Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (88 page)

Prizes or premiums being offered

The value of the prizes often determines the amount of competition you can expect in your class. Competition will likely be stiff if your class involves a
sanctioned meet
, at which prizes are offered by a specialty club for its members. To be eligible for such prizes, you must be a member of the group. Joining the specialty club for your breed is a good idea, anyway. By reading the group’s newsletter, attending meetings, and chatting with other members, you will learn about issues that are peculiar to your breed.

While genetics determine a chicken’s championship potential, training and conditioning determine whether or not that potential is realized. Many a fine-looking bird has been entered into a show, only to make a bad appearance because it hadn’t been properly trained. Few chickens naturally show well. Most exhibition birds need to be coop trained, which teaches them what to expect and what’s expected of them at a show.

Training helps a bird show to its best advantage by getting it used to being close to people and being handled, and it ensures the bird won’t be disoriented by unfamiliar surroundings. Training also minimizes stress, thus reducing the chance the bird will experience health problems as a result of being shown.

Some exhibitors continually train their show birds; others give them a brushup course just before each show. The younger a bird is when you start coop training, the more quickly it will respond. But occasionally you’ll run across a
chicken that does not care to be handled, no matter how patient you are or how much time you take. When a chicken does not take kindly to being cooped at home, entering it in a show is a waste of time, energy, and money. If you have the patience, go ahead and work with the bird until the next show. Otherwise concentrate your efforts on your more cooperative individuals.

No less than 1 week before a show, put each bird in an individual cage, or coop, similar to one that will be used at show. Serious exhibitors purchase
show coops
for training purposes. These collapsible coops are quite costly, but you might reduce the price by purchasing used coops from a fair or club that’s upgrading or by combining your order with that of others in a group. As an alternative, use a wire cage of similar shape, size, and style.

Not all show coops are exactly the same; they vary slightly with each manufacturer. A typical coop for bantams is 18 inches high and 18 inches (or a little less) square (45 cm high, 45 cm square). A typical coop for larger chickens is 27 inches high and 25 inches (or a little less) square (70 cm high, 65 cm square).

The floor is usually smooth, not wire, and at most shows is covered with shavings. A double partition between sections prevents adjoining cocks from fighting and injuring each other. The door generally slides upward from the bottom, so the chicken is put into and taken straight out of the coop rather than being lifted upward. Most show coops have built-in cup holders for water and feed.

Exhibiting chickens is a great way to meet people of all ages and all walks of life who share a common interest.

These features appear pretty basic to us humans but can be scary to a chicken encountering them for the first time. A bird that is not prepared in advance won’t show well if it stands or walks awkwardly because of an unfamiliar coop floor or bedding, or it crouches down or flutters around because it’s frightened by the strange surroundings. A chicken that tries to get away by pressing against the side of the coop may crush feathers or bend its tail into an unnatural position. A chicken unused to close confinement may get restless and flighty, especially with so many strangers wandering by or stopping to stare at it.

While your show chickens are housed in their training coops, work with each separately, one, two, or three times a day. Keep training sessions short so the bird won’t get tired and lose interest. Begin by approaching the coop slowly and calmly; avoid rapid or jerky movements, which can frighten even a well-trained bird. If the chicken appears the slightest bit frightened, stand quietly until it calms down. Begin your training session only when the bird seems calm.

First teach the bird to set up, or strike a pose suitable for its breed. Some breeds (such as Cochin) show best in a compact or horizontal stance. The other extreme is an upright or vertical stance, called station and defined in the
Standard
as “the ideal pose and symmetrical appearance including height and reach.” In the general scale of points, station is assigned 10 points for Modern Games, Malays, Aseels, and Shamos.

A chicken may be taught to set up properly by tapping it in appropriate places with a judge’s stick, which is simply a telescoping pointer available from any office-supply store. To get a bird to lower its tail, for example, tap above the tail. To raise the tail, tap below the tail.

This Modern Game cock demonstrates the breed’s elegant vertical pose, called
station
.

Teach the bird to stretch upward or bend downward, as appropriate, by getting it to reach for a tasty tidbit at the end of the judge’s stick. Old-timers used raw hamburger, which is no longer suitable due to the danger of
Salmonella
poisoning. Instead, use tiny morsels of high-quality canned cat food. This treat not only rewards the bird but also gives it a little protein boost at a time of stress.

After spending a few minutes on developing the bird’s pose, next work on getting it used to being handled. At show the judge will remove each bird from its coop to examine it in detail. A chicken that’s not prepared to be handled will flap and struggle and may get loose in the showroom, all of which does not make a good impression with the judge.

The proper handling of a show chicken is designed to not only keep the bird calm but also to prevent breaking or ruffling of its feathers as the bird is removed from and returned to the coop. Begin by calmly opening the coop door and gently maneuvering the bird until it stands sideways, with one wing facing you. Reach across the bird’s back, and place one hand over the far wing at the shoulder. Get a firm grip to keep the wing from flapping, and rotate the bird to face you.

Slide your other hand, palm side up, under the bird’s breast, with one of its legs between your thumb and index finger and the other leg between your second and third finger. Your index finger and second finger should be between the bird’s legs, and the bird’s breastbone should rest against your palm.

Keeping a firm grip on its legs, gently lift the bird out of the coop head first. Always remove and replace a bird head first, reducing the chance it will catch its wings in the doorway and damage the feathers.

With the bird outside the coop, hold it quietly for a moment, then remove your hand from its wing and let the bird rest in your hand another moment to ascertain that you are in full control. Imitate a judge’s actions by turning the bird to examine its comb and wattles and by opening each wing to examine the long feathers. At some shows, especially junior shows, each bird might be set on a table for examination, so a further step is to carry the bird to a table and teach it to stand calmly.

Don’t try to do all these things in the first training session, but work up to the full routine a little at a time, doing only as much in each session as the bird can comfortably handle. Start out by reaching in and taking hold of the chicken. Notice how it tenses and relaxes. Then lift it off its feet and put it back down. When the bird appears comfortable that far, remove it from the coop, hold it a moment, and put it back in.

At the end of each training session, gently return the bird to its coop, head first. If you’re training a Cornish or other heavy breed, teach it to expect a judge to determine its body balance and set of leg by dropping the bird 6 inches (15 cm) to the coop floor. A quick recovery indicates good balance and leg placement. For other breeds gently place the chicken on its feet and let go. A well-trained bird will stand quietly when released.

Conditioning is the process of bringing a show bird to the peak of cleanliness and good health. A properly conditioned bird has that undefinable quality known as bloom. No matter how much time you spend with a chicken, you cannot keep it
in a constant state of bloom. No bird is suitable for showing, for example, while going through a molt.