Condition means everything in showing Hamburgs, and without it many a
fine bird comes home from a show minus a prize that could easily have
been won had its owner known how to properly fit it for exhibition. By
“fitting it” we do not refer to the unscrupulous tricks resorted to by
unprincipled scoundrels who _mutilate_ and torture their birds to bring
them within the requirements of the _Standard_, but to the legitimate
preparation to which it is not only allowable to subject a bird, but
without which it is really a pity to send a good bird to the show room.
We are not going to recommend any practices which may not be fully known
and approved of by any judge, so that any exhibitor may have no
hesitation in following our instructions. For at least three weeks
before the exhibition all varieties of Hamburgs should be confined in a
darkened coop—not too dark, but with just light enough to enable them to
see to eat. We recommend this for the following reasons:
1. It serves to whiten in an astonishing degree the ear-lobe. We have
often seen a bird which, when placed in the darkened coop, had ear-lobes
discolored by exposure to the weather, come out at the end of three
weeks with pure milky-white ear-lobes _throughout_. During this
confinement the ear-lobes should be washed each day with sweet milk,
applied with a sponge.
2. This confinement is of great value in promoting a rich luster to the
plumage, making each color stand out distinctly, and giving the feathers
that glossy appearance so much desired. This matter of plumage is one of
primary importance. In Black Hamburgs the greenish gloss should be
brought out as much as possible, and in order to do this confinement in
darkened quarters is necessary. After they (the Blacks we are now
referring to) have been confined until about a week previous to the
show, they should be taken from the coop, and their feathers rubbed down
daily with a piece of flannel cloth. Hold the bird firmly on your lap,
and pass the cloth lightly down the back from the neck to the tip of the
tail, and keep up this rubbing steadily for the required time, say
fifteen minutes. You will be surprised to see the magnificent gloss
brought out upon birds that before were even slightly dull in appearance
of plumage. If your birds have the undesirable purple tinge, this will
bring it out more than you would wish, but if they have the _greenish_
sheen, it will make them glisten in a manner to delight your eyes.
The Whites are much improved likewise by this confinement, as it gives
the plumage a clear milky-white color, and it loses under this treatment
the yellowish cast they have acquired by exposure to the weather; only,
if they are bad in this respect, they should be put in their darkened
quarters at least a month previous to the exhibition. With
Golden-Penciled and Spangled Hamburgs this darkened coop is of much
assistance in bringing out the greenish spangles and brightening and
enriching the ground-color; and with these varieties, as with the
Blacks, we would recommend the gentle rubbing with coarse flannel.
Silver-Spangled and Penciled birds gain by their darkened quarters a
clear and distinct appearance in their markings, as it makes the
ground-color a beautiful white, furnishing a desirable background for
the colored feathers.
There is no help for a bad comb or a white face. The best way is never
to allow a bird with these defects to see the inside of a show room.
Birds with a tendency to scaly legs should have them rubbed with
Stoddard’s Poultry Ointment, beginning at least two weeks before the
show. If breeders would only attend to this repulsive appearance of the
legs in time, or whenever it makes its appearance, and treat it as
above, these remarks would be unnecessary. It is an eye-sore in any
bird, but particularly disgusting on the neat, slender legs of the
Hamburgs.
In fitting birds for show they should have a wholesome variety of food,
wheat and buckwheat being the staples. A little sunflower seed, fed at
judicious intervals for the six weeks previous to the show, has a very
desirable effect in giving them the gloss and finish so desirable, and
which is always observed in prize birds.
When the time arrives to coop the birds and start them off for the show,
great care should be taken that they are in proper trim. As each bird is
cooped it should be carefully examined to see that there are no symptoms
of disease, or any foul feathers in the plumage. Then take a sponge and
carefully wash the comb, wattles, face and legs with a mixture of equal
parts of sweet oil and alcohol, applying as little as is possible to
procure the desired effect—which is, by the way, a remarkable
brightening of the comb, wattles and face, giving them a rich, healthy
and bright appearance, and imparting to the legs a beautiful gloss,
which brings out their color with good effect.
If these instructions are carefully followed, you will hardly recognize
in the smart, clean-looking bird that graces the exhibition coop, the
soiled and dull appearing fowl you began fitting three weeks before. It
may require a certain amount of time to attend to these details
properly, but will you not feel amply repaid by beholding the prize card
on your coop, and having your brother fanciers comment upon the fine
condition of your birds?