Washing Your Birds For a Show

So, you have entered a show and now it's almost show time! This article will help you make sure your bird is shining and pretty for showing.


Preparation
There are a few things you need to set up before you start:

• Three (3) wash tubs (plastic totes, buckets, sink)​
• Horse shampoo/conditioner all-in-one​
• Apple Cider Vinegar​
• 1 towel for each bird​
• Nail clippers​
• Toothpicks​
• Old, clean toothbrush​
• Cornstarch​
• Heat lamp or blow dryer​
• Pen or cage on clean ground (grass, shavings, etc)​

You want to set up three tubs and fill them all with warm water. Then add horse shampoo/conditioner to the first tub, apple cider vinegar to one, and the last one just clean water. Once you set up your bathing tubs, make sure you have a towel ready at the end of the station. Set aside a blow dryer, nail clippers, and cornstarch. Set up a pen that you can keep the clean birds in after they're washed. Make sure not to put the clean bird on wet ground or muddy soil. You don't want them getting dirty right after being washed.

Washing
Grab your bird and dip them in the soapy water first. Let them soak for a few minutes. Try to keep the bird from drinking the water while they soak. Then you want to gently wash the bird with your hands. Make sure to go with the feathers. Do not go against the feather, as you might damage them. Focus some time on the vent area, as that tends to be the dirtiest area. Then move onto the feet. Take the toothbrush and scrub the feet. Make sure to scrub the legs, top and bottom of feet, focusing some on getting under the scales. You can use the toothpicks to really get all of the dirt from uner the scales. Try not to force the toothpick under the scales. Just gently scrape underneath.

Next, pick up your bird and place them in the tub with apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar water is used to "cut" through the suds that are on the bird. This breaks down the soap better than plain water. Dunk your bird into the apple cider vinegar water and make sure to get every part wet. Once the suds fall off of your bird, move onto the third tub filled with clean water. Dunk your bird in the clean water. This water is used to remove the apple cider vinegar.

Above, I mentioned that you should wash your bird at least 3 days before the show. That is because the soap and apple cider vinegar strip the oils from your bird's feathers. You need to give them enough time to reapply oils to their feathers via the preening gland.

Trimming
Once you finish washing your bird, wrap them in a towel. Fold it in a way that the bird is completely enclosed, except for their head.
Use this time to trim the toenails and beak. When clipping the toenails, make sure not to cut into the quick. If you do cut the quick, it will bleed a lot. To stop the bleeding, apply cornstarch to the nail. This will coagulate the blood and stop the bleeding. Then trim the beak. Just trim enough that the top beak hangs slightly over the bottom beak. Sometimes this step is not necessary.

Drying and Maintaining
Once you have dried the bird enough that it is not dripping wet, stand the bird on a table. Use your blow dryer only on soft feathered areas. Do not blow dry hard feathered birds. Set the blow dryer on warm, not hot. Dry the bird enough that they are less wet. Hard feathered birds can be dried using a cage and heat lamp. Place a cage underneath a heat lamp and make sure that the heat lamp is not too close or too far. You can test the heat intensity by placing your hand at the same level as the cage and leaving it there for a few seconds. Place the bird in the cage and monitor them for any issues. You can go ahead and start washing the next bird while that one is drying. If it is a warmer day, you can place the cage in a sunny location instead of a heat lamp.

When the bird is dry, keep them in a clean environment until the show. You don't want all that hard work to get ruined by a muddy pen! I personally set up show cages with shavings to keep my birds dry and clean. You can also set up a pen on grass.

Show Day
On show day, your bird should still be relatively clean. You will most likely need to do a few touchups. Check the vent area for any fecal matter. use a wet wipe to clean the area. Check the feet and brush off with a wet toothbrush. Use vet rx or oil on the comb, wattles and earlobes. Take care not to get any oil of the feathers, or else they will look wet. You want to cover the wattles, comb, and earlobes to make them shine and appear more vibrant. Lastly, use a silk cloth to remove dust and bring out the shine in the feathers.
Now you're ready for the show! Or I should say, your bird is ready for the show! Now you just sit back and wait for the judge to look over your bird!