POLISH THREAD Talk about your Polish and post pics of your Polish

[sadies chicks]

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Here are some suggestions a chairwoman of one show I was at gave for preparation.
1. Give your chicken a thorough bath 4 days before the show. Joy is good to use. Have 3 buckets...one to bathe in, next one to rinse and the last one put a little white vinegar in to cut all the soap residue off. Doing this early gives time for the natural oils to come back making the feathers shiny. Check closely for mites..etc.
2. Take a toothbrush and scrub legs and toenails.
3. Trim toenails and beak if needed.
4. Give electolytes (like you mentioned) but do not at least 12-14 hours before the show. Judges do not like one having a full craw.
5. Keep chicken in nice clean pen til day of show. Take baby wipes with you for last minute clean ups.
6. If there are any feathers out of place and can be plucked to so but only if it will not be noticeable.
7. Handle your chicken as much as possible before shows. Take it and turn it upside down...etc. This is some of the things the judges do so it will make your chicken more comfortable in having this done.
8. Show day--put some vaseline or there is another product I cannot think of the name...on the wattles, comb and legs.
9. Sit back and enjoy the show!
10. It may be wise to isolate your chicken several days after the show JUST in case it may have picked something up. Not everyone checks their chickens before showing or are new and just did not know they should do this.
Hope this helps....I showed for the first time and got BB..so..all of this must have worked!

For my general knowledge, how do you trim toenails and when do you need to do it? Some of my hen's nails are fairly long, they don't bother them and they have a fine time walking, some are just noticeably longer than others.

thanks!

 

[TNBarnQueen]

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Joy is fine...just really depends on what you want to use. I used Dawn and since it was a white hen...I used the purple shampoo that I use on my white horse. I would put 2 TBS in that size bucket. I just kept dunking mine up and down...she loved it! Dry good under the wings and a lot of them will let you use a blow dryer on them. Make sure they are in an area where it is not drafty. It takes a while for them to dry completely. Good Luck!

 

[flower]

Hee hee..... both Joy and Dawn are dish washing soaps. Most likely you can use any type of liquid soap including shampoo or body wash. I am a big fan of the Dollar Store so I think that they are all quite similar. I use detergent for my dishes which is marketed for clothes but the price is that same for a larger amount and they both do the job. I have also washed my silkie showgirls in either detergent or shampoo. White vinegar is good in the final rinse. No matter how much I wash my silkie showgirl the white vinegar is an asset.

Toe nail can be filed with an emery board or regular file or snipped with a regular clipper that you use but be careful to look where the blood level is in the birds nail. It is a good idea to just cut away a small amount unless you have stippling powder on hand. Someone else has posted a note on cutting tow nails on this thread. If you have ever cut your dogs nails you will realize that chickens are easier. At least that has been my experience.

 

[curlique12]

My rooster Mario is a pretty good rooster (as far as roosters go anyway). I was wodering is the hens are the same way. And is he nice because he can't see that well or is it the breed?

 

[josh44]

Look What just hatched

 

[JenEric Farms]

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SO SWEET!

 

[gameboygal12]

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SO SWEET!

I think we all have to agree that polish chicks are the cutest!!

 

[JenEric Farms]

It's those goofy little heads!

 

[TNBarnQueen]

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Flower..how do you trim the beaks? I got 2 Polish roos from a woman and their beaks looked like they has been clipped...I wondered how they did that as I would like to do a couple of my other chickens who like to use my arms as pecking boards.

I use Suave on my horses..does the same job all those fancy expensive soaps do.,.in fact..they cut the dirt better. I used lavender baby shampoo on my Delaware. I did not know how she was going to act and did not want to take the chance on soap in her eyes. She loved the bath..kept ducking her head under the water like a duck!

I use dish liquid on oily stains on clothing!

Quality Polish..take some baby wipes for quick clean ups. Also..if you are showing polish..use the small waterer that goes on a coke bottle (can't remember what they are called)..that way they do not get water on their crest during the show. Good Luck!

 

[JenEric Farms]

Soda Pop Bottle Waterer