This is a very good trick to cleaning a bird. Then after the 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 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 coloured 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 coloured 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 vaseline or baby 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 ASDA. 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....

On Saturday only feed the bird about a tablespoon of mash so it will have some feed and water of course, then after the judging give it some more feed before carrying home. This is why it is nice to come Friday nite, the birds are fed and watered and are allowed a few hours to adjust to the cages and the environment. They show better.

By Glenda Heywood