in the show ring. Every fowl, whether young or mature, should be in firstclass show condition when it enters the -exhibition- hall. The plumage should be the standard length for the breed, lustrous and plentiful, the head bright red in color, and ti>e comb developed to the required size. The specimen should appear in handsome dress, good '7mj'WT , ann frained~tb“exhibit his good qualities to advantage, Careful training imparts to a bird sufli’’cient confidence to assume and hold desired poses under show-room conditions. • - . ■ ~ ■ If possible, obtain exhibition coops similar to those used at the show you will attend. Cover the floor with short, clean straw, or a mixture of bran and straw for feathered-leg breeds. Two months before the show phice in the coops at night the birds you intend to exhibit. Visit the coops as frequently as you can and handle the~birdS"often. nCarry-thmn arounxbnnder the arm, open their wings and examine the undercolor, and accustom them to every movement of the judge. It is not advisable or necessary to keep the show birds confined in the training coops. A day at a time is sufficient; then allow them the run of the house for two or I three days, and outdoor exercise if I Diet Makes Hens Handspme. Show birds should receive a variety of foods. If you wish to increase weight rapid 1 y,m ak e a mash of equal ; parts of corn meal, ground oats, wheat --middlings and thick soar milk or buttermilk. Sweeten it with brown sugar, and add 10 pet cent linseed meal. The i mash should be of the same consistrcncy ' is similar to milk-feeding rations, but ’ it should be fed only each morning.” I Feed whole or cracked corn, wheat, kafir corn, barley, or buckwheat, or-a commercial scratching food, in the midi die of the day and again in the late afternoon. Feed*yellow corn to buff varieties, and white corn to white, black 1 cream the plumage of white birds. A ! little rnnkod nr raw, meat OF .gFOUnfl. I imens inclined to grow large combs: I It is necessary to examine your show ■ birds carefully at least 10 weeks before ! the show. Remove all imperfcet feath- ' ers in The hope that they will be replaci ed by feathers of standard color. Frequently a colored feather showing a liti tie white along the edge of the web will molt out perfectly when the,fowl is well | fed on the sour-mllk mash, meat, and grain.- Never pluck a new feather — one in which the quill is filled with fluid—as it will invariably return partial-

ly white. A few days before the exhl-, bition again examine your birds and pluck the imperfect feathers. It is quite a problem to determine the best procedure when there is foreign color in some of the large feathers on the wings or tail. Peroxide Blondes in Hen House. Many exhibitors of white fowls bleach the plumage of their birds with peroxide of hydrogen and ammonia. They mix in a china bowl a solution of three parts of peroxide of hydrogen and one part of ammonia. A clean muslin cloth is dipped in the solution and the bird Is wrapped in it. The muslin is next covered with oiled silk or some waterproof cloth to confine the Tushes of the bleaching gas. The per-oxide-ammonia solution can be sponged on the plumage or sprayed with an atomiser. The only advantage in wrappingthe bird is to make the bleach more effective. The -shanks and feet of exhibition foWls must be absolutely-clean and well polished. To -overcome- rough scales rub the legs twice daily with a cloth dipped in kerosene and a short time before the show wash them thoroughly. Use a good scouring soap, woolen cloth, and wammrain water. Remove any old or rough scales, and also the dirt between the scales. The latter can be taken out with toothpicks. Dry theshanks and apply a solution of equal warm a woolen cloth and scrape a little beeswax on it. The warmth will -jnelt-4he waxj-awl-the- shanks shouldthen be polished with the waxed cloth. Cosmetics and Curealls of Ugliness. Before shipping the birds to the exhibition apply the sweet oil and alcohol solution to the face and comb. If you are showing white birds, fill their plumage after washing and when thoroughly Tdry with equal parts of bran M nd rice flour. Some exhibitors use cornstarch which is equally satisfactory. This prevents the plumage coming soiled, and when the starch Is shaken out at the show and the fowls are groomed, they apparently take a higher polish. However, your coops must have wooden or muslin tops and sides to prevent rain from coming in contact with the starched plumage. The final grooming is accomplished with a silk handkerchiefrrubbing and polishing the feathers until the plumage has a high luster.

Show Birds Are Trained in Exhibition Coops and Should Be Handled Frequently.