Tomorrow is the judging for the show

Today is the day I am washing my birds, tomorrow morning is the show. Unfortunately I am realizing I did not get rid of the lice and mites on them a few months ago. Guess I wasn't diligent enough in that area. :( I bought those sick birds this year. Big mistake on my part.

I have a few questions again:

1. Is it ok to wash them in doggy flea shampoo?

2. One of my hens that has been caged has long nails. Should I trim them down bit, they look all curved down and long? They look pretty bad the way they are.

I just noticed my splash rooster has a nail that turns upward, like it's almost deformed. Guess that could hurt him in the judging.

Karen

I just saw this thing that looks like a large staple on my rooster's wing down in the flesh. It has the name of the company I bought him from. :( I'm wondering if it is dangerous for him.

i would leave the staple alone for now since you are showing him. the skin has probably grown around it and taking it out could be much more noticeable, especially if you have to trim feathers. it will probably leave a small wound to get it out at this point. after judging you might be able to perform minor surgery and get rid of it - probably not dangerous for him in terms of toxicity, but certainly not nice! it's possible that removing him might be more harmful.

ps good luck with your show!

This message was edited Sep 17, 2010 10:43 AM

http://www.silkiechickens.com/showing_silkies.htm

I found this site about preparing for a show, better late than never. Yes, it says trim their toenails.

Thanks Cerridwenn. I'll do my best, but for me, it is just something fun to do. I'll try not to get too stressed. I only have five to enter, hopefully it won't be too bad. It's an hours drive over, and I'll just put them in cardboard boxes for the ride.

On that site, she keeps talking about spraying with Oxine. Check this out, it says it kills bacteria, fungi and viruses. http://www.amazon.com/Oxine-AH-Gallon/dp/B000HT7H8W/ref=sr_1_1/185-4307346-8485925?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1284746330&sr=8-1

That's nice to know. I hadn't thought too much about my chickens getting sick from other birds. Gee. I did think about them being terrorized by the visitors at the fair though. Guess I'll be hanging around there just in case.

Good luck at the show today! Let us know how it goes. I've never been to a chicken show, it sounds interesting!

Good luck! Have fun.

so how did you do???

I've been waiting to hear too!

So nice of you to ask. I had a great time and enjoyed the people.

My pullet won a trophy and ribbon for Class Champion or some such thing, don't ask me much about classes of poultry and all that, because I'm new and don't know.

Wow! Looks important to me; congratulations. Such a pretty girl!

Here is another picture of her and her trophy. Now, if you are fully impressed by now, I'll tell you the real story.

The truth of the matter is, there were only seven chickens in the Feather Leg Class, and the other two were disqualified because they were classed wrong. So, my chickens had to win the trophy, because they were the only ones in the race. :) Hehe

Kind of funny really, all I had to do was show up.

Still, I had a great time, and was so pleased that so many stopped at my birds and admired them saying they look like big cotton balls, and things like that. It was fun and I would have left the birds there longer if I could have, but I needed to come home and rest. If you live 50 miles or more from the fair they let you come home in a day, otherwise the birds are supposed to stay there for 3 more days.

I also received $25 but not sure why. $5 for winning the class, but the other money, I'm not sure about. They said something about, you get $5 for entering, then $1 for 1 bird, $2 for the next bird, $3 for the next bird.. like that, for the number of birds you enter. Surely that can't keep going up like that. I had 5 birds, and somehow I got $20 just for being there. Go figure. Anyway, it helped a bit with cost.

I know this one man had 70 birds. Wonder how much "pay out" he got.

I have so much more to say, because I learned some things and will probably bug you all with more pictures and videos.

I wouldn't even have chickens or be here, or gone to the fair without all of you DGers. Thanks so much to all of you, for your knowledge, and fun stories, and pictures. They help me keep going.

Karen

Here is a picture of my rooster, he got reserve feather leg.

The other truth is, these two whites really ARE nice birds. Not that I claim any credit for them. All I did was buy them, and feed them for a few months. I wanted some pretty show birds and found these.

Now, if they will breed for me, and I get some babies, I'll feel blessed, as long as I can either sell the roosters or make pens for them. It would be so emotionally difficult for me to sell them, but maybe I could.

Maybe I should just let her hatch a few eggs at a time, so I am not extended beyond my ability to take care of them all.

Such a beauti....er...Hansome Little Fella!!! Congratulations!!!!
I no longer have Silkies....but they are on my agenda!! right now I have 5 separate Chicken houses......eeeeeek!!!! Actually 4 and one 3 X6 Chick Brooder. I have 3 grown Buff Orpington Hens and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Cock. A Trio of Black Copper Marans (4months) and a pair of 4 month old Cuckoo Marans, 8 Seramas ( 4 pair), and 8 BO X BLRWyandotte babies and the Cochin pair... 27 in all.
I plan to Show my Seramas so I am learning everything I can about the breed and how to raise them appropriately. Now I have to get info on how to prepare for showing. I think I will inquire with our county fair chairperson and see if we have a Chicken Show, it would be fun just to enter them to see where they stand!

So Happy for your Wins LFJ. I used to show cats just in house hold pets and alters category. Showing is a lot of fun and meeting so many people

Congratulations! Glad you had a good time and hope you'll have time to share what you learned. Great pictures, your chickens are so pretty!

Here are the videos of my splash and white roosters.

Splash:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Light4Jesus#p/a/u/1/0FQngONTc1U

White:
The voice is my grandson.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Light4Jesus#p/a/u/0/2S_JK5QUlRk

Remember the huge black Cochin I talked about last year that so impressed me?

Here is a picture of that cochin, and my just-turned-three year old grandson.

Thanks, AnnieBBB, DonnaB, Catscan, Porkpal, Eufaula, and Cerridwenn. I appreciate you all.

Oh yes, that reminds me about that staple. Here is a pic of it, taken when I was washing him.

Yep, I'm wired up tonight. It'll probably wear off soon.

This message was edited Sep 19, 2010 8:54 PM

Wow, the cochin is really impressive!

What is the puprose of putting a staple in the wing of a chicken? Identification? Or does it in some way prevent it from flying?

I'd love to have a big, gentle rooster. The one we had was so rough on the hens, they were always bloody and he liked threatening us. Is there a breed that is known for calm and friendly-ish roosters, a breed that is more "dinner and a movie" to the hens instead of attacking them?

LFJ, now I'm going to have to go to a chicken show!

Light_for_Jesus, WOW! A win is a win! Many years ago, I used to show horses. My dad would always say that no one at home knows how many horses you beat. A ribbon is a ribon! Bet you are already getting ready for next year? I'm so happy for you!

I wish my local county fair had chickens! Any poultry would do for me. Or even vegetables. I went this year for the first time and not even a horse show. =(

Hi Terry, I had to look up Alba to see where it is. I'm sure they have shows in Dallas/Ft Worth, but I know nothing about them. This was my first time to enter one.

Amarillo is only an hour from me, so that wasn't too bad. The couple with so many chickens, go to Abilene, and Lubbock, and are planning a trip to Shawnee, Oklahoma, Dec 11-12, for the Oklahoma State Poultry Show. They gave me a booklet. Here is info online about it, or just google it. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:sQ4DyHLk5v8J:www.apa-arkansas.com/images/OSPF2010Catalog09-02-10.pdf+%22oklahoma+state+poultry+show%22&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us They are limiting the birds to 4500, so you can imagine what a major event that must be.

I would love to go, even if it was just to watch. For sure I would have to leave my credit cards at home, :)

Yes AnnieB, I hope you can find one and go. For us chicken people, it's great fun, especially if you enter.

The staple has the name of the business that sold the silkies to me. I guess they wanted to mark their bird for life.

It was so odd when I was conversing with them about buying them. They made me promise to tell people where I bought them. Of course, I promised because I wanted them so much. After the show in Amarillo, one of the couples that help put on the show there approached me with a big smile and said how much they LIKE MY SILKIES and then asked where I bought them. I honestly didn't want to say, but then, I remembered my promise and told. A promise is a promise, and I know our creator is watching.

Well , Light_For_Jesus , when you hatch some new babies (which will be beautiful) you can then say truthfully that they are from your own stock!! ;+) .. and that they are off Blue Ribbon winners!!!!

4500 bird limit! Woowwwww! How fun would that be just to watch all the birds arrive and set up. And you are right! My credit card would be smoking by the end of that weekend!

I'm thinking of going to the Texas State Fair over in Dallas this weekend. Maybe they have a fowl exhibit and a veg exhibit over there. I think maybe the local fair thing might just be more of a Yankee pursuit. With the quilts, jams/jellies, pies, vegetables, and all of the livestock large and small in all of their glory! Oh, and the pig races, the largest hog to weigh in that year, mule show--that sort of thing.

I may just be planning out a summer road trip for next year. Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin State Fairs! Sigh....probably don't have the time until I retire!

Oh , Wouldnt that be fun!!!! I believe most of the animal and handiwork judging that used to be in all fairs is now going to soon be a thing of the past. I know that the larger fairs here in Georgia are all but gone, now the only place to find that type of fun is in smaller County fairs.

Eufaula, that's so funny. Blue ribbon winners. Yep, and I wouldn't be lying. She still has not laid an egg.

I am so wanting to go to Shawnee to the Poultry Show. I shouldn't but I want to.