POULTRY SHOWS.
A few years ago poultry shows were unknown. In 1846, the first was held
in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, in the Regent's Park; Mr.
Baily being the sole judge. It was a very fair beginning, but did not
succeed, and it was not till the Cochin-China breed was introduced into
this country, and the first Birmingham show was held, that these
exhibitions became successful.
In 1849, "the first poultry show that was ever held in 'the good old
town of Birmingham,' was beset with all the untried difficulties of such
a scheme, when without the experiences of the present day, then
altogether unavailable, a few spirited individuals carried to a
successful issue an event that has now proved the foster-parent of the
many others of similar character that abound in almost every principal
town of the United Kingdom. It is quite essential, that I may be clearly
understood, to preface my narrative by assuring fanciers that in those
former days poultry amateurs were by no means as general as at the
present time; few and far between were their locations; and though even
then, among the few who felt interest in fowls, emulation existed,
generally speaking, the keeping of poultry was regarded as 'a useless
hobby,' 'a mere individual caprice,' 'an idle whim from which no good
result could by possibility accrue'; nay, sometimes it was hinted, 'What
a pity they have not something better to employ them during leisure
hours!' and they were styled 'enthusiasts.' But have not the records of
every age proved that enthusiasts are invariably the pioneers of
improvement? And time, too, substantiated the verity of this rule in
reference to our subject; for, among other proofs, it brought
incontestable evidence that the raising of poultry was by no means the
unremunerative folly idlers supposed it to be, and hesitated not rashly
to declaim it; likewise, that it simply required to be fairly brought
under public notice, to prove its general utility, and to induce the
acknowledgment of how strangely so important a source of emolument had
been hitherto neglected and overlooked."
At the Birmingham Show of 1852, about five thousand fowls were
exhibited, and the specimens sold during the four days of the show
amounted to nearly two thousand pounds, notwithstanding the high prices
affixed to the pens, and that many were placed at enormous prices
amounting to a prohibition, the owners not wishing to sell them. The
Birmingham shows now generally comprise from one to two thousand pens of
fowls and water-fowls, arranged in nearly one hundred classes; besides
an equal proportion of pigeons. This show is the finest and most
important, but there are many others of very high character and great
extent. Poultry is also now exhibited to a considerable extent at
agricultural meetings.
Any one may see the wonderful improvement that has been made in
poultry-breeding by visiting the next Birmingham or other first-class
show, and comparing the fowls there exhibited with those of his earliest
recollections, and with those mongrels and impure breeds which may still
be seen in too many farmyards. Points that were said to be impossible of
attainment have been obtained with comparative ease by perserverance and
skill, and the worst birds of a show are now often superior to the chief
prize fowls of former days. Indeed, "a modern prize bird," says the
"Henwife," "almost merits the character which a Parisian waiter gave of
a melon, when asked to pronounce whether it was a fruit or a vegetable,
'Gentlemen,' said he, 'a melon is neither; it is a work of art.'"
Such shows must have great influence on the improvement of the breeds
and the general management of poultry, though like all other prize
exhibitions they have certain disadvantages. "We cannot but think," says
Mr. Wright, "that our poultry shows have, to some extent, by the
character of the judging, hindered the improvement of many breeds. It
will be readily admitted in _theory_ that a breed of fowls becomes more
and more valuable as its capacity of producing eggs is increased, and
the quantity and quality of its flesh are improved, with a small amount
of bone and offal in proportion. But, if we except the Dorking, which
certainly is judged to some extent as a table fowl, all this is
_totally_ lost sight of both by breeders and judges, and attention is
fixed exclusively upon colour, comb, face, and other equally fancy
'points.' Beauty and utility might be _both_ secured. The French have
taught us a lesson of some value in this respect. Within a comparatively
recent period they have produced, by crossing and selection, four new
varieties, which, although inferior in some points to others of older
standing, are all eminently valuable as table fowls; and which in one
particular are superior to any English variety, not even excepting the
Dorking--we mean the very small proportion of bone and offal. This is
really useful and scientific breeding, brought to bear upon _one_
definite object, and we do trust the result will prove suggestive with
regard to others equally valuable. We should be afraid to say how much
might be done if English breeders would bring _their_ perseverance and
experience to bear in a similar direction. Agricultural Societies in
particular might be expected in _their_ exhibitions to show some
interest in the improvement of poultry regarded as _useful stock_, and
to them especially we commend the matter."
The rules and regulations relating to exhibitions vary at different
shows, and may be obtained by applying to the secretary. Notices of
exhibitions are advertised in the local papers, and in the _Field_ and
other London papers of an agricultural character.
In breeding birds for exhibition the number of hens to one cock should
not exceed four or five, but if only two or three hens of the breed are
possessed, the proper number of his harem should be made up by the
addition of hens of another breed, those being chosen whose eggs are
easily known from the others.
If it is intended to rear the chickens for exhibition at the June,
July, or August shows, the earlier they are hatched the better, and
therefore a sitting should be made in January, if you have a young,
healthy hen broody. Set her on the ground in a warm, sheltered, and
quiet place, perfectly secure from rain, or from any flow of snow water.
Feed her well, and keep water and small quantities of food constantly
within her reach, so that she may not be tempted to leave the nest in
search of food; for the eggs soon chill in winter. Mix the best oatmeal
with hot water, and give it to her warm twice a day. A few grains of
hempseed as a stimulant may be given in the middle of the day. The great
difficulty to overcome in rearing early chickens is to sustain their
vital powers during the very long winter nights, when they are for so
many hours without food, the only substitute for which is warmth, and
this can only be well got from the hen. Consequently a young
Cochin-China with plenty of "fluff" will provide most warmth. The hen
should not be set on more than five, or at most seven eggs; for if she
has more, although she may sufficiently cover the chickens while very
small, she will not be able to do so when they grow larger, and the
outer ones will be chilled unless they manage to push themselves into
the inside places, and then the displaced chickens being warm are sure
to get more chilled than the others; and so the greater number of the
brood, even if they survive, will probably be weakly, puny things,
through the greedy desire to rear so many, while if she hatch but five
chickens she will probably rear four. The hen should be cooped until the
chickens are at least ten weeks old, and covered up at night with
matting, sacking, or a piece of carpet.
Give them plenty of curd, chopped egg, and oatmeal, mixed with new milk.
Stiff oatmeal porridge is the best stock food. Some onion tops minced
fine will be an excellent addition if they can be had. They should have
some milk to drink. Feed the hen well. The best warmth the chickens can
have is that of their mother, and the best warmth for her is generated
by generous, but proper, food, and a good supply of it. Early chickens
rearing for show should be fed twice after dark, say at eight and
eleven o'clock, and again at seven in the morning, so that they will not
be without food for more than eight hours. The hen should be fed at the
same times, and she will become accustomed to it, and call the chickens
to feed; it will also generate more warmth in her for their benefit.
Yolk of egg beaten up and given to drink is most strengthening for
weakly chickens; or it may be mixed with their oatmeal. The tender
breeds should not be hatched till April or May, unless in a mild
climate, or with exceptional advantages.
For winter exhibition, March and April hatched birds are preferable to
those hatched earlier. Not more than seven eggs should be set, for a hen
cannot scratch up insects and worms and find peculiar herbage for more
than six chickens. If the chickens have not a good grass run, they must
be supplied with abundance of green food.
They should not be allowed to roost before they are three months old,
and the perches must be sufficiently large. Mr. Wright recommends a bed
of clean, dry ashes, an inch deep, for those that leave the hen before
the proper age for roosting, and does not allow his chickens, even while
with the hen, to bed upon straw, considering the ashes to be much
cleaner and also warmer.
The chickens intended to be exhibited should be distinguished from their
companions by small stripes of different coloured silks loosely sewn
round their legs, which distinguishing colours should be entered in the
poultry-book. A few good birds should always be kept in reserve to fill
up the pen in case of accidents.
Weight is more important in the December and later winter shows than at
those held between August and November, but at all shows feather and
other points of competitors being equal weight must carry the day, Game
and Bantams excepted. It is not safe to trust to the apparent weight of
a bird, for the feathers deceive, and it is therefore advisable to weigh
the birds occasionally. Each should be weighed in a basket, allowance
being made for the weight of the basket, and they should if possible be
weighed before a meal. But fowls that are over-fattened, as some judges
very improperly desire, cannot be in good health anymore than "crammed"
fowls, and are useless for breeding, producing at best a few puny,
delicate, or sickly chickens; thus making the exhibition a mere "show,"
barren of all useful results.
Pullets continue to grow until they begin to lay, which almost or quite
stops their growth; and therefore if great size is desired for
exhibition, they should be kept from the cockerels and partly from
stimulating food until a month before the show, when they will be
required to be matched in pens. During this month they should have extra
food and attention.
If fowls intended for exhibition are allowed to sit, the chickens are
apt to cause injury to their plumage, and loss of condition, while if
prevented from sitting, they are liable to suffer in moulting. Their
chickens may be given to other hens, but the best and safest plan is to
set a broody exhibition hen on duck's eggs, which will satisfy her
natural desire for sitting, while the young ducklings will give her much
less trouble, and leave her sooner than a brood of her own kind.
All the birds in a pen should match in comb, colour of their legs, and
indeed in every particular. Mr. Baily mentions "a common fault in
exhibitors who send two pens composed of three excellent and three
inferior birds, so divided as to form perhaps one third class and one
highly commended pen: whereas a different selection would make one of
unusual merit. If an amateur who wishes to exhibit has fifteen fowls to
choose from, and to form a pen of a cock and two hens, he should study
and scan them closely while feeding at his feet in the morning. He
should then have a place similar to an exhibition pen, wherein he can
put the selected birds; they should be raised to the height at which he
can best see them, and before he has looked long at them defects will
become apparent one after the other till, in all probability, neither of
the subjects of his first selection will go to the show. We also advise
him rather to look for defects than to dwell on beauties--the latter
are always prominent enough. The pen of which we speak should be a
moveable one for convenience' sake, and it is well to leave the fowls in
it for a time that they may become accustomed to each other, and also to
an exhibition pen." Birds that are strangers should never be put into
the same hamper, for not only the cocks but even the hens will fight
with and disfigure each other.
Some give linseed for a few days before the exhibition to impart lustre
to the plumage, by increasing the secretion of oil. A small quantity of
the meal should be mixed with their usual soft food, as fowls generally
refuse the whole grain. But buckwheat and hempseed, mixed in equal
proportions, if given for the evening meal during the last ten or twelve
days, is healthier for the bird, much liked, and will not only impart
equal lustre to the plumage, but also improve the appearance of the comb
and wattles.
Spanish fowls should be kept in confinement for some days before the
show, with just enough light to enable them to feed and perch, and the
place should be littered with clean straw. This greatly improves their
condition; why we know not, but it is an established fact. Game fowls
should be kept in for a few days, and fed on meal, barley, and bread,
with a few peas, which tend to make the plumage hard, but will make them
too fat if given freely. Dark and golden birds should be allowed to run
about till they have to be sent off. Remove all scurf or dead skin from
the comb, dry dirt from the beak, and stains from the plumage, and wash
their legs clean. White and light fowls that have a good grass run and
plenty of clean straw in their houses and yards to scratch in, will
seldom require washing, but town birds, and country ones if not
perfectly clean, should be washed the day before the show with tepid
water and mild white soap rubbed on flannel, care being taken to wash
the feathers downwards, so as not to break or ruffle them; afterwards
wiped with a piece of flannel that has been thoroughly soaked in clean
water, and gently dried with soft towels before the fire; or the bird
may be entirely dipped into a pan of warm water, then rinsed thoroughly
in cold water, wiped with a flannel, and placed in a basket with soft
straw before a fire to dry. They should then be shut up in their houses
with plenty of clean straw. They should have their feet washed if dirty,
and be well fed with soft nourishing food just before being put into the
travelling-basket, for hard food is apt to cause fever and heat while
travelling, and, having to be digested without gravel or exercise,
causes indigestion, which ruffles the plumage, dulls its colour, darkens
the comb, and altogether spoils the appearance of the bird. Sopped or
steeped bread is excellent.
The hampers should always be round or oval in form, as fowls invariably
creep into corners and destroy their plumage. They should be high enough
for the cocks to stand upright in, without touching the top with their
combs. Some exhibitors prefer canvas tops to wicker lids, considering
that the former preserve the fowls' combs from injury if they should
strike against the top, while others prefer the latter as being more
secure, and allowing one hamper to be placed upon another if necessary,
and also preserving the fowls from injury if a heavy hamper or package
should otherwise be placed over it. A good plan is to have a double
canvas top, the space between being filled with hay. A thick layer of
hay or straw should be placed at the bottom of the basket. Wheaten straw
is the best in summer and early autumn, and oat or barley straw later in
the year and during winter. A good lining also is essential; coarse
calico stitched round the inside of the basket is the best. Ducks and
geese do not require their hampers to be lined, except in very cold
weather; and the best lining for them is made by stitching layers of
pulled straw round the inside of the basket. Turkeys should have their
hampers lined, for although they are very hardy, cold and wet damage
their appearance more than other poultry. Take care that the geese
cannot get at the label, for they will eat it, and also devour the
hempen fastenings if within their reach.
Be very careful in entering your birds for exhibition; describe their
ages, breed, &c., exactly and accurately, and see yourself to the
packing and labelling of their hampers.
Mr. F. Wragg, the superintendent of the poultry-yard of R. W. Boyle,
Esq., whose fowls have a sea voyage from Ireland besides the railway
journey, and yet always appear in splendid condition and "bloom," ties
on one side of the hamper, "near the top, a fresh-pulled cabbage, and on
the other side a good piece of the bottom side of a loaf, of which they
will eat away all the soft part. Before starting, I give each bird half
a tablespoonful of port wine, which makes them sleep a good part of the
journey. Of course, if I go with my birds, as I generally do, I see that
they, as well as myself, have 'refreshment' on the road."[A] The cabbage
will always be a treat, and the loaf and wine may be added for long
journeys.
Birds are frequently over-fed at the show, particularly with barley,
which cannot be properly digested for want of gravel and exercise; and
therefore, if upon their return their crops are hard and combs look
dark, give a tablespoonful of castor oil; but if they look well do not
interfere with them. They should not have any grain, but be fed
sparingly on stale bread soaked in warm ale, with two or three mouthfuls
of tepid water, for liquid is most hurtful if given in quantity. They
should not be put into the yard with the other fowls which may treat
them, after their absence, as intruders, but be joined with them at
night when the others have gone to roost. On the next day give them a
moderate allowance of soft food with a moderate supply of water, or
stale bread sopped in water, and a sod of grass or half a cabbage leaf
each, but no other green food; and on the following day they may have
their usual food.
When the fowls are brought back, take out the linings, wash them, and
put them by to be ready for the next show; and after the exhibition
season, on a fine dry day, wash the hampers, dry them thoroughly, and
put them in a dry place. Never use them as quiet berths for sick birds,
which are sure to infect them and cause the illness of the next
occupants; or as nesting-places for sitting hens, which may leave
insects in the crevices that will be difficult to eradicate.
In our descriptions of the various Breeds, we have given sufficient
general information upon the Exhibition Points from the best
authorities; but considerable differences of opinion have been expressed
of late years, and eminent breeders dissent in some cases even from the
generally recognised authority of the popular "Standard of Excellence."
We, therefore, advise intending exhibitors to ascertain the standards to
be followed at the show and the predilections of the judges, and to
breed accordingly, or, if they object to the views held, not to compete
at that exhibition.
TECHNICAL TERMS.
_Coverts._--The _upper_ and _lower wing coverts_ are those ranges of
feathers which cover the primary quills; and the _tail coverts_ are
those feathers growing on each side of the tail, and are longer than the
body feathers, but shorter than those of the tail.
_Dubbing._--Cutting off the comb and wattles of a cock; an operation
usually confined to Game cocks.
_Ear-lobe._--The small feathers covering the organ of hearing, which is
placed a little behind the eye.
_Flight._--The last five feathers of each wing.
_Fluff._--The silky feathers growing on the thighs and hinder parts of
Cochin-China fowls.
_Hackles._--The _neck hackles_ are feathers growing from the neck, and
covering the shoulders and part of the back; and the _saddle hackles_
those growing from the end of the back, and falling over the sides.
_Legs._--The _legs_ are properly the lower and scaly limbs, the upper
part covered with feathers and frequently mis-called legs, being
correctly styled the _thighs_.
_Primary Quills._--The long, strong quills, usually ten in number,
forming the chief portion of each wing, and the means of flight.
_Vulture-hocked._--Feathers growing from the thigh, and projecting
backwards below the knee.
[Illustration: Buff and White Cochin-China. Malay Cock. Light and Dark
Brahmas.]