First Year Showing.....Fair is 3 weeks and counting

[4-H.chick.]

this is wiggles

 

[KansasKid]

ok things you can do, first of all please do not use soap on them, it will take all the protective oils they put on when they preen and will leave them dry feathered and brittle. second, there is not much you can do if your just going to pin show them except make sure they are up to there breed standards. You can usually go to your 4-h poultry leader and get a copy of the APA (american poultry association, breed standards). by the way thats not a cayuga but it is a beautiful bird. another thing is maybe once in a while pick them up and mess with them that way they don't freak out come fair time when all the little kids want to stick there fingers through the cage.

O and

and good luck at fair.

 

[kswaterfowl]

what makes you so sure this isn't a cayuga? Cayuga females often molt in white feathers with each successive molt. Its part of their breed. Males shouldn't but some of the best males sometimes have a stray white feather here and there. I've seen nearly white Cayugas that are about three years old and older, with a few stray black feathers, dark legs and dark bills. East Indie females do the same thing.

notice the stray white feathers on the female near the center of pic.

This is a 7 year old east indie female

 

[KansasKid]

My mistake, when i kept cayugas I had all males by accident and had to get rid of them except for one, so i never saw them when they molted, but either way that is a flaw on a cayuga if the OP shows it. when i showed my only male he had merely to small individual white feathers on either side of his wings and the judge counted off. so since the bird has that many white feathers, and colored speculum feathers laced with white (no fluorescent green head) , my immediate thought was that it might be maybe a black swedish or a mix. I was also assuming for a bit that the the bird was a little young for a molt, considering it sounds like since the OP got it on there birthday and that this is there first year showing ducks that it wasn't that old. but i don't see the little duck curl of a drake so if its a female k&swaterfowl is probably right. sorry for any confusion.

 

[TK Poultry]

DO NOT BATHE THEM it will cut their natural oils

 

[KansasKid]

Is your fair by chance tuesday the twentieth?

 

[4-H.chick.]

the 20th when some of the judging stuff starts.the size she is now is when we got her..i didn't get her when she was young. how can you how old a duck is.

 

[kswaterfowl]

give the duck water and the duck will take care of itself...its a DUCK! I've seen people actually scrubbing ducks before and it cuts the oil, and messes up their beauty, but why go through all the work, ducks LOVE water. Lots of clean fresh water and all you will need to do is clean the bill and feet the day of the show.

 

[4-H.chick.]

kk thats easy

 

[call ducks]

I have all ways been told to bath them...But bath them about 1 or more weeks before ( 1 would work, but 1 1/2 weeks would be even better) and keep the on wire if possible. or just give the access to clean water a few days be fore (much easier!)