Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
old. I know people who keep their own breeders and, under controlled lighting, get them
to lay in the early winter and set the eggs to have poults in February.
Show-Bird Diet and Health
The keys to successfully raising 4-H-quality champions are a balanced diet, a clean liv-
ing environment, and good health, all of which allow them to develop as properly as
possible in the short time you have to get them to the fair. Resist the temptation to buy
cheaper, lower-grade feed if you want your chicks to be prime show-quality stock.
Choose a carefully balanced chick starter and grower and follow the directions on the
label. You may think it makes the most sense to feed 50 or 100 chicks so you have plenty
to select from for exhibition. However, the more chicks you raise the more your costs
will rise. You might find you suddenly have to start cutting back and feeding a cheaper
feed such as whole-grain corn or oats. This will cost you your birds' growth and health.
Quality of feed is not a place to cut corners, so raise only the number of birds you can
afford to feed. Talk to other raisers, 4-H club members and Extension agents about what
may be needed, then price out feed and equipment before you order your chicks.
Show Preparations
Once you've chosen the individuals in your flock you plan to take to the 4-H exhibition,
acquire some wire, off-the-ground cages. Cages allow you to separate the birds for two
to three weeks before the show, and get them accustomed to being in a cage — their fair-
ground home away from home. Some fairs require you to bring your own cages; others
provide uniformly sized and shaped cages.
Generally, individual cages help you to tidy the birds up and keep them as clean as
possible. This is especially true for chickens, but not as valid for water-fowl as they
cannot clean themselves daily in water and the wire cages are also very hard on their
webbed feet. Allow waterfowl to be on green grass and dry bedding and offer them a
good clean place to bathe and they will fix themselves up for the show without your
help.
Three weeks before the show, gather up the fowl you plan to exhibit and put them in
separate pens so that they don't peck at one another, causing unsightly sores and feath-
er loss. Initially, when you gather them up, you may want to wash them at that time,
not only to get them used to the process, but also to perfect your technique. Begin the
cleaning process by washing their legs and then proceed by giving them a bath and just
teaching them how to handle cage life. The day before the show, wash them, scrub their
legs and feet, and perhaps rub their legs with a little mineral oil to make them shine and
look even cleaner.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search