Which birds should we take to the fair 4H & open class show?PIC HEAVY

[austinhart123]

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i agree but i also like cock B

 

[Pullet Pimp]

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Ask away...

Thanks. Here we go. I have trimmed the beaks and toenails and everything went well and I think they look pretty good. I was thinking of putting Cockerel B with Pullet A & B for the Trio entry. Also, putting together Pullets D & E together for the Pullet pair entry and putting Cockerel A by himself for the Cockerel entry.

Will the black in the beard of Pullet D be a major flaw or is it not that big of deal? I want to use her because she is very tame and would be easy for my daughter to handle.

I am planning on washing them all this weekend to give them a couple days to preen and dry out. One of the locals that show told me about using "TKO Orange Oil" very diluted (1 cap to 5 gal water) as a dip prior to the wash to kill any mites or other bugs. Has anyone else ever done that or heard of it? I look them over regularly and have not seen any trace of bugs or mites so I don't think I will dip them, but she said she also uses some in a spray bottle while at the show. She warned that even if we don't have mites when we bring them there is a good chance that they could get them from the cage next to us and the spray will kill anything on contact before judging so I don't get DQ'd.

So I guess my main questions now are.....IS that pairing of birds the best route or would you do something different? Is the black in the beard a big deal or not? What do y'all think about the Orange Oil spray?

I will post more pics later tonight to show the beaks and see if there are any glaring improvements to be made before the bath.

 

[AK Michelle]

While we're asking question... If I may...

What's the difference between entering as a trio vs a pair vs a single? Are they judged differently? I have shown horses, where there are different classes but I can't seem to find anything where it says exactly what will be looked at (or for) in each chicken catergory.

thanks,
Michelle

 

[Pullet Pimp]

Here are the pics of the beaks after trimming. I will put them in groups as to how I was thinking of showing them. If you think I should re-arrange let me know.

I'm too much of a noob to answer your question AK Michelle, hope someone else comes along (poultry judges that are members, you know who you are

) that knows what the judges look at.

First the trio entry

Now the pullet pair entry

Cockerel entry

 

[AK Michelle]

Bumping the pretty birds. Eager to see the response from the educated members.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I think you've paired the girls together well.

I doubt the orange oil is a product made for animals, and that being the case I would not use it. You would do better to bathe them with dog flea/tick shampoo, or to use a dog flea/tick spray or dip after the bath.

The beaks look much better. Did you check toenails and trim them as needed?

After the baths and sometime before judging, put a drop of oil on each comb and rub it in. Give a seed diet a couple of days before the show to firm up poop. Adding DE to the food also helps with this.

 

[Pullet Pimp]

Thank you AK Michelle for calling them pretty. Their appearance is changing rapidly and getting more and more spots each week. I can't wait to see what they look like after their first molt, I hear that is when they really get pretty.

Sonoran Silikies I agree about not using the Orange Oil for dipping them. I don't have fleas or bugs now so why treat for them. I did trim the toenails when I trimmed the beaks but will check them one last time before we leave. I will also remember the oil on the combs. I was planning on bathing them Sunday night and will give them extra seeds. Or did you mean a diet of exclusively seeds before the show to firm up poo? Thank you so much for the advise and guidance for a real noob.

Thanks again to everyone else you all have been so helpful

I will report back the results of the show, and post lots of pics of the birds there.

 

[AK Michelle]

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I'm taking Millies to the fair as well, I know what you mean, they are only about 4 months old and their looks keep changing.

Where did you learn to trim beaks and nails? I think mine need a little trim but I'm not sure how to go about it.

 

[Pullet Pimp]

I used finger nail clippers for the beaks and toenails. The toenails are the same with any dog or cat, just remember to not trim too much and get into the quick. Mine were pretty easy going and I could see the quick pretty easy in the bright sun.

For the beak trim I again used the finger nail clippers, as suggested by Sonoran Silkies, and did it on a nice bright sunny day outside. I held them in my arm like a football, on their back with their butt in my armpit and their head in my left hand the sun. I held the bird's head in my left hand to open their beak. I used my right hand to clip them with the clippers. The bright sun allowed me to see in their mouth and it was easy to tell what to trim and what not to trim. It looked like where a fingernail would meet a finger. The part I trimmed was transparent in the sun (the fingernail looking part) making sure to stay away from the more sensitive non-transparent parts. I trimmed little by little until taking what I needed to off. I then used a finger nail file (emery board) and filed the edges smooth and shaped it back into the rounded V beak shape. They fussed a little bit but not much at all and they felt no pain. Once I was done they looked great and there were no marks to tell what I had done. They seemed to like it once I was done. The two that were quite shy seem to have come around a bit because they don't scatter as much when I am in the coop with them now. Still not eating out of my hand but making progress.

Hope this helped. Go for it. It was really quite easy. This was my first time doing it which is weird because I never had to trim my birds in the other coop. Their beaks never curled down like these.

 

[AK Michelle]

Thanks for the details. I will have to spiff up the kids this weekend. The only ones who look like they need it are the millies, the others just don't seem to get so long and hooked. Must be a breed thing.

Thanks again! Good luck at the fair.