Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (86 page)

A smaller Band-Aid is needed for bantams than for larger chicks. In both cases, cut the Band-Aid in half lengthwise to make it the right width to fit the chick’s shank. To avoid getting the tape or Band-Aid too tight and cutting off circulation to the foot, protect the legs with a bit of double-sided foam mounting tape wrapped almost all the way around except for the inner sides of each leg. Then cover the foam with first aid tape or a Band-Aid, making sure the sticky side is completely covered so it won’t stick to down when the chick squats to rest. Keep an eye on the color of the feet to make sure the hobble isn’t cutting off circulation.

Splayed legs may be strengthened with a hobble made from double-sided foam mounting tape wrapped with first-aid tape or a Band-Aid.

Depending on how long the chick has been sliding around with its legs out from under, it may have a hard time getting used to having its legs properly positioned underneath. If the hobbled chick falls over, space the legs a little farther apart than they normally would be, and each day retape them a little closer together.

During recovery, the chick must have a nonslip surface to walk on. Training a hobbled chick to walk may take several days and several reapplications of the hobble. The sooner a splay-legged chick is hobbled while its bones and muscles are still flexible, the more quickly it will learn to walk properly.

HOW WELL YOUR BIRD PLACES
in an exhibition depends on its physical condition, its disposition, how closely it conforms to the standard description for its breed and variety, how it compares with other birds in its class at the show, and the adeptness of the judge who reviews the class. How well you do as an exhibitor — and how much enjoyment you get out of it — depends on your reasons for showing and how well prepared you are for each event.

People who show poultry are called
fanciers
because they fancy, or are fond of, their chickens. They enjoy showing poultry for many reasons:

To have an affordable hobby.
Everybody needs something relaxing to do in his or her spare time. Conditioning and showing chickens as a hobby is fun and inexpensive, involves a never-ending learning process, includes people of all ages and all walks of life, and is an ideal activity for the entire family.

As a learning experience.
A poultry show is a good place to meet other people who keep your chosen breed or variety, who know where to obtain the best foundation stock and equipment, who can answer any questions you may have, and who are eager to share information you might otherwise never know about.

To get feedback from judges and other exhibitors.
Serious breeders enjoy the challenge of constantly trying to improve their breeding stock and their showing skills. They like to compare the results of their breeding and conditioning programs with other entries, and they enjoy the opportunity to talk shop with other experienced breeders at a show.

To win awards.
Winning may be the result of experience and skill at breeding and conditioning birds or the result of acquiring the best birds money canbuy.
Those with experience and skill tend to win consistently. Those who habitually purchase the birds they show tend to be inconsistent winners and poor losers.

To sell birds.
Not all exhibitors are interested in selling chickens, and not all shows allow selling on the premises. Where selling is not allowed, simply winning blue ribbons is great advertising. Where selling is allowed, serious breeders may sell an occasional bird to help someone get started in their favorite hobby or to help defray the cost of showing. Some exhibitors enter shows solely to advertise and sell large quantities of birds, which tend to go for lower prices than chickens sold by serious breeders because they are generally of inferior quality.

To promote the cause.
A few exhibitors enter shows to serve some higher purpose, such as to encourage interest in a breed or variety they fear may be nearing extinction or to educate the public about the benefits and joys of keeping chickens. Such people take pleasure in developing elaborate displays about their chosen breed or some other aspect of keeping and showing chickens.

For the camaraderie.
Some exhibitors simply enjoy chickens and like to visit with others who also enjoy chickens. People who attend shows for social reasons tend to be less concerned about winning than with having a good time, and indeed some of them don’t exhibit any birds at all. But most people who regularly attend shows eventually get caught up in the action and become serious about showing their chickens.

Before you start showing your own chickens, a good idea is to attend a few shows and become familiar with the procedures. Once you have an idea how things are handled, you’ll be better prepared to get involved. And by making friends with some of the people who regularly exhibit, you’ll be more relaxed and have more fun than you would by entering your first event unfamiliar with the process and dealing with complete strangers.

Breeds and varieties of ornamental chickens represent so many sizes, shapes, colors, and personalities that settling on just one can be daunting. As a result, many novices try to show too many different breeds or varieties, and don’t do well with any of them. These newcomers have the mistaken idea that the more birds you enter, the better chance you have of winning. But showing chickens isn’t a game of chance — it’s a game of skill. The first secret to success is to specialize.

Exhibitors who win consistently are breeders with an in-depth knowledge of the genetics of their chosen breed and variety. They know that showing starts in the breeding pen: making carefully thought-out matings; watching young birdsgrow;
and culling any with deformities, incorrect type or color, or disqualifications. To make these decisions, every exhibitor needs a copy of the American Poultry Association’s
Standard of Perfection
, the American Bantam Association’s
Bantam Standard
, or both.

At most shows, bantams outnumber the larger breeds. They are easier to house, cheaper to feed, and easier to transport in the family car. They generally respond well to confinement and handling and are easier than the bigger breeds for a youngster to manage. Bantams are a good choice for anyone just getting started in the world of exhibition.

No chicken is perfect, meaning all chickens have defects of one sort or another. The
Standard of Perfection
establishes a general scale of points that assigns a value to every feature — size, condition and vigor, comb, crest, beak, skull and face, eyes, wattles, beard, earlobes, neck, back, tail, wings, breast, body and fluff, legs and toes, symmetry, and carriage or station.

A perfect score would be 100. In a process called
cutting
, points are deducted for specific defects. The severity of the defect determines the number of points deducted. A list of general defects applying to all breeds sets forth a value for each cut in relation to the total value established in the general scale of points. Additional defects apply to individual breeds or varieties. These guidelines are invaluable in evaluating your potential show entries.

A serious defect constitutes a disqualification, meaning the bird cannot win an award at show. Disqualifications for all breeds and varieties include a lack of appropriate characteristics for the breed, any indication of disease, and various deformities of the body, beak, comb, tail, legs, and feet. Common deformities include crossed beak, side sprigs (projections growing from the side of a single comb), humped back, crooked feet, crooked breastbone, and wry tail (a tail flopping over to one side).

Typical disqualifications: side sprig (left), in which the comb has an extra appendage, and wry tail (right), in which the tail feathers lean to one side.

Other disqualifications pertain to each specific breed or variety, and a feature that is standard for one breed or variety may be a disqualification for another. For instance, a feather-legged breed is defined as having feathers on the outer sides of the shanks and on the outer (or outer and middle) toes; a clean-legged breed with feathers appearing on the shanks or toes would be disqualified. Most disqualifications are inherited; therefore, any chicken with a disqualification not only cannot be shown but should not be used in breeding for future show birds.

Since type defines breed, type comes before color in selecting a show bird. Type includes not only a chicken’s overall weight and size but also the shape of its head, the slope of its back, the carriage of its tail, the breadth of its stance, thequality of its feathering, and a myriad of other details that characterize each breed, as described in the
Standard
— the exhibitors’ bible.

Discussing the finer points of an exhibition chicken, including any defects or disqualifications, requires the ability to identify all its various parts.

The
Standard
also describes the proper color that defines each variety. Color includes not just the appearance of visible plumage but the color of the under-fluff and skin underlying the plumage, as well as the comb, shanks, earlobe, eye, and skin surrounding the eye.

In selecting your potential show winners, you can often sort out probable losers from among young growing birds, but you cannot make a fully informed final selection for exhibition or breeding until the chickens are mature and acquire their adult plumage. Since preparing a bird for show takes lots of time, train and condition only your best birds. Select chickens for exhibition that:

Have the fewest defects