Showing white birds tips and tricks

[A.T. Hagan]

My youngest daughter chose white OEG bantams for her show birds and we picked up a nice selection of them while at the Newnan, Georgia show last weekend. We've kept chickens for years, but showing them is new to us so I am wondering if there are any particular tips and tricks for doing right by the birds?

In the OEG booklet we bought at the show they warn against feeding yellow corn or green feed more than once a week to prevent brassiness along with keeping them out of the sun for the same reason. They're in a hutch where they get fresh air, but are out of the direct sunlight so this won't be a problem. We're keeping them on shavings so they won't get soiled as much as they would if they were on dirt.

Anyone have anything else to suggest?

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

Wash them in a very gentle dish soap (dawn or ivory) to get the big stains and then in a rather diluted blue shampoo (for horses, cattle, or sheep) in another bucket. Using too much can turn them blue. Avoid a lot of corn or greens. Pull any smutty, broken, or bent feathers at least eight weeks before the show to let them grow it back, and just before washing pull any colored feathers on the body of the bird you might have missed (not the wings or tail).

Use vegetable oil or baby oil to shine and moisturize the legs, combs, and wattles, and then rub the excess between your hands and wipe it on the bird (if it's veggie oil), then go over the plumage with a dry, clean cloth to shine them up. Don't use more than your finger dipped in the oil and rubbed between your finger or thumb. Watch them like hawks and bring shavings with you to add to the cages, because the last thing you want is a poop stain just before judging. Baby wipes or damp cloths are also a very good idea, to get the litte poop stains out of the fluff by the vent. But in general, if you feed them good food and keep them clean, you've got it made.

 

[the duck whisperer]

Ive had this experience with white ducks and turkeys...

* wash them gently in woolite or mild baby soap. ( i dont recomend Dawn becuase it may be to tough and strip away all natural oils.)

* use blueing, make sure its non-toxic.

* put in a few drops of bluing into the water just till its tinted. anymore than that and you'll have a blue bird. ONLY use blueing if birds are WHITE

* rinse the bird, and let it dry.

*depending on feather-type, you can use a silk cloth to buff up and make a shine.
Make sure you wash the bird 3-7 days before showing to give it time to get natural oils back on its feathers. pluck any discoloured feathers with a tweezers, but not to many feathers. Oh and too much sunlight can yellow white feathers, so be careful. a tiny bit of olive oil on the beak combs legs ect immediatly befor judging will make a nice shine, but careful not to get any on the feathers. Good Luck!

 

[tinychicky]

after you wash them and thye are about half dry, dust them with some baby powder or cornstarch to help keep the fethers clean. for more tips, read the showing section in storey's guide to raising poultry by gail damerow. good luck at the show!