HINTS ON PREPARING POULTRY FOR SHOWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1756, 1 November 1905, Page 61

HINTS ON PREPARING POULTRY FOR SHOWS.

it is now time to commence to get. the show birds in condition. Not only is it necessary that they should be •properly fed and finished, their legs, heads, and plumage looked after, "before being sent to the shew room, hut they should be handled daily. The successful and experienced exhibitor trams his birds for the show room as carefully and thoroughly as the horseman trains his horse for the speed, ring. Every bird that stands any chance of going to a show this winter should be put into training at once. It is a good plan to confine them in an exhibition coop a part of each day at least and train them to pose. Many a good bird fails to win a prize in the show room simply because' he has not. been properly trained. It is often impossible for a judge to get any intelligent idea of a bird’s shape, and he has to guess at it. When the judge approaches the ccop, unless the birds have been properly trained, they will be half scared to <leath, and will make frantic efforts to get away, roughing up their plumage, and assuming every posture but their nautral one. The more the judge fusses with them the worse they will get, until finally, out of breath, weakkneed, and half dead, they are dragged from the coop and the judge makes a guess at their shape and lets it go at that. All this can be avoided if the owner of the birds will spend a little time training them before taking them to the show. A bird caught up off the range or out of the poultry house and taken to the show, without any previous handling is seldom in good show shape, and the breeder who makes a practice of doing this works an injustice to both himself and his fowl. As we said above, a bird intended for the show room should from now qn be confined in an exhibition coop a part of each day, and continuously for two or three weeks before the show. He should be carefully handled each day, taught to pose in a natural position, and made as tame as possible. It is a good plan to wear different clothes and a different hat occasionally w ! hen training the bird, as in this way you will get him used to strangers. In removing a bird from the exhibition coop, never grab him by the legs, throw him and haul him toward you tail first; hut, instead, grasp his right wing close up to the body with your left hand and bring him gently toward the door of the coop, place the right hand over the left wing, the fingers under the left side, and 1 carefully re. move him from the coop head first. It is important that birds intended for l the show room be handled gently. They will soon learn that their owner or attendant is their friend, and instead of becoming frantic with fear will be as docile as kittens. The legs should be greased occasionally with, sulphur and sweet oil or sulphur and lard; care should be taken, that the birds do not get into a fight and get the comb injured; strict attention should be paid to' the feeding and general care of the birds, so that they may be in the pink of condition, when the time comes to show them. Birds cannot be prioperly fitted for the show pen in a week or two. It takes time and patience, an incessant watchfulness, as well as a knowledge of standard requirements and careful selection of specimens. It is an easy matter to teach ai bird to pose, but the "teacher” must have patience. Set the

birds on a box or barrel, and “pet” him until you gain his confidence, which is half the battle. Then gently “chuck him under the chin,” and in this way teach him to assume an erect ’position with head well up.