By Glenda L. Heywood
Many times when preparing for show we see
some stains on the feathers. Well, before getting any moisture
on the feathers here is what I always did with White Cochins
or any bird.
This should be done at least a week before the show. The
stains that get in the feathers can be helped if you take
a bird with DRY feathers and use old fashion white corn
starch on the stain and a soft,very soft tooth brush to
brush the corn starch thru the birds feathers. This will
work with colored feathers also. As most stains are some
kind of grease or oil with dirt mixed in. |
|
This is a very good trick to cleaning a bird. Then
after the corn starch has taken the oil and stains out if it is
necessary to wash a bird make sure the bird has at least 7 days
to prime the oil back into the feathers. Make sure you have all
corn starch out of the feathers before washing.
When washing all heavy feathered birds, I found
from experience that doing so before a show it is best to wash
The dark colored birds on the Saturday before the show. Then when
I dried them off with a couple changes of dry towels. Simply take
the bird and when out of the last rinse water take the towel and
wrap the bird up in it. Now lay it on the floor to dry when you
then take another bird to wash in the soapy warm water in the
sink. And after rinsing the 2nd bird, in a couple three waters
wrap that bird up and unwrap the first bird. Now wrap the first
bird in a 2nd clean dry towel.
Start on the third bird to wash and do as before
to the 2nd bird, when done washing it. By the time you have done
three birds it is time to sit the first bird up on a chair or
box and see what you have. Change the last birds towel to a dry
one.
Now with Cochin type birds always blow dry with
hair dryer on low, with the lay feathers. This applies to all
the comb type birds that have lots of feathers.For
frizzled birds dry against the feathers towards the head area.
Frizzling them.
Now take the hair dryer and dry under the tail and
under the wings. Thus the bird will be started to become dry.
When you can get all three birds out from the 2nd towel drying
then you can take and dry them and then take them back to the
barn and a clean dry stall or pen with clean shavings to be let
to dry for the rest of the week, changing bedding daily to keep
them clean.
Most Old English & Modern games don't need cleaning.They
do better just wiped with a clean wet rag, rung out with clean
water. The Old English and Moderns have natural oils and sheen
on them. So if you wash them you will make a softer feather as
the oils have been taken out.Then as the bird preens it self the
oils will come back in. Takes several days of this. The washing
of games causes the sheen to diminish when they are preening their
feathers, to bring the oil back in.
They need hard tight body feathers, A hard type
feather, likewise on Cornish or any other game type bird. If washing
Cornish do so at least 7 days ahead so they can preen and get
the oil back into their feathers.
Likewise on a Rosecomb. They have a natural green
sheen and oil in those black feathers that takes a while to preen
out and get back to original feather texture, with body oils in
the feathers..
The darker the bird the longer the oil takes to
get thru the feathers and make the feather normal again.
Birds like Cochins, Rocks, Leghorns etc need washed
especially white birds. These lighter colored birds will take
at least 5 days to get feathers preened good so give them 5-6
days before a show after washing.
Some times you see birds a week after the show,
that look like they were just then ready to show!
The white birds need clean cages all the time to
be good show birds. What ever breed they are. Don't forget to
clean and shape those toe nails. It is important to take a tooth
brush and some good dish soap and water and scrub those scales
on the toes and legs. Then use some vetrex or sweet oil to put
on the legs and feet. Take a finger nail clippers and cut those
ugly long toe nails. Not too short just right. It takes a little
grooming of the birds body parts to help him look like
he is ready for the show.
Also if his beak is a little too long just easily
take a emory board and smooth it off to look like it should. For
those combs take some sweet oil or VetrX and with a q-tip put
some on the combs & wattles. Using the q-tip very carefully
only get the oil on the comb and wattles. Not on the feathers.
This is all done a week
ahead of show time. Then redid at the show on Friday night and
Saturday morning.
Another clean up item is getting some good "baby
wipes" at Walmart. Generally just the round tube of wipes
is handiest.
Now with this in your clean up kit make sure you
have some of these things to go to the show for final clean up....
/
Set As Homepage 
/ Copyright
/ Disclaimer / Top 
Glossary: 
