Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Beekissed]

Quote: That's what I was thinking too....how in the world does anyone want to do that more than once? I'm guessing the show birds are kept in cages, on wire, maybe? Maybe this keeps them cleaner all the while so washing them isn't done for each and every show?

The lady as the pet store was discussing the whitening shampoo with me and asked if I was going to a show and I told her that I was. She offered the pet grooming services there....until I explained it was a chicken show.

She didn't quite know what to make of that, or the fact that anyone would want to wash a chicken, but didn't seem to know if they would groom a chicken or not there.

Should have taken them both to the groomer, huh?

As it is, they will both likely be as dirty as they were before by the time the show rolls around, so it most likely was some hugely wasted effort. It wasn't all wasted, though....it taught me a valuable lesson.

 

[bnjrob]

That's what I was thinking too....how in the world does anyone want to do that more than once? I'm guessing the show birds are kept in cages, on wire, maybe? Maybe this keeps them cleaner all the while so washing them isn't done for each and every show?

The lady as the pet store was discussing the whitening shampoo with me and asked if I was going to a show and I told her that I was. She offered the pet grooming services there....until I explained it was a chicken show.

She didn't quite know what to make of that, or the fact that anyone would want to wash a chicken, but didn't seem to know if they would groom a chicken or not there.

Should have taken them both to the groomer, huh?

As it is, they will both likely be as dirty as they were before by the time the show rolls around, so it most likely was some hugely wasted effort. It wasn't all wasted, though....it taught me a valuable lesson.

I can just see the look on the woman's face!

 

[Beekissed]

She was definitely confused...asked if this was for 4-H or something.

Now, I will say this....both birds look FANTASTIC! Pristine and glistening white, feathers full and fanned, legs gleaming. The rooster even seems to have more angle on his tail, which he badly needed, while also looking like he has a more fully furnished tail. He looks more like the pic of WRs in the SOP, so the bathing does seem to help create a picture of the bird at his very best when the oils and dust do not weigh down the feathers. Which is likely the whole point of bathing a chicken....

So, don't think I'm poking fun at folks who bathe their chickens for a show...it definitely makes for a very pretty, very fine lined picture when looking upon the bird. They most definitely moved up a notch from backyard free rangers into the realm of a vision in white, beautiful to behold...they even seem to hold themselves more proudly and erect.

Funny thing is, the birds don't seem a bit traumatized by their experience and neither seem to hold any grudges....they aren't more scared of me and even seem to be liking my presence more than usual, so maybe they kind of liked the whole experience!

She went right to the nest and laid her egg when turned back into the breeding pen, he's out in the breeze flapping his wings and posing as only these WR males seem to do....strut, strike a pose and hold it, repeat as necessary.

I pronounce the whole experience no harm, no fowl.....

I'm the only one that seems worn out from the whole event.

 

[Beekissed]

Y'all want to see a few pics from today's fiasco?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Y'all want to see a few pics from today's fiasco?

Absolutely, yes!

 

[hellbender]

Absolutely, yes!

X 2

 

[BGMatt]

She was definitely confused...asked if this was for 4-H or something.

Now, I will say this....both birds look FANTASTIC! Pristine and glistening white, feathers full and fanned, legs gleaming. The rooster even seems to have more angle on his tail, which he badly needed, while also looking like he has a more fully furnished tail. He looks more like the pic of WRs in the SOP, so the bathing does seem to help create a picture of the bird at his very best when the oils and dust do not weigh down the feathers. Which is likely the whole point of bathing a chicken....

So, don't think I'm poking fun at folks who bathe their chickens for a show...it definitely makes for a very pretty, very fine lined picture when looking upon the bird. They most definitely moved up a notch from backyard free rangers into the realm of a vision in white, beautiful to behold...they even seem to hold themselves more proudly and erect.

Funny thing is, the birds don't seem a bit traumatized by their experience and neither seem to hold any grudges....they aren't more scared of me and even seem to be liking my presence more than usual, so maybe they kind of liked the whole experience!

She went right to the nest and laid her egg when turned back into the breeding pen, he's out in the breeze flapping his wings and posing as only these WR males seem to do....strut, strike a pose and hold it, repeat as necessary.

I pronounce the whole experience no harm, no fowl.....

I'm the only one that seems worn out from the whole event.

Definitely need to see pictures of this event.

Just an FYI It gets faster, takes me about 5-10 minutes per bird if that. Nothing more striking than a freshly prepared White bird.

 

[Beekissed]

Alrighty...these are my poor cockerel and pullet getting their very first water baths. They were first placed in the sink for a foot/leg soak and scrub, then moved along to my tub for the body wash, then to Mom's huge garden tub where I could sit in there with the bird in front of me for blow drying. Funny thing, they both moved voluntarily up onto my leg and used it for a perch while getting blow dried. I didn't have to restrain them at all in that tub, they just stood and let me dry and dry and dry and dry and dry....well...you get the picture.

I like this pose....she stood with that leg back like that while I dried her for a long time.









I finally got tired of drying this bird after about an hour and figured she could dry the rest of the way outside in the warm breeze.....so I slipped a pair of Mom's old satin granny panties over her bod and tied them on for transporting her to the coop without damaging any wet feathers.



Then came Dooley's turn....he was not amused. I think he felt the cocks on the wall were mocking him in this humiliating process....


Watching himself in the mirror that goes around that bathtub....watched himself for that whole process and didn't make a sound. Both birds would lift their wings helpfully when I was drying and fluffing under the wings and would spread their legs a little when I blow dried under their tails and abdomen. All in all, they took it like troopers and only seemed a bit tired from it all.




In these pics you can see how tired he is by how low he's carrying his wings....not his normal stance. The bird in the back is a sister of the pullet going to show. Both clean birds are in the foreground here.







He just did a lot of standing around this evening, flapping his wings and preening, as did the pullet.



And that's the end...... both of them.

 

[kimberly35042]

loved the story and SO WAY IMPRESSED you took pics at same time!! Good luck with those beautifully clean sparkly white birds!

 

[finnfur]

Bee - you sure them birds don't have some West Virginia "Ham" in em.
They look ready for show time admiring themselves in the mirror.