Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Lorilyn Farms]

I think I will try to show them trimmed rather than make them live with such limited visability or maybe just not show at all...

I plucked my top heavy silkie around the eyes. It was only 2 or 3 feathers on either side. You can't even tell but he sure is thankful, because he's not walking into things.

 

[littlecritters]

Here is the link.  You can contact Jamie with any questions, her info is at the bottom of the page. http://enyspassc.com/index.php

Thank you for the show info. Here is one more good site for you with articles on showing, conditioning, show prep, how to read the coop card judges notes etc.
---> http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/Articles.html

 

[thedragonlady]

I did try hair gel a few months ago. It didn't work but I bought it at the dollar store so maybe you get what you pay for.

Remember "Dippity Doo? That will work sometimes. I kept all my girls up in hair setting tape around their crests. It does not pull feathers when you remove it. Annoying beard feathers, you pluck. My birds would arrive at shows with their feathers "in curlers"...with a pink bow added in front, of course. Always take your own food cups and water bottles, and put them in the same place as you have them at home in their coops. This is assuming you have show coop trained your birds, which is a must.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Not clippers, scissors.

 

[peepblessed]

Remember "Dippity Doo? That will work sometimes. I kept all my girls up in hair setting tape around their crests. It does not pull feathers when you remove it. Annoying beard feathers, you pluck. My birds would arrive at shows with their feathers "in curlers"...with a pink bow added in front, of course. Always take your own food cups and water bottles, and put them in the same place as you have them at home in their coops. This is assuming you have show coop trained your birds, which is a must.

One can immediately see your point about show coop training. Thanks for the info!

 

[Adoravachick]

Any thoughts on this boy? He is full of pin feathers.

 

[littlecritters]

 Remember "Dippity Doo? That will work sometimes. I kept all my girls up in hair setting tape around their crests. It does not pull feathers when you remove it. Annoying beard feathers, you pluck. My birds would arrive at shows with their feathers "in curlers"...with a pink bow added in front, of course. Always take your own food cups and water bottles, and [COLOR=FF0000]put them in the same place as you have them at home in their coops.[/COLOR] This is assuming you have show coop trained your birds, which is a must.

Could you please share what is involved in show coop training? Thanks in advance!

 

[Denise661]

Not clippers, scissors.
 

Thanks! I'm a person that needs pictures to understand lmao!

 

[Hawkeye95]

baby nail scissors.

Sit them in your lap, body held between your legs. One hand holds head and positions it, the other uses the scissors to gently snip away feathers blocking vision. When you think you are done, hold the bird at eye level and see if you can see eyes. If not, trim a bit more.

Also, so you know the proper way to hold a chicken? Hand faceup under their breast, spread your fingers apart and slide them around the legs. Tighten your hand, and you should have a good grasp on the bird. Put the other hand on top of their wings and the bird should feel secure and not flap about.

great description! If people have not been to Showmanship practices or meets, then it's likely no one has shown them how to do this. We were taught to hold the wings down with the hand that is under the belly. The longer fingers tuck around the legs and hold tight and then your thumb and pinkie hold the wings down-- but only after you use your top hand to push them down and secure them. It is usually necessary to hold your bird one-handed for Showmanship, so tucking the wings is ideal. But when transferring or carrying while walking, then it's always required you hold your other hand over the back of the bird. My son is getting REALLY good at all of this, and he's only 8yrs old and can get his hands around them like that.

BTW-- if you all will be showing in Showmanship, you do have to spend several hours training them to be calm and relaxed in this hold.

I have a young roo that has a very obvious slipped wing. He is so gorgeous everywhere else, is there nothing I can do?

There is no way to fix it. That's why I hate that it's called a slip-- because that word makes it sound like it's something you can put back or fix. But it's a genetic problem, not a physical one. This is also why I'm very very sad over one of my cockerels, too! Sigh.

There is a show close by very soon, and I was thinking of taking 2 or 3 of my birds. I have NEVER gone to a show before, what do I need, once we arrive? Will the crates for showing be provided?

The coops will already be set up and there. In fact, most shows (ALL shows??) will have made you pre-register a week or more in advance. So then, they will have already put your coop card on the cage already. So you must find your name/cage and coop in correctly. If you have multiple birds, read the cards correctly to make sure you have the right bird to the right card. Like all the links said, I bring a reusable grocery bag full of stuff. I bring my own food and my own water. I bring treats. You MUST have coop trained them ahead of time so that when you offer a treat, they will come to attention and stand up straight and get excited about the treat. I just offer a sunflower seed, but I know most people use kibble. This makes them show better and become alert and strut their stuff when someone comes up to their cage-- which is exactly what you want. When the judge comes up to your birds cage, you don't want them hanging in the back or sitting down or not showing off their type. I bring lots of cleaning stuff-- baby wipes, Resolve carpet spray, towels, and a wire dog brush. I fluff with the brush --very lightly I run it thru their feathers. On the tail, I go backwards and then spray to set it. I've been using the Pink Oil to spray set them. It has a bit of show sheen in it, which I'm not sure I like. The show sheens weigh their feathers down an awful lot. For now, I'm still using the Pink Oil, but I think it makes them a bit too sheeny--- and I think I'm not liking it. I might just use a regular hairspray for my next show. First thing when you get to the show is clean their feet and toes with the babywipes. Then I check rears and try to clean that-- the carpet Resolve is what I use on the feet and sometimes rears-- IF you have enough time to dry. You don't want wet feathers when the judge comes around. I bring a hair dryer, but that can really upset other birds, so don't do that around everyone else. My birds don't mind the hairdryer. Go off to a corner, or outside, or just be really courteous about it. A lot of the hard-feathered birds never have a hairdryer used near them.

Remember "Dippity Doo? That will work sometimes. I kept all my girls up in hair setting tape around their crests. It does not pull feathers when you remove it. Annoying beard feathers, you pluck. My birds would arrive at shows with their feathers "in curlers"...with a pink bow added in front, of course. Always take your own food cups and water bottles, and put them in the same place as you have them at home in their coops. This is assuming you have show coop trained your birds, which is a must.

I have a crazy system, but all of my birds that I'll be showing, I don't let them sleep outside with the others. I bring them into the garage and put them all into kennels for the night. They are calm and tired by then. Plus I use rabbit bowls that hang on the wires of the kennels for water and food during that time. I let them wake up in there and hang out a bit in the morning and then I put them back outside. I do this every single night. I know... it sounds crazy. But all of my birds can be cooped easily now and aren't upset about being in a cage or kennel. That is when you treat them when they are in the cage to get them to be excited about seeing you arrive at the kennel.

Any thoughts on this boy? He is full of pin feathers.

hard to see his comb on this one. But his crest and tail are very nice. His wings hang lower than you want, but so do most of my roosters. Check his wings for any problems and his feet for good feathering. But otherwise, he looks pretty good. Are you wanting to show him or breed him? Weigh him before you show him.. I was DQ'd at the last show for weight on my rooster.

Could you please share what is involved in show coop training? Thanks in advance!

Just start putting them in dog kennels right now at night to sleep in. Also, after you bathe them, I put them all in kennels and then put thick shavings in there. Get them to want to come up to you in their cage instead of hanging in the far back away from you. They should be happy to see you and not afraid of the person coming up to the cage. Use a treat to stick in thru the wire to get them to come to you-- a meal worm, a sunflower seed, kibble... whatever they like and whatever is easy to bring to a show. I like sunflower seeds because I put them in a small container and they are easy to pack. Don't use messy foods that will dirty them up.


So I went to the Kansas State Fair yesterday and this is the FIRST time I've ever seen really nice silkies there! They had a lot of AOV's, too!! There was a really nice "Frost" there, and I took a picture of her, but she was upset and pacing so much, I don't know how well the picture came out. I'll try to post her in a bit.

 

[ChicksNherps]

Please do! I would like to see what she looks like.