Of course my chickens look terrible before a show!!!

[silkielover5]

well im going to my first big poultry show in 2 weeks with 3 birds signed up. they have been seperated for 2 weeks now and yet somehow my rooster's tail got messed up last night and while i was out of town my neigber was looking after my birds yet forgot to collect my silkies eggs so now the hen i have signed up is sitting on 13 eggs due to next week

of course this would only happen to me

 

[PepsNick]

Find it and tape it back on!

 

[silkielover5]

haha i told my sister to do that when her dutch bantam hen's tail looked like it got chopped off the morning of our 4h poultry show

 

[saladin]

I recognize that Silkies are different, but for others reading this thread and interested in showing here are some things to consider:


1. Chickens tend to look their best when they HAVE NOT BEEN CAGED!

I like to coop train my birds a couple of months or so before the show season. Then TURN THEM LOOSE. Let them have plenty of excersize, green grass, sunshine, AND RAIN.

That's right RAIN. I've always found that with colored varieties (BBR, Blacks, Blues, etc.) that they always look better if they have been rained on. You can always wash their legs the night before the show.

2. Don't wash colored varieties if you can keep from it. You'll mess up their natural oils and sheen.

3. Make sure your birds have been sprayed for mites, but again do this weeks before the show.

Have lots of fun.

 

[saladin]

I forgot to mention:

I always give my birds a shot of Complex Vit B (.2 cc) in the breast the night before we leave for the show. If the show is a two or three day show then I give them another one when returning home. If it is more than a 8 hour drive to the show I also give a small dose of Duramycin both before leaving and upon returning home (for stress).

You should quarantine all birds that go to a show for 7-14 days before returning them to the flock.

 

[silkielover5]

we seperated the rooster because he started turning yellow because of the sun and my blue rosecomb hen was seperated to keep her feathers from the sun and because shes the roosters favorite and i didnt want to take chances with her feathers getting ripped out. i have also been feeding them showbird mix, and im planing on giving them a bath a couple of days before the show

 

[saladin]

Like I said, Silkies are a different ballgame.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
The Yellowing in the sun could be do to feeding a feed that has high levels of Yellow Corn or just plane genetics behind the bird.


Chris

 

[silkielover5]

ya my white silkie hen is signed up but since shes broody and laying on 13 eggs thanks to my neighber. i figured why put her in a cage shes out of the sun and way from my roosters, but somehow i could never keep her clean id give her a bath blowdry her and an hour later it looks like she rolled in mud any advice?!?

 

[silkielover5]

no we dont give them corn, but their coop doesnt have much shade expet for inside thats why im thinking its sun