Show Prep

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

To Those Who Know:
I will be showing my precious birds in October.
I know little to nothing. Please educate.
What should I do to prepare & protect?

 

[HappyTailsFarm]

First what breed(s) are you showing, and have you met anyone who is been in the show world for a while and going to the same show as you? Alot of prep depends on the breed-but lets see, bath is unavoidable, sorry but true, it only helps condition, do it like tree days before, I only use good pet shampoo, start out with a flea and tick for dogs/cats-let soak for 2 min.-make sure you get every in., but stay away from eyes and beak, (easiest in a sink with a hand sprayer-lots of towells)-after the flea and tick, obviously rinse, then if you have a white bird or one with white areas, or even a silver something or grey something, use brightner, then for the last use a good smelling dog shampoo, it makes sure you get out the brightner which if not properly taken out, can leave blue tint. Make sure to scrub legs-toes-feet with a tooth brush, keep that brush for that purpose-after your all rinsed use towells, if your bird(s) have down feathers or fluff, (silkies, cochins), use a blow dryer, on a med. setting, you can easily overheat a bird so watch your temperature with your hand in between the dryer and bird-

Few notes:

I never use dawn or any dish detergent on my birds for bathing, this strips all oils, you do not want that, that is your shine-
keep them in good sized area that can be easily covered with lots of wood shavings-(cedar shaving mixed in work great to keep lice and mites away)-
silk cloth, run it over your birds at the show to take off dust and better their shine, sounds a bit crazy, until you try it-
take baby wipes, they are a gift from the chicken gods when your out of time or can't rebath-
OIL your combs and legs, vegetable or olive oil work great, good on dry feathers after they dry after a bath too, don't use baby oil, makes them peel for weeks, very ugly!
Don't feed your birds the day of judging, wait until they are judged, can make a distorted appearence, bird needs to look how it is without a stuffed craw-but of course water 24/7 no matter what, except in transport, if you are going a long long distance, stop halfway or a couple times and let them drink out of a dish or what their used to, but don't leave it with them, can make a HUGE mess-

O ya', I forgot, HAVE FUN and pay attention to everything, ask questions, (of course not while the judge is judging, but ask other exibitors), watch what others do with theirs, you will soon have your own routine to tweek-remember friends are easily made at shows, they don't all get along for their own reasons, but just be nice to everyone and their issues won't touch you and in the end you will have more friends than anyone else and might even change a few biased minds-

 

[Jacklynn]

Quote:
This is very helpful ! I will be bookmarking and subscribing thto this thread !

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Dear HappyTailsFarm:

Wow! Thank You! So concise! You left out what you do for precautions before the show.
I raise Ameraucanas. The show will be at the Indiannapolis State Fair in October. I will be unavoidably removed from my farm (and chickens)for 10 days just the week before the show. They will be inside my garage for their protection from predators during that time and fed & watered by a novice kid for thoses days.

Should the 2 birds be separated from the others or would that stress them out? If so, should the rooster & hen be kept separate from eachother or in the same cage as eachother? Can you advise on this?

I've heard some people treat them with horse products that have a sunscreening property but I don't know what that is and let's face it : chickens are much smaller than horses and I don't want to poison them. The hen that will be going is a Blue Wheaton. That is light brown, creamy and blue in the tail. The rooster will be one with dark colors , irridecent blacks, copper, blue,and light colors both, some of his colors are of an orange/red hue. I don't know how much sun bleaching could be done, if any. Can you advise on this?

I've heard about plucking some feathers some time before the show. My first instinct is that this is "cheating" but is it a correct practice? Which feathers should be plucked? Those that show a defect? That just sounds wrong as I type it.

What if any preventative measures should I take to protect them from disease and infestation? I know I am to quarentine them for 30 days after the show but what can be done before during and after the show? Is it dangerous to the birds to take them at all?

I use colored zip ties for identification. Do I need to change that? I'd rather not. I can't see so well and colors make it so much easier for me to ell the birds from a distance, in the twilight, or when they're moving fast.

I am looking forward to meeting other fanciers of my breed and learning from them.

 

[Smoky73]

Quote:
I think the only main concern I have is whether your birds are REAL Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers. That will make a huge difference come show time and whether your state fair is APA/ABA sanctioned and will have a real licensed judge. The only advice I will give that I do is any broken feathers pull out about 2 months prior to the show to give them a chance to grow back before show. If we are talking a tail featehr or wing feather and you pull but will not come out, cut it about 2 inches from where its attached. Wait a day or two and the featehr will die out allowing you to pluck it out. Yeah, doing all this could be considered cheating, as is washing birds with color enhancing soap, but, everyone does it.
Any time you allow you birds to be around other poultry people and other poultry, you run the risk of getting birds sick, if you plan to show, you just have to take the chance. I keep mine on vitamins and electrolytes before and during shows, and for at least a week after. Quarantining is a good idea, as is changing your close the second you get home and get your birds put away. I never where the same shoes I go in my coop with as I do anywhere else. They are just coop shoes. And if attending the show, you will need some kind of numbered bandette leg band to identify the birds. A zip tie will not do, but, the leg bands are colored so do not worry.

 

[K9Carrie]

Awesome information! A big thank-you from a newbie getting ready for my first show!!!

 

[BayouPoules]

This is some interesting info as my DD will start showing her Australorps and my Barnies in the Spring.

Will follow to learn more,. what is color enhancing soap???

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Quote:
I think the only main concern I have is whether your birds are or Easter Eggers. That will make a huge difference come show time and whether your state fair is APA/ABA sanctioned and will have a real licensed judge. The only advice I will give that I do is any broken feathers pull out about 2 months prior to the show to give them a chance to grow back before show. If we are talking a tail featehr or wing feather and you pull but will not come out, cut it about 2 inches from where its attached. Wait a day or two and the featehr will die out allowing you to pluck it out. Yeah, doing all this could be considered cheating, as is washing birds with color enhancing soap, but, everyone does it.
Any time you allow you birds to be around other poultry people and other poultry, you run the risk of getting birds sick, if you plan to show, you just have to take the chance. I keep mine on vitamins and electrolytes before and during shows, and for at least a week after. Quarantining is a good idea, as is changing your close the second you get home and get your birds put away. I never where the same shoes I go in my coop with as I do anywhere else. They are just coop shoes. And if attending the show, you will need some kind of numbered bandette leg band to identify the birds. A zip tie will not do, but, the leg bands are colored so do not worry.

Yes they are REAL Ameraucanas - from a reputable, well known and highly thought of breeder.
Can you recomend, by brand, what electrolyltes, and vitamins you use and the dosage for LF?
Do I need to prove innoculations? If so, how do I do that since I did it myself and not by a vet?
Can you reccomend the leg band needed?

 

[HappyTailsFarm]

ParadiseFoundFarm:



Thank you, this is what I got out of asking questions, reading hundreds of articles and books, and just trial and error and paying attention, keep in mind i have only been showing for about a year and almost 5 mos.-(my fam. showing dogs forever helped-that and bening a dog groomer lol)-

Ok-so lets see if I can cover some more questions-

1. They will be seperated at the show, so it is best to get them used to it now while you have time to fix things if say feathers get messy and you can keep an eye on them, start out with their pens together then get distance between them each day, let them sleep together though, and watch their weight, I have 2 mottled cochins that cannot be seperated for too long, the male slows in eating food quite a bit-but they do get used to the short time spans-and if they do fine after a while-leave them that way, only together for breeding if you are-it will keep feathers in better shape after they are aclimated-not to mention he won't be pulling out her head feathers-

2. The 'horse products' your referring to are the stuff tht makes them shinier, 'showsheen', 'lasersheen', etc. theres tons out there, and they also have spot removers, (i have never used those because of the baby wipes), and the two first mentioned products are best the nite before or morning of, you need to test them far in advance so you see how it helps or doesn't help your birds feathers-like i said a silk cloth works wonders-as long as you keep their face covered while spraying, your good, they won't poison them, trust me, I have used both-chickens and horses alike-and these offer UV protection-but NEVER use on a white chicken, gives them a wet appearance thta in white gives the sun yellowed look-not good for a show but ok for weeks before just to keep in condition-

3. For the sun bleaching, the biggest problem I have is with white chickens-however if you are worried about bleaching or yellowing-keep them in an indoor pen, (coop, garage, etc.), and let them have sun for an hour a day-

4. When it comes to feather plucking, I only take one that have lice damage, meaning the lines you get if your birds have lice, or a broken feather-do this long before the show and keep them in better condition-if it is a real defect, twisted feather, wron color, etc. you needs better lines, true defects are genetic-and that is faking-

5. Your flea and tick shampoo soak that I mentioned before is your fist defense, second is making sure you have healthy alert birds that are fed well, (try starting your birds with some probiotics, there is a great thread on here about this), and there may be a vet check at the show if it is a good one, but you can have avet come out and do the tests real quick for you to make sure their clear, idk where you are but here in so. co. it is farely cheap-

6. Most shows require leg bands, numbered, they come in a variety of colors, and are easily ordered through many hatcheries and livestock suppliers, get the type that is called 'bandette', their easy to slip on around your birds leg, (after you get the hang of it), and make it easier to keep track of whos who and whos winning-

 

[HappyTailsFarm]

Oh-and one more thing, when it comes to vaccinations, I don't, they get the medicated chick starter when they hatch until they are 6 mos. with a combined healthy seed mix after 2 days, and thats it, and I have never had a problem, a few sniffling noses for a while this fall, (apparently it hit across the country from what I have read online), which passed with poultry nutri-drench, (not cheap, but lasts forever and well worth it for weak chicks), and antibiotic water for a week, its what we practice over here, we like our more natural herbal approach, we worm with D.E. too, (Diotomaceous Earth-also a thread on this on here too)-and use it for lice-mite protection in the off season, but I have had more problems and vet bills with vacinating like everyone does than I have with just letting them do their thing-I know alot of people don't like it, but that is what works for us-and we have never brought home a disease from a show-