First off, welcome to the rest of your life! It depends on the type of birds you have. I recommend washing your birds at LEAST a week prior to the show. Don't do it the day before. I've learned that lesson the hard way. I have found, the absolute best product on the market for any color bird is "Premier White Magic." It is made for horses. You put the blue soap directly on the bird and use a soft toothbrush to lather the soap in the direction of the feathers. This ensures you do not break any feathers in the washing process. Rinse the bird WELL. Think of how much you like having a cold dip in a pool. A bird doesn't like that. Use warm water. Once you rinse ALL of the soap out, use a towel to get the majority of the bird at least damp. I leave the bird for an hour or two to air dry. After that second hour (usually had my dinner by that point) I take out my blow dryer and put it on medium warm setting. Your bird may freak. It's normal. Keep a good hold on it. This can be done by having a towel laying across your lap. Put your bird's legs inbetween your legs and hold tight. After awhile the bird usually calms down and enjoys the drying session. Now, put your bird on clean shavings and keep their area clean for the rest of the week. If you notice any stains, clean that stain immediately. It's harder to clean a spot once it "sets" in. FOR THE SHOW: Take these items: Wipes (for those little issues that your bird WILL do. Includes pooping on their legs.) VetRx (to rub into the comb and wattles and brighten up the face for showing. A little goes a long way) Adams Flea and Tick Spray (spray the vent before you get to the show and onto the legs to keep any mites from coming up that way) Microfiber rag (helps to get the dust off of the bird at the show) Blow-Dryer (seriously. You never know) Towel (seriously.) Nail Clippers (a bird may have all normal nails and all of a sudden you see a nail that grew an inch overnight) A chair. PLEASE. Bring yourself a chair. Bleachers get hard and standing up for 13 plus hours can get exhausting. Bring water/food/pop. For all of my show birds I bring chick starter. The morning before the show, put a VERY SMALL amount of food into the cage with your bird. This will give them energy and make them less lethargic. Take out the water 2 hours before judging. No wet feathers this way. If you have clipped your birds wing feathers. Don't even bother taking it. If the judge is any good, they will disqualify the bird. In my case, bring lots of Zyrtec and Benadryl. I'm deathly allergic to feathers. Bring some hand sanitizer. Trust me. Campylobacter is NOT fun to have.
