2020 Youth Essays - Sam Walker (Intermediate)

Have you ever wondered how people prepare their birds for show? Well,

here’s how I prepare mine. The first thing I do is pick out a bird. I want the bird as

healthy as possible; I also check for disqualifications for the breed. I have chickens

so some of the disqualifications are coloring, the wrong type of comb, and

feathers on its feet/no feathers on its feet. The next thing for preparing my bird

for show is building a bond with it. Ways I do this is by feeding, holding, and

petting it; this will make training it a whole lot easier. I spend time bonding with

the bird for at least 2-3 weeks, or until it doesn’t try to escape when I am holding

it. Training is one of the hard parts, especially when I have a breed that is very

skittish. How I train my bird is holding it in the positions that the judge would

have me do at the show. I run through all the positions, then afterwards, I give

the bird treats and slowly work up to practicing with it longer and running

through the positions multiple times. I try to work with my bird at least 3-4 times

a week. I try to start working with my bird at least 2-3 months before show day, if

not earlier. Around 2-3 weeks before show I trim their nails if needed, dust them

for lice and check for any broken feathers. A couple days before show I give my

birds a bath and I increase the amount of sunflower seeds in their feed to help

them produce more oils for their feathers. On show day, I apply Vaseline lightly to

my bird’s comb and wattles. This is how I prepare my poultry for showing.