Heritage Poultry Exibition Thread

[Robert Blosl]

Looks like we got some great advice on force molting our birds for a show. I hope this helps the person that sent me a message on the subject. I had no idea only what I can remember from a kid visting this guys house what he did.

I only hatch my bantams in March and stop in Mid April to keep thier size down. I let my adult birds molt when they want to and then after I put them through a conditioning program to get the feathers the way I want then I select them for breeders for the next year.

Here is a question for you to help the people who want to take thier chickens to a poultry show and want to know the basics of what they need to do say two months befor the show. Just for conversation sake the next show is two months away and they have lets say five fantastic light brown leghorn pullets and five males in two seperate 8x8 pens. They have been giving fresh water ever day by leting a water faucet drip into a one gallon plastic container in thier pen so the water is always fresh and cool. The breeder has given them a game bird feed called FRM Game Bird Pellets which has a 20% protein and its so green in color you can see the alfafla leaves in the feed. They have been raised on eight inches of fresh pine shavings and roosted every night on a 2x2 rounded pole about two feet off the ground. The new person has built five 4x4 conditioning pens in his barn and has five 4x5 pens to put his males in when the time is right.

This person is ready to take these ten great birds out of the big pens but what do they do next for the show in two months.

Any advice you can give them for training, feeding, water ect ect.

We also got to help them design some wooden shiping crates so we got to come up with some plans for that to.

Money is no object. They work for the Goverment and make lots of money and have connectons with the white house and drive a hummer?

What can we do to help them with these pretty rare Heritage Light Brown Leghorns that I found for them early this year. bob

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, I see you have created yet another great thread, Bob!

I gotta tell ya though ..... I have never shown a bird and I do not have a clue what you are talking about when you say 4x4 conditioning pens. What is that all about? Do you have to keep your show birds in a small confinement to condition them? What do you mean by condition them, anyway?

I have read about giving chickens a bath before showing them, but I did not know you have to do other things, too. What ..... do ya have to train them or something, too? I really do not have a clue.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Kathy,

A Conditioning Pen [Conditioning/ Training Pen] is a pen that is meant to hold a single bird during the Conditioning/ Training period.
The pen helps keep Roosters from treading Hens, fighting and keeps there feathering in better condition than if they were in a community pen, breeding pen or free ranging.
Other benefit of the Conditioning/ Training Pen are that you can feed each individual bird as needed and you know exactly what that bird is eating, another advantage of a Conditioning/ Training Pen is that you are able to work with each bird more easily.

Most Conditioning/ Training Pen are placed in a Poultry Barn or Lath House so that the birds are out of direct sunlight so to help keep the feather from bleaching or fading.

A 4x4 Conditioning/ Training Pen would be 4 foot wide x 4 foot deep and depending on breed can be 4 - 5 foot high.

Chris

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

I am going outside with a camera today so I will try to get a picture of what we use so you have some idea.... we also call it our rooster house.

We like to add a little sunflower seed, oats, and a small handful of catfood with fish meal in it to our poultry and waterfowl feed. Helps the feathering on the show birds and the extra protien helps pull them through molt. In the winter we sprinkle some kepl on the feed when grass is not available

 

[Robert Blosl]

If you raise your barred rocks on free range and they are looking very nice and you want to say show them at the Ill Mo Show next year you go out and see which males you like who have good head points i.e. five point comb nice full breasts legs dead center and a lift in their back that will make a judge fall to his knees. Tope this off with the nice clean black and white barring and you got three to four killer males to show. However, you cannot go out and pick these guys up and put them in a box and put them in the back of the SUV. They need to go into a 4x4 ft pen say three to four feet tall and in the pen you have a two quart water cup and a one pint feed cup hanging from the wire. I like to use 2x4 inch no climb wire on the outside of the pen and between the pens a one inch chicken mess wire so they can’t fight and mess their combs up.

Next you want a nice litter like savings for them to walk on. The conditions that you had for them outside were excellent and that is why they look nice now. You must keep the same excellent conditions for them as they finish out their feathers as you don’t want to have a broken wing feather or shredded tail feathers because the judge will cut points on these areas and you may have the best bird in the class but you will lose to a lesser quality bird because he is in better conditions and or has no injured feathers in the different sections of his body.

Next you need to handle these birds to tame them down. You need to have them eat say cat food out of your hand or hamburger meat as treats. When you open the door to handle them they walk toward you instead of to the back or up to the top of the cage because of fear. You also, need to get you a dowel stick or an old car antenna and teach your birds how to pose for the judge. Much like a body builder who is in competition a good poser can show off his strengths and hid his defects and beat a better shaped competitor. You also, need to up their nutrition as with me in Rhode Island Reds I give them ten sun flower seeds per day soaked in wheat germ oil, or cod liver oil, or Red Cell. I sometimes give them two to three crickets or worms every day or two for extra protein. I give them a 20 % game bird conditioner as their feed and all of this is for putting a finish on their feathers so it looks like I sprayed their feathers with a show shine spray. I don’t want any sprays on my birds I want the luster to come from the inside from good nutrition and then end up in the feathers.

I will have some large fowl show pens also in my barn and take these males and put them the coops so they can get use to a small compartment and put them in and out of the coop now and then so they will not be scared of the small compartment.

The females can be put into the pens maybe seven to ten days before the shows. They are not as hard to condition as the males. Most of the time you have to separate your males is because they want to fight and can get hurt and will not be able to show them until they heal up their wounds.

This is what many people do. I am bad about conditioning and training. I took all the care this year to condition two cock birds and three cockerels for a show like I said above. I had a white rock bantam and a Rhode Island Red bantam pullet in a big pen picked them up off the ground and put them in the show coop and put them in their show cage. Did not put anything on their combs or feet to make them shine and both of these pullets where best in their class and the white rock was fourth best bantam of the show. The judge said I would like to put her higher but she won’t show for me. She acts like she has never been handled before.

I lost champion of the show with her because I did not do the extra steps that was needed to get her to that level. She had the looks, type ect to go all the way but I focused on the males. Next year her daughters and she will be trained and conditioned and I will see if I can win big.

Hope this gives you an idea how I do it down here. What do you guys do with your birds??? before a show.

Bob

Where do you buy your kelp at? I want to start doing this also and need to buy some. Look forward to your pictures. Your set up and skills will be great for this thread. Thanks.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Please either stop starting new threads.....OR.....tell me you started them earlier! Now I have two pages to read and catch up on!

Can't wait to read them!


Done! Great info!

I am one of the lazy ones. With so much to do, I usely don't condition my birds like I should. You will do better if you condition your birds. Facilities is important. We all want to free range, but a free ranged bird useually will not place well. Fortunately, my birds are still attracted to me. I go into the pasture, they are all under my feet.

At the Arkansas State Fair a friend (JenScott) asked me to handle her cock Buckeye, as it seemed wild to her. She was afraid of what it would do to the judge, Sam Brush, when Sam handled him. Now this was the first bird in the entire show. Don't want the judge injured by the first entry! So I did just what Sam would have done. Looked the bird over, reached in, took him out. Handled him, looking at his wings, feet etc. Looked his comb and head over. Then placed him back into the coop. This bird tried to eat Jen alive! Was a puppy with me. Showed real well. TOO WELL!!!!!!! He beat my male right next to him! Granted they were "hatchmates" being out of the same breeding pen.

Anyway, we all have lots to learn. When we learn it all we die! We can learn something from anyone.

 

[Chris09]

Here is some some information on Training Quarters and Conditioning that was in a book called Hubbard's Poultry Secrets

1915

TRAINING QUARTERS ---

Your training quarters should be the pleasantest and the best ventilated room on the farm. The room should be free
from draughts and so arranged that it can be kept at an even temperature of 65 degrees, which is about right for the best
results. It is impossible to get prime condition in training quarters where the temperature runs as high as 80 to 85 degrees
in the day time, while the sun is shining in the windows, and drops as low as 30 to 35 degrees on a cold night.
In order to get the birds in prime condition, you must heat the blood. This hastens the heart action and opens the pores
but as a bird in this condition takes cold very easily you must be sure that its training quarters are free from draughts. At
the same time you must keep good ventilation, as birds grow stale very quickly in a room that is not well ventilated.
These training coops should be 30x24 inches in size, and should be so high that the male's comb will not touch the top
of the coop when he stands. The back, tops, and sides of the coop should be tight, with just the front open. The three
slats or rods nearest the end of the coop should be close together so that the males cannot get their heads out and fight
those in the adjoining coops. The slats or rods in the middle of the coops should be farther apart so that the caretaker can
get a clear view of the birds in their coops.

CONDITIONING ---

No matter how much pains you have taken in growing and feeding your birds,
if they are not properly trained and conditioned your chances of winning are very poor, for a fair bird in good condition will defeat a good bird in poor condition. If
you handle your male birds as I do, in houses and yards as described for housing male birds, a week in the training coop
will be all they need to put them into prime condition. This is more of a job than one would think.
How often we hear said, "I have my birds in fine condition they are all two pounds over-weight." One or two
pounds over-weight is no indication that a bird is in prime condition, and I find, that it is almost impossible to get a bird
into prime condition that is over-fat. Figure to have your birds at their best the day that they are to be judged. A bird
will stay in prime condition from three to five days. See to it that your birds are not in prime condition five days before,
or five days after they are to be judged, but have them on time. It takes from six to ten days to get a bird prime.
My method of training and conditioning for the show room is as follows : Before putting the birds in their training
coops, all coops should be thoroughly cleaned, dusted, and sprayed with kerosene. Use fine hay or straw for litter. A
handful of grit, shells and charcoal (about equal parts) should be in the corner of each training coop. Litter should be
changed every other day to keep the birds looking fresh and clean. Birds gaining in weight are rapidly coming into condition
and will remain in this state from three to five days, after which they will begin to lose. Things that indicate good
condition are: Bright eyes, deep blood red color in comb and wattles, comb standing firm and straight, plumage should be
bright and that of a male bird should have a high sheen. The male should be lively and fond of calling the hens when given food.
We get the above symptoms of condition by the following method of feeding and handling:
The first day we give them nothing to eat or drink. The second day force two small pieces of garlic bulb from
which the outer skin has been removed, down the throat of each bird, morning, noon and night. Give each bird a tablespoonful
of olive oil. This will physic the system and carry off worms. For the next seven days, the morning feed should consist of
a mash made of ground milk crackers, three parts ; flaked oatmeal, six parts ; hominy, tw'elve parts ; and cooked ground
meat, one part. (Meat should be prepared in the following way:
Boil a lean piece of round steak fifteen minutes, add a little salt to the water, grind fine.) Mix these ingredients
thoroughly with the hands and add two tablespoonfuls of flaxseed (not meal) for each bird, add just a little red pepper to
the hot milk before moistening the mash. Feed what they will clean up in ten minutes.
In the middle of the forenoon each bird should have a light feed of sprouted oats. At noon, each bird should be fed the following mash:
Run a little raw meat through the grinder, pour a little port wine over it, add a little dash of nutmeg, now add enough ground
milk crackers to take up all the moisture. Give the birds all they will eat of this.
In the middle of the afternoon give a light feed of sprouted oats.
For the night feed give the birds all they will clean up in half an hour of whole wheat and cracked corn.
After feeding this method for three days you will notice a brighter color of eyes, comb and wattles and in about seven
days they will have a deep red color. Their combs will stand firm and straight, their eyes will be bright and clear, and the
feathers will lay close to the body and have a very high sheen. These symptoms indicate good condition.
For drink there is nothing better than spring water, to which has been added a drop of tincture of iron to each cup. Change
the water at noon, but omit the tincture of iron. Be careful to clean watering cups thoroughly every night.
Bathe the face, comb and wattles with clear alcohol each day. This will check the heavy growth of their combs.
Use for a head dressing the day they are to be judged, five parts of turpentine to one of cocoanut oil. First bathe the face,
comb, and wattles with vinegar and warm water, equal parts, dry, and then apply the turpentine and oil. This will put on a
finish that is hard to beat. Shanks should be gone over with the same application.
Every bird should be handled twice a day. Remove bird from coop in the following way : Turn the bird's face toward
you, with your right hand take a firm hold of the wing close to the body and pull the bird forward. Place your left
hand under the keel with the hocks between the thumb and forefinger. This will give you a firm hold of the bird. Bring
the bird toward you, leaving the whole weight in your left hand, with breast resting on your forearm. Open the bird's
wing with your right hand, then change the bird to your right hand and with your left hand open the other wing. You have
now handled the bird just as the judge will and he should not be man shy when taken out of the coop in this way. I have
seen birds that were used to being taken from the coop with both hands, as amateurs sometimes do, and when a judge takes
these birds by one wing and pulls them toward him, these birds would squack and become frightened because they were
not used to being handled in this way. A bird frightened by strange handling will tighten the feathers and will not show
real type. Many a good bird has lost a blue by not being handled properly in training quarters.
Have a barrel in your training quarters to stand your birds on, and before putting them back in their coops rub the plumage
well with a piece of silk. Study the position your birds look best in, and when replacing them in their coops teach them
to pose in this position each time. No two birds should be taught to pose in the same position, as each should be taught
to pose in the position that covers the faults best. For instance:
if a bird is weak in breast, teach it to pose tipped a little forward if you have one that holds his neck and head too far
back, so the hackle covers the back too much, and shortens the appearance of the back, it should be taught to hold his head
and neck a little forward. Whatever the fault is teach him to pose to cover it as much as possible. I have now given you
my method of feeding, handling and conditioning for the show room, which has never stood defeat.


Chris

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

here are some pictures of our conditioning pens..... and sometimes they are used as a breeding pen for a pair of bantams or to hold our extra roosters.

We used a board to seperate the roosters with a window made of hardware cloth at the top to help with airflow or we put boards horizontal with gaps for airflow but enough to keep roosters from fighting. They are also nice to hold birds that are going to be shipped in the morning so they have food and water all night before shipping.

this is a smaller one for a bantam

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

I am always a thread killer.....

Brice sells kelp http://www.wonderswaterfowl.com/11.html

 

[Chris09]

Ohio Earth Foods has it at http://www.ohioearthfood.com/supplements.htm and it is $14.25 a 10 lb. Box, 29.75 a 25 lb. Bag, and 52.00 for a 50 lb. Bag.
Twin City Poultry has it at http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=44 his is 5 lbs for 29.95 but he has a ton of other stuff and he has flat rate shipping.

Chris