Showing Barred Rock Rooster

[crystal1957]

County Fair is coming up soon and I want to show my Barred Rock Rooster. He is gorgeous. But I noticed today that his cape and some of his side feathers, if the light hits it a certain way, seem to have a cream/yellowish tint to them. Reminds me of gray hair getting that 'yellow' tint. How do I treat this and will this be interpreted as a hybrid bird; he is full bred. What is Blue Ribbon shampoo and where can I get it? Can I use something else? I live in Florida. Thanks.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I think you need "blueing" or something like that. They probably have it at Petsmart or whatever chain store is near you.

Good luck!

.

 

[LilPeeps]

If it's for the county fair, they generally do not judge to the standard and use licensed judges, so you likely won't have to worry too much. If the yellowing is from the sun or too much corn in the diet, no amount of washing can fix this. The blue ribbon shampoo you mentioned can be found on many poultry supply sites including Cutler's and McMurray. Bluing is not typically used on animals, pet stores don't carry it. You can get it at www.mrsstewart.com. Make sure the bird is completely wet, otherwise the dry parts will absorb the dye and make them more blue than the rest of the bird. You want the water to be a light sky blue. Let the bird soak until you see a slight bluish cast to the feathers. A little blue is what you want. When the bird is dried, it will no longer be visible and the bird will look whiter.

 

[crystal1957]

Thanks to all for the great advice.

 

[Pathfinders]

I wrote an article about another trick you might try to get the yellow cast out, see it here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5451169_white-chickens-really-clean.html

Good luck at the show!