Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOW PREP STEPS
A WEEK BEFORE
1.
Check for lice and mites and spray or dust if needed. Pick out any egg cases
and destroy.
2.
Make sure all of your paperwork is available and collect it in a single file.
THE DAY BEFORE
3.
Give your birds a nice warm bath. I put mine in an old dish-pan and just use my
hands and mild dish soap in the water. Pretend you are washing dishes when
you decide how much soap to use. Take care to wash and clean feet. A nice
soft toothbrush works well for this purpose. Feather-legged birds may be more
of a challenge to wash and require more grooming and maintenance to get the
feathers on the legs properly shaped. You may wish to wash these birds sever-
al days before the show.
4.
Dry them with a bath towel or hair dryer and then groom them. Another clean,
old toothbrush works well to comb out the feathers; waterfowl will groom
themselves.
5.
Check over the bird to make sure there are no off-colored feathers. If you see
some that can be carefully plucked, do so. If you have too many off-color
feathers, it is time to choose another bird.
6.
Clean the cage, scrubbing it with disinfectant. (Repeat after the fair.)
THE DAY OF THE SHOW
7.
Recheck the feet to make sure they are still clean. Use the toothbrush again if
needed.
8.
Refluff any matted feathers using a toothbrush or other soft brush.
9.
On older birds, rub a little mineral oil or petroleum jelly on the legs to brighten
them up.
Diet
In this preparatory stage, try to limit the amount of corn in your birds' diet if possible,
especially for white birds. Excess carotene in corn can cause white feathers to take on
a yellowish tint, an undesirable quality in exhibition birds. At this point, also give them
the special treats such as sunflower seeds or dried dog or cat food — the extra oils and
