ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York State Colleges OF Agriculture and Home Economics AT Cornell University THE GIFT OF Paul Pomeroy Ives 2d IN MEMORY OF Paul Pomeroy Ives Cornell University Library SF 485.H44 1917 Secrets of expert exhibitors and easy le 3 1924 003 192 758 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003192758 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING By FRANK HECK An exposition of the methods em- ployed by breeders of standard-bred fowls in preparing their birds for poultry shows, including many dis- honest schemes occasionally practiced PRICE, $2.00 PUBLISBBD BY AMERICAN POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO. Chicago, Illinois 1920 Hcf E 6748 Copyright 1917 By American Poultry Journal Publishing Co. IMPORTANT NOTICE This book, including the entire con- tents, is copyrighted and all persons are hereby warned against copying, printing or reproducing in any form, the information contained herein. All legal rights under the copyright laws are fully reserved and any infringe- ments will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Read This First This book is not as large as some others, but the purchaser is buying information and not paper and printing. It has been the aim of the author to disclose the various methods of expert exhibitors as ascertained by him in his experience as a breeder, exhibitor and judge in the show room. With regard to some of the methods explained herein, we wish to say to the reader, in the language of the poet, "I know not what the truth may be I tell it as 'twas told to me." This refers particularly to such portions of the book as deal with absolutely unfair and dishonest methods commonly designated as faking. Some of them have come to our notice in judging fowls and others consti- tute knowledge which has been imparted to us by other judges and exhibitors, who have, in their experience, come in contact with the methods described. Anyone who is at all familiar with conditions in the poultry world, knows that as high a plane of morals exists among poultry fanciers as is found in any other class of individuals and beyond a shadow of doubt, it is much higher than in some other honorable and legitimate occu- pations. Looking at the matter from the opposite viewpoint, we cannot deny that in the ranks of poultrymen there may occasionally be found an individual who will not hesitate to practice dishonest methods in his dealings with his fellow breeders. It is not at all strange that this is true. The poultry fraternity is made up of people from all walks of life, people of all occupations, trades, businesses and professions, from day laborers to minis- ters of the gospel. In such a motley gathering of hu- manity, there must of necessity be individuals whose 6 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS Standard of honesty is not above criticism. This condi- tion exists among poultrymen because it exists in other legitimate vocations from which the ranks of poultry- men are recruited. By far the greater portion of the methods explained in this book are considered honorable and legitimate practices. Some are the dishonest methods of fakers, and the object of the author in disclosing them is to place honest breeders in a position where, by having the knowledge, they are fortified against imposition, through being able in many instances to detect fraud when it is practiced. The men or women who can take God's creatures of flesh and feathers and by mastering the laws of breeding, mold the birds into the beautiful creations which are found in fanciers' yards today are artists of the highest type and benefactors of their fellow-men. As a co-worker in the field, we extend to them our heartiest good will and best wishes. The Author. Secrets of Expert Exhibitors How to Bring Out the Bright Red Color of Combs, Face and Wattles. For brightening the combs, face and wattles of birds in the show room, a solution is used composed of two parts alcohol and one part glycerine with three drops of oil of sassafras to each teaspoonful of the mixture. From two to four applications per day will produce results. Use a small sponge or soft cloth and apply just enough each time to moisten the parts, using care to not get the mixture into the eyes. How to Straighten Lopped Spikes or Blades of Combs. The secret of straightening the spikes, the blade and the top portion of single combs is to massage the parts gently and often, bending them in the opposite direction. This treatment will not result in permanent good and it is usually practiced for only a day or two before and duritlg the show. The spike on rose combs which does not follow the head closely enough can also be much improved by gently pressing it down against the head with a rubbing motion, as suggested for single combs. There is no way to mechanically or medicinally produce lasting improvement. How Side Sprigs Are Removed Without Leaving a Scar. In removing side sprigs from combs, care is taken to use very small scissors or a knife which will permit, of taking off the sprig level with the surface of the comb. It is claimed that by pinching off the sprig with one's sharp finger-nails, the skin will form over the spot and leave no scar. Powdered alum_or tannin is used to stop the flow of blood and if the wound does not heal quickly, a few applications of common vaseline will help it. The sprigs are removed three or four weeks before the 8 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS bird is to be shown and it should be as nearly matured or full grown as possible. Sprigs removed from the combs of young birds will grow out again to some extent as the comb grows. A Practically Unknown Cause of Lopped Combs and the Remedy. Male birds with large combs and especially Leghorns, Minorcas, etc., will often develop lopped combs by reason of holding their heads under their wing while on the perches at night. The habit is formed of holding the head under the same wing constantly and this bending over of the comb finally trains it in that position. The remedy is to notice which wing the head is kept under and to keep the plumage under the wing dusted with cayenne pepper or tobacco dust. This will cause the bird to use the other wing and in many cases the comb will be trained back to an upright position. Preventing Show Room Growth and Lopping of Comb. In a warm show room the combs of fowls will some- times expand and seemingly grow much larger in a short time. A comb not having a strong solid base is also apt to lop over from its natural upright position. These defects may easily be the cause of a bird losing first prize. The comb should be bathed in very strong "tea" made from white oak bark to which a tablespoonful of bay room may be added to a pint of the tea. Alum water is also helpful. The applications should be fre- quent. How to Prevent Combs from Freezing When Birds Are Exposed. When conditions are such that combs will almost surely be frozen, it can be prevented by anointing them with vaseline each night when the birds go to roost. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 9 How to Save Frost-Bitten Combs and Wattles. There is no remedy that will restore the comb to its normal condition if treatment is delayed till the comb turns black. Treatment consists of pressing snow to the injured parts for several minutes or bathing them with ice water, rubbing them very lightly, after which apply carbolated vaseline or other like ointment fre- quently. Listerine is excellent for this purpose and also for allaying inflammation generally. A Frequent Cause of Large, Beefy and Lopped Combs and How to Prevent Them. Many exhibitors, both before and during a show, make the serious mistake of feeding heavily of meat. Confin- ing birds in a warm pen or show room and the feeding of much meat foods under this condition will, in most cases, cause the combs to grow rapidly, develop beefiness and fall to one side. How to Detect Trimmed or Cut Combs. Combs which have been trimmed or from which side sprigs have been removed can usually be detected by the very smooth surface left in the form of a scar. The portion of the comb that has been cut is not apt to be covered with the same coarse texture of skin as found on the comb in its natural condition. How Foreign Color Is Removed from Beaks. A small amount of black or brown color may some- times be removed from yellow beaks by using fine sand paper or an ordinary fingernail file. The beak should not be filed down enough to cause pain to the bird. If this is necessary, the defect is so deeply rooted that it cannot be removed. 10 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS How Small Patches of White Are Covered Up in Red Ear Lobes. In some cases of defective lobes the white spots can be dyed with vermilion or permanganate of potassium. The proper strength to use of these dyes depends upon the shade of color of the lobe. There are no dyes or stains that will completely cover large spots of enamel white. How White Ear Lobes Are Treated for Small Defects in Color. Oxide of zinc ointment may be applied to white ear lobes with beneficial effects. It should be rubbed well into the skin once a day. The dry powder may also be used if the lobes be well dampened and dried before ap- plying it. There are acid treatments for ear lobes but it is "cruelty to animals" to use them and they always leave a scar. Eruptions on Ear Lobes of Exhibition Birds — Cause and Remedy. Sometimes birds that are confined closely and that have been highly fed for show condition will develop a mild form of eruption or pimples on ear lobes which may be considered by the judge as an attempt to remove off color. Give the bird ten grains of bicarbonate of potash and ten grains of salts.- Anoint the lobes with eucalyptus ointment or carbolated vaseline. How to Obliterate Red Edges on White Ear Lobes. In many cases there is just a trace of red around the edges of white ear lobes, but it may be enough to pre- vent the bird from winning. These red edges may be remedied by rolling the edge back to the under side. One should have an assistant to hold the head of the bird while the operator uses both hands at the same AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 11 time. Rub the lobe from the center toward the edges, thereby stretching the skin slightly so that the red por- tion of the edges may be worked back to the . under surface. Coloring Yellow Legs. Butter-color is sometimes used for adding depth of color to the legs of yellow-legged fowls. The recipe is three drops in a teaspoonful of sweet oil. Apply the mixture to the legs with a flannel cloth and avoid get- ting it into the plumage. Light applications of iodine will also increase the color of yellow legs, and saffron- yellow is sometimes used. Removing Traces of Stubs Pulled from Legs. Special treatment is not necessary when the defect consists of down or minute stubs, if they are entirely removed from beneath the scales. Larger stubs may leave a hole which discloses the matter. The surface of the scale may be lightly scraped around the edges in cases where this would improve the appearance. The cavity left by removing the stub is generally filled with paraffin, beeswax, yellow soap or putty. How to Secure and Hold Profuse Toe and Leg Feather- ing on Feathered Leg Varieties. A ragged appearance of toe and leg feathering in Asiatic breeds is a serious handicap in the show room and the matter is of great importance to breeders. It all depends upon the runs and floors of houses in which the birds are kept. Floors and yards of sand. or soft earth kept in a loose state should be used and they should be kept very clean. Sawdust may be used on the floors of houses. Feathers are easily broken when they become matted together by droppings, mud, etc., and the birds should be examined frequently to prevent this condition. 12 SECRUTS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS Perfect toe feathering can never be maintained if the birds are kept on hard floors or hard earth runs or in moist, dirty places. How to Prevent Light Colored Legs. Lime used on the dropping boards and about the runs will lessen the depth of color in legs in yellow-legged fowls. Ashes in the runs are also detrimental. Constant confinement on bare ground will bleach yellow legs, and especially during the hot summer months or where the earth is of yellow clay formation. Avoid all these con- ditions and the legs will show as strong color as the birds are naturally capable of showing. How to Clean and Polish the Legs of Exhibition Birds. Cleanliness and the bright, healthful condition of legs and toes count for considerable in the show room. The most successful method of putting the legs in shape is as follows : Wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water, allowing ample time for the water to soak well into the crevices beneath the scales. Clean the dirt from beneath the scales with a wooden toothpick or a match trimmed to a point. Dry the legs and then rub long and briskly with a chamois skin. A final and higher polish is obtained by using alcohol in which a little paraffin wax has been dissolved. How to Secure a New Growth of Scales on Legs. It is claimed that heavy coating of gas tar on the legs of a fowl will cause a molting of the old scales, and that as they fall off the new scales will appear beneath the old ones. Remedy for Leg Weakness in Exhibition Birds That Have Been Fed "Ofif Their Feet." A forcing diet, such as is often necessary in getting birds in show condition, will sometimes produce leg AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 13 weakness to such an extent that the bird can remain on its feet for only a few moments at a time. Treatment in such cases is as follows : Sulphate of iron, one grain ; sulphate of quinine, one-half grain; strychnine, one- sixteenth grain, and phosphate of lime, five grains. Make the mixture into twelve pills of equal size and give one each day. How Back Plumage Is "Fixed" to Reduce the Angle at the Tail and Give a Nicer Curve to the Back. Great improvement may be made in the shape of the back by manipulation of the feathers at and near the base of the tail. The bird must be washed and when the feathers are damp but in the process of drying they can be slightly curved and fluffed into shape so that the low place at base of tail is filled out considerably and a nicer curvature of the back is secured. The feathers when thoroughly dry will hold their shape for some time. Removing Creaminess and Brassiness from White Birds. The mildest treatment for this defect is the use of com- mon wash bluing in the water in which the birds are washed. Peroxide of hydrogen, oxalic acid and ammonia are used effectively in extreme cases. Methods of ap- plication are described upon another page under the head "Washing and Bleaching White Birds." How to Prevent Diarrhoea in Washed Birds. Washing a fowl will very often cause diarrhoea, which has a tendency to soil the fluff plumage and may get the bird out of condition. Give it a good feed of boiled rice which has been liberally sprinkled with pre- pared chalk. How to Prevent Colds When Birds Are Washed. A wet bird placed in a draft will almost surely catch cold and may be unfit for showing. In cases where there 14 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS seems to be danger on this point, give the bird three drops of spirits of camphor on a tablespoonful of mash food after washing. How to Revive Birds Which Have Fainted While Being Washed. Sometimes a bird while being washed will faint on account of the water being too warm, and it may not re- cover. In such cases it should be removed from the tub immediately when the head and neck appear as though they were becoming limp, and immersed quickly in cool water. How to Prevent Death in the Tub While Washing. Occasionally a fowl will die in the tub while being washed. This is caused by action upon the heart pro- duced by the shock of too sudden immersion or by reason of the water being too hot or too cold. These deaths may be prevented by taking care that the causes are not present. How to Easily Get the Soap Out of the Plumage of Birds After Washing. One of the most important details of successful wash- ing is to get all traces of soap removed from the feathers when rinsing the bird. If this is not done the bird will not be fit to show. This work can be greatly facilitated by placing a little borax in the rinsing water. How to Bring Out the Lustre of Plumage Which May Be Lost in Washing a Bird. After the bird is washed and is thoroughly dry, take a silk handkerchief, dust powdered starch upon it and rub lightly the entire surface of outer plumage. The feathers must be absolutely dry and the next day or two after washing is best for starch applications. Washing AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING IS should be done a week before the showing, if possible, and a mash food fed once per day in which ten per cent of the bulk is linseed meal. This puts a natural gloss on the feathers. Quantity of Bluing to Place in the Water Used in Washing White Fowls. If too much bluing is placed in the water the birds will be in worse condition than if riot washed at all. There should be just enough so that a piece of linen dipped in the water and dried will not show the coloring. How to Prevent Feathers from "Curling" When Drying After the Bird Has Been Washed. An important matter which never occurs to most fan- ciers when washing their fowls is the tendency of the feathers to slightly curl around the edges if the bird is placed too close to a fire. The usual method of. drying is to place the bird in front of an open stove, and very often the plumage is injured as above stated without the breeder knowing the cause. The bird should not be so close to the fire that one's hand can not be held for three or four minutes where the bird must stand. The Best Soap for Washing Fowls. Any brand of white soap will answer the purpose. Cas- tile is especially good. Common yellow or laundry soap should never be used. Neither should soap that contains rosin. Complete Detailed Instruction for Washing and Chemi- cally Bleaching White Birds. The following method of washing and bleaching white birds is the recipe of a most successful exhibitor at the largest shows : All white birds need to be washed before •being sent to the show, and this should be done two or 16 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS three days before being sent on their journey. To wash a white bird is a difficult thing, and may rightly be called an art. If it cannot be done right it had better not be done at all, for the birds will look very much better by not being touched than if they were washed and a bad job made of them. Thos? breeding white birds have often noticed, when passing through a show, many white birds looking smoky in color, the feathers sticky and not sitting right — in fact, looking very unwashed indeed. The trouble was that they had been washed by an inex- perienced hand. The first thing necessary is to prepare the room for the work, and to start a good, brisk fire in the stove. Remove all the unnecessary furniture, warm plenty of clear rain water, and set three good-sized tubs in posi- tion around and close to the stove. One needs a good assistant, and no better can be found than a good, patient woman. First, have all the birds ready so that no in- convenience will be caused by having to go to the hen- house for the specimens just when they are wanted. Af- ter having removed all the dirt on the feet, if there be any, a good fanning is necessary, so as to get all the dust out of the feathers that is possible before applying the water. Tub No. 1 should be filled half full of water, lukewarm, as near blood heat as possible, or a little warmer will not hurt. Put the bird gently into the water, holding it there either by the feet or by the sides of the body, de- pending on its disposition. Just then the operator will have to exercise the high- est of all virtues, patience. Take it easy for a while, hold the bird down in the water, partly immersed, and in a while again spraying water with a good-sized sponge. With this rub the feathers well with the web as they lay ; never rub against the lay of the feathers. The best way to hold the bird in the water is, when seated on a chair close to the tub, to face the bird towards you, and wash AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 17 away from you. You will not find it a very difficult job to get the feathers wet. After applying water with the sponge for a while, then begin using the soap. Cas- tile or Ivory soap is good, but I always use Colgate's shaving soap on my birds. With free use of water and soap get the feathers all over — neck, breast, back, cushion, thighs, wing and tail — as wet and soapy as you can. Use the sponge freely, and wet and wash the feathers right to the skin until you get all that dry and fluffy appear- ance out of them. Then they are properly wet. Continue rubbing with the sponge and applying the soap, turn- ing the feathers over and over gently and getting at the entire surface of every feather, if you can. It's a pretty big undertaking, you will then find out. By so doing you will get all the dirt out of the feathers, and the next step — no easy one, either — is to get out all the soap. Tub No. 2 should be in waiting, half full of clean, luke- warm water, as before. Here the bird is put, as in No. 1, and washed thoroughly, so as to get out all the soap. After rubbing with the sponge, and using clean water freely, take a dipper and keep pouring the water out of the tub over the bird, letting it fall with a little force from about a foot above the bird. This will part the feathers and cleanse out the soap. Do this all over the bird. If you do it right, one tub of this kind of work will be enough, but you can't make yourself too sure that you get out all the soap. Tub No. 3 should also be handy, and in it some cool water with just as much bluing as the good wife uses for bluing the white clothes. Into this the bird is put as before, and rinsed with the cool bluing water. The water should be just a little chilly. This is to prevent the bird from catching cold, but, as with yourself, it must be rubbed well, just so that you will not damage the feath- ers. After going through these three operations, the bird is ready for drying, which is not, by any means, the least important part of the work. 18 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS After taking the bird from tub No. 3, put it on a board placed on top of a tub, and by means of the hands squeeze all the water out of its feathers you possibly can. Re- move the bird then to the top of a box, or a chair, placed very close to a good, brisk fire, and begin toweling it with warm, dry towels, so as to absorb all the moisture out of the feathers you can. After doing this so thor- oughly that a dry towel will absorb but littJe moisture, if any, take a sponge, well wet with hydrogen peroxide, and apply this to all the feathers for a few minutes. Hydro- gen peroxide (H^O^) is a good bleacher and helps to take out creaminess, if there be any, and there is always more or less in every white bird. It also gives the feathers a glossy and silky appearance. After dampening well with the bleacher, put a few drops of ammonia on the sponge, and apply this all over, too. This stays the bleach, but must not be made too strong. Great care must be taken not to let the peroxide get on the legs or beak, or it will bleach them, and this is not wanted, as they must retain their yellowness. Now the bird is ready for drying. Keep it before a brisk fire, but not so near as to curl the feathers, or you will spoil them so that it cannot be remedied. With a strong palm fan let the assistant begin the drying, first Tanning one side and then the other. This part of the work is continued until the bird is thoroughly dry. The fire needs to be brisk, the bird being kept turned around and the fan going all the while, and it is surprising how soon the feathers will open out white, dry and flufify. The riufif, the back and under the wing will be longest in dry- ing. Holding a wing up with one hand and fanning with the other will soon make wonderful changes. If the work has been successful thus far, little difficulty will be experienced in getting the birds dry and putting on the finishing touches. Now, we will suppose the bird is nice and dry, and that the feathers are free from stickiness of the soap. It is a AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 19 difficult job to get the feathers wet and soapy, and a diffi» cult one to gfet the soap out again. All it requires to accomplish both is time and patience, and good, clean, warm water. But if on drying it has been found that the feathers are sticky and do not open nice and fluffy, which will not be the case if the work has been done right in the first place, put in order again another fresh pot of clean, warm rain water, and rinse, blue, bleach and dry over again as before. After the birds have been thoroughly prepared as I have outlined, put them back in their coops again until ready to ship to the show. Have the coops specially .clean; clean, dry sawdust is the best thing that one can use, as it is thoroughly dry, clean and of a nice odor. See that the birds are not put in drafts, as they will be liable to catch colds if not well taken care of. There is no danger if one exercises good management, as I have not in twelve years lost a single specimen through washing. How to Clean the Plumage of Parti-Colored Fowls for Show Without Washing. Take a clean white handkerchief and hold it over the steam from boiling water till it is quite moist. Go over the entire outer plumage of the bird, rubbing it gently but constantly, enough to remove the dirt and brighten the plumage. A sponge dampened with ammonia may also be used to advantage at the same time. A week before the birds are to be shown confine them in large, clean, roomy coops or houses with plenty of clean straw for Some Secrets About Eggs for Hatching. Destroying Fertility. — It is commonly believed that occasionally an unscrupulous breeder may be found who will destroy the fertility of eggs sold for hatching. The plans and methods of detection are as follows : Dip the tgg in boiling water for two or three seconds. Such an 20 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS egg when broken will show a thickened lining next to the shell in addition to the regular skin. Dip the egg in kero- sene for a moment, allowing the oil to penetrate the pores of the shell. This is hard to detect, but generally if the shell is wetted with water there will be a slight greasy appearance to it. Prick the small end of the egg deeply with the smallest size sewing needle. Close examina- tion will reveal the hole. Shake the egg vigorously a half dozen times, thereby breaking the lining at the large end and destroying the air cell. Testing the egg as in incubation will reveal the conditions. Washing Eggs During Incubation. — If a sitting hen befouls her nest and the eggs are soiled, the ingress of pure air is lessened or entirely stopped and a healthy, vigorous chick cannot be expected from such an egg. It should be washed lightly with only clear, pure water warmed to blood heat or a little warmer. It should then be thoroughly dried and immediately placed under the hen to prevent chilling. Washing to Destroy Disease Germs. — The germs of white diarrhoea and other diseases are often communi- cated to the chick through contact with liie shell of the egg. In cases where there is any reason to believe that this condition exists, the eggs before being set may be washed in a 90 per cent solution of alcohol or thoroughly wiped with a clean cloth wet with alcohol. Oftentimes better hatches of more vigorous chicks may be obtained by pursuing this course. Length of Time Eggs for Hatching May Be Kept. — Eggs intended for hatching should be set as soon after they are laid as possible. They may be kept from four to six weeks, but from two to three weeks should be the limit. They should be turned daily. Temperature at Which Eggs Should Be Kept. — The temperature may be anywhere between SO and 70 de- grees. The main point is to have it uniform and not greatly varying from day to day. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 21 Preventing Brassiness from Appearing in White Birds. Brassiness will not appear in a specimen of the white varieties unless it is an inherited color characteristic, but it is often brought out and intensified by continued ex- posure to the hot sun. Many breeders, therefore, not only keep their birds in shady places nearly all the time, but some confine them in half-darkened pens for three or four weeks before showing them. How Black or Gray Specks in White Plumage Are Hidden. Exhibitors have been known to cover up gray and black specks in white birds by soiling the plumage where the specks appear. It is done by rubbing the web of the feathers between the thumb and forefinger, which have been moistened and lightly touched to dust or dirt. This gives the feather the appearance of having been acci- dently soiled in some way and the main defect is easily overlooked. How Certain Foods Affect Creaminess and Brassiness in White Fowls. Brassiness in white fowls is not the result of feeding any special articles of food, as, for instance, yellow corn. Creaminess in the quill and under color of plumage is sometimes influenced by food, but it is also a natural condition of "unripe" plumage or of feathers that have not reached their full growth and become seasoned. Yel- low corn, which is so strongly condemned by many breed- ers of white fowls, will color the "sap" in feathers, just as will any other diet of a fattening nature, and even an abundant supply of grass or other growing vegetation in summer will have a tendency to increase creaminess. This creamy color can be reduced to the minimum by regulating the food supply in harmony with the rules above outlined. Cease feeding" fattening foods a few 22 SECRETS OP EXPERT EXHIBITORS weeks before exhibiting the birds and endeavor to have the plumage fully ripened before showing. A Feeding Formula for Forcing Growth and Bone De- velopment in Chicks Intended for Showing and Breeding. Cracked wheat, 25 parts; pinhead oatmeal, 15 parts; millet seed, 10 parts; cracked corn, 10 parts; granulated charcoal, 5 parts ; chick size grit, 10 parts ; buckwheat, 5 parts ; rape seed, 5 parts ; broken rice, 5 parts ; cracked peas, 5 parts, and ground beef scraps or other meat meal, 5 parts. Some of these are not easily obtainable in all localities and the mixture should be made with the in- gredients at hand and considering cost. Feeding to Produce a Darker Shade of Buff. In all methods of color feeding persistence is required in order to produce any noticeable effect, if, in fact, any is really produced. The constant feeding of hemp seed while the plumage is growing is supposed to darken the plumage of buff fowls. A popular feed used by breeders of canary birds and many English poultry fanciers is sweet or tasteless cayenne fed in small quantities con- stantly from hatching time to maturity or till feathers have reached their full growth. What to Feed to Promote Feather Growth. Linseed meal, oil meal, oil cake, sunflower seed and other like feeds will grow feathers rapidly. Tonic for Maintaining Health and Appetite in Show Birds and to Counteract the Effects of Confinement. One of the most important things to know is how to keep up the health and appetite of birds while on exhibi- tion and to counteract the evil effects of continued con- finement. An excellent tonic and "conditioner" is as fol- AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 23 lows : One-half ouiy:e each of carbonate of iron, pulver- ized gentian root, black antimony, mandrake, ginger, flowers of sulphur and powdered charcoal, two ounces of bicarbonate of soda. Mix thoroughly and place one tea- spoonful in each quart of soft food. A Good Stimulant and Preventive of Colds in Birds Shipped to Shows in Extreme Cold Weather. Mix equal parts of sugar syrup and brandy and give the bird a teaspoonful when cooped and ready to start. A like amount may also be given upon arrival at the show. Molasses may be used instead of the syrup, and whisky, or rum in place of brandy. How to Add Lustre to Plumage of Dark-Colored Fowls. Some very successful breeders give their birds red car- bonate of iron for the purpose of adding lustre or sheen to the plumage. A teaspoonful is placed in sufficient mash food for twelve fowls and this is fed three times per week. It should not be given to white fowls.' Beef tallow fed to exhibition fowls is supposed to assist in put- ting gloss on the plumage. One of the Causes of Off-Colored Feathers in Parti- Colored and Black Fowls — How to Remedy the Defect. Parti-colored and black fowls occasionally develop an off-colored fieather as a result of serious debilitating ill- ness or an injury to the plumage, as for instance, the base of the quill becoming broken or injured. The secret of remedying the matter is to pull broken feathers promptly and to remove others as soon as the foreign color is observed. The feathers will usually grow again true to color. 24 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS How to Increase Gloss, Sheen and Depth of Color in Molting Male Birds. In order to bring out the highest perfection of the plumage as regards gloss, sheen, color, etc., the male bird should not be kept constantly with the hens during the molting period. Not only is it detrimental along the above lines, but the male seems to molt more slowly and the plumage in most cases is not properly finished. Securing Depth of Color and Gloss of Plumage. Plumage will lose much of its gloss and the color be- comes "dead" if the bird is repeatedly exposed to alter- nate rains and hot sun. This applies with special force to molting fowls. Preventing Purple Barring in Black Fowls. Purple barring is largely a natural defect, but some of it caused by conditions that can be prevented. The secret of eliminating it as nearly as possible is to adopt methods of care and feeding which will prevent checking the growth of the plumage of maturing young stock or of old stock while molting. Any form of illness or long exposure to chilling weather or lack of sufficient food for a few days checks the growth. This alternate stopping and starting again in the growing of the plumage has a tendency to increase the off-color. The most success- ful exhibitors are careful to avoid these conditions. How White Tips Are Sometimes Removed from Barred Rock Plumage. It is claimed that small white tips may be removed from barred feathers by skillfully burning the ends. Something must be used similar to a red hot piece of metal or a lighted cigar, as a flame of any kind cannot be properly controlled. The charred or singed ends of the feathers should be smoothed out between the thumb and finger. This method of faking is generally easy of de- AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 25 tection, as the ends of the feathers are apt to present a ragged appearance. How Feathers Are Spliced. The practice of splicing feathers is not practicable ex- cept in the case of sickle or main tail feathers. Ofif- colored feathers in all other sections except the wing are generally plucked out entirely and the wing feathers are so much exposed to view and are in such constant use that a spliced feather is not apt to remain intact very long. The method of splicing sickles and main tail feathers is to cut off the feather clear down to the skin. Sometimes the flesh is loosened around the stub of the quill and the edges of it scraped off till they are below the skin. The new feather is then pushed down into the stub firmly. Liquid glue or some strong adhesive substance is generally placed upon the end of the feather before inserting it. How the Plumage of Red Birds Is Treated to Secure a Darker Shade of Color and Lustre. A solution of permanganate of potassium is sometimes used in securing greater depth of color in red fowls. It is an antiseptic used by surgeons for cleansing their hands and is of a clear, purplish red that stains readily. The bird should be washed in the usual way, after which the plumage should be dampened all over with potassium solution and then permitted to dry. If skillfully done it will greatly heighten the color and lustre of plumage. In order to secure the proper strength of the solution the operator should experiment upon a few plucked feathers of the fowl to be treated. A saturated solution of oxalic acid is used for removing the stain from the hands. The acid is purchased in crystal form and just enough placed in a quantity of water that the water will completely take up or dissolve. 26 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS How Dark Streaks Are Removed from the Quill of White Feathers. The quill is rubbed with pumice stone till the foreign color is removed and the surface is then treated by rub- bing prepared chalk into it. How Foreign Color Is Removed from the Edges of Large Feathers. Foreign color or lacing on the extreme edges of feath- ers is sometimes removed by wearing away the edge with pumice stone. In such cases there is a more or less fringed or frayed appearance to the feather, but this is usually claimed to be due to the fowls constantly brush- ing up against the wire netting or the rough boards in the runs in which they have been confined. Covering Up Off-Color in Black Plumage, Including Purple Barring. ■The most common color defects in the plumage of black fowls are gray or white tips. These are covered up by applications of India ink, lamp-black or graphite, the latter perhaps being used most frequently. With a little practice, one can become sufficiently expert in applying these dyes that they cannot be detected unless suspected and thorough examining tests are made. Purple barring in black fowls is sometimes lessened in appearance by the use of graphite. How to Improve the Color of Any Parti-Colored Birds. Many breeders who would not acknowledge it are often guilty of plucking off-colored feathers. In all laced, spangled, penciled or barred varieties the appearance of a bird, as regards color, can generally be much improved in neck, breast and body by skillful feather-pulling. The only caution necessary is to refrain from pulling so many feathers in close proximity to each other that an examina- AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 27 tion of the skin will indicate that the feathers have been unnaturally molted. Care is also taken that harmony of surface color as presented by the overlapping of the feath- ers is not destroyed to such an extent that detection is possible. Putting Birds in Show Condition That Have Missing or Broken Feathers in Main Tail or Wing. Large feathers, such as those of the main tail or of the wings, may be pulled and new ones will take their places in from four to six weeks. Sometimes this practice is prompted by reasons that are entirely honest and legiti- mate, as in the case of part of a feather being broken off accidentally. Why Some Male Birds Are Slow in Growing Their Sickles and How to Avoid It. Cockerels are slow to grow their sickle feathers of the tail if they are kept in a pen or a run with an old cock bird. This is one of the results of the younger birds be- ing "cowed" continually by the old bird. How to Artificially Molt Fowls in Nearly Half the Regular Time. In midsummer or at just about the time a bird is be- ginning to molt the process can be greatly hastened by plucking a few feathers from it every day or two. The main tail feathers and the large feathers of the wing may be removed by degrees, but no feathers should be pulled that are not entirely ripe. If a bloody fluid appears after the feather is removed, it is an indication that the feather is not ready to be molted. A little observation and prac- tice will enable the breeder to readily know, without plucking a feather, whether or not it is ready to be re- moved. Plucking the feathers opens the way for new ones and they grow in much more rapidly. 28 SECRETS OP EXPERT EXHIBITORS Points That Aid in Distinguishing Pullets Entered for Exhibition as Hens. In some cases there is no test that will furnish abso- lute proof, but many times a combination of points exist- ing in connection with a bird are practically infallible evidence. Some of these are brightness and freshness of plumage, youthful freshness of face, eyes and other head points, pink veins discernible beneath the skin under the wings, skin that is not so coarse and dry looking as in hens. Skill in telling the age of fowls comes largely from experience in handling them. How to Properly Pick Up and Hold a Fowl, That the Plumage May Not Be Broken. Reach for the bird with the right hand, thrusting the hand under the left wing and grasping it firmly at the base where it joins the body. Draw the bird toward you in this manner till your left hand can be thrust between the legs. Let the left hand rest against the keel bone, with the right leg between the first and middle fingers and the left leg between the middle and third fingers. The bird will then rest upon the forearm with the head toward you. This leaves your right hand free for han- dling the plumage, etc. How to Increase the Vigor of Male Birds and Increase the Fertility of Eggs. Male birds that seemingly lack vigor in the breeding pen or that appear to have passed their period of useful- ness may often be brought into prime condition by ad- ministering doses of cantharides. Consult a physician for quantity and frequency of doses. Tincture of damiana is a milder tonic and can be given once a week. The dose is one teaspoonful. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 29 A Frequent Cause of Brassy Colored Stain on White Birds. Many birds are ruined for show purposes by allowing them to constantly run through tall weeds of various kinds. The weeds become broken or bruised and the sap impart^ a greenish brassy color to the plumage. What Novices Need to Know About Culling Flocks of Black, Buff and Red Fowls for Color Defects. Many of the very choicest and most valuable exhibition and breeding birds in black, buff and red varieties of fowls show many ofiE-colored feathers until they are from three to six months of age. Black fowls often have con- siderable white in the plumage. Buff fowls may have much white and black in them, and red fowls also show white and black. The safest plan for amateurs to follow is to keep all their young stock till it is five or six months old, except such as are culls unmistakably. The Points in Breeding That Specially Influence Size and Those That Influence Color. Many experienced breeders hold the idea that greater size can be bred into a flock of fowls more through the medium of the male bird than through the females, and that greater progress along the line of color perfection is to be obtained through the females. This means that if we mate a pair of birds, both of which are equally meri- torious in size and color, the male bird will be found more prepotent in transmitting his size than his color and the female will stamp her color upon the progeny in a more pronounced degree than she will her size. Cause of Infertile Eggs from Many Show Birds. The secret of poor results in the breeding pen from birds that have been exhibited is usually that the confine- ment in the show coops has been too long. Three con- / 30 . SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS secutive weeks of show room confinement and treatment will injure most birds. The best posted exhibitors will not risk more than a week without an intermission of about a like period. How to Put Exhibition Plumage Upon Houdans That Are Too Dark for Show Purposes. If nicely colored Houdans are wanted in their second year as cocks and hens, it is generally necessary to'have them almost black when they are cockerels and pullets and far too black for show purposes. Such cockerels and pullets are developed into show birds by going all over the plumage a few weeks before the show and plucking little bunches of five or six feathers here and there. These feathers grow in again quickly and many of them are nicely tipped with white. An Important Point in Developing Extra Size and Early Maturity. The simple plan of separating the sexes at as early a date as they can be ascertained will produce wonders in development if the birds are penned away from each other and not in close proximity, as they would be if placed in adjoining runs. Here is a condition where the breeder who can give his birds free range has the ad- vantage. The Time When a Pullet Is in Best Condition for Showing. Experienced exhibitors know that there is a certain period in the life of a pullet when the freshness, the bloom of youth, the greatest vigor and statejiness of carriage are all present in the greatest degree. That time is from one to three weeks before she has laid her first egg. Therefore, when it is possible to do so, selection for show purposes should be made with these points in mind. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 31 Pullets can, to some extent, be held back from starting to lay by changing them to different quarters weekly or oftener. How Certain Kinds of Perches Spoil the Tail Plumage. The tail feathers of exhibition fowls are often more or less rough or ragged along the edge of the web because of the perches being so close to the wall of the poultry house that the tails of the birds are constantly rubbed against the walls or crushed against them. The perches should be so far away from the wall that the feathers cannot touch it. How to Clean Paint from Birds That Have Come in Contact with Newly Painted Coops or Houses. . Saturate a cloth with benzine and rub the feathers with it, using a clean portion of the cloth with each stroke. The feathers themselves may be saturated with the liquid if they are badly strained. Proper Size for Exhibition Coops and the Color Which Shows White Fowls to Best Advantage. Exhibition coops should not be less than 28 inches deep, 30 inches high and 20 inches long. A coop 25 inches long will do for two ordinary sized birds. Coops should be painted light blue for white fowls, and if cloth- covered all around, it is advisable to use heavy goods that also can be painted or dyed light blue. How Sickle Feathers Are Shortened Without Clipping the Ends. The main sickles of male birds and the main tail feath- ers of both males and females are sometimes shortened by cutting out the surplus at a point near the base of the feather and splicing it as explained upon another page under the head "How Feathers Are Spliced." 32 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS How to Prevent Color Cuts on Plumage by Stopping the Flow of Blood from Comb, Wattles, Etc., When Injured in the Show Room. In dressing wounds, and especially those about the comb and head caused from fighting or other form of injury, use cobwebs applied freely to the bleeding places. Fuller's earth is perhaps the best remedy, but it is not always easily obtained. Alum or powdered tannin are also excellent articles for this purpose. One or more of these articles are carried by many exhibitors in the show room for immediate use in case they are needed. They lessen the unsightly appearance of injured parts and re duce to a minimum the quantity of blood on the plumage. Bloodstains on plumage are often the cause of cuts for color, and especially if an effort has been made to wash the blood from the plumage or if the comb, head, wattles, .etc., have been washed and the bloody water has run down upon the neck plumage, which, in white fowls, has the appearance of brassiness. How Unscrupulous Exhibitors Have Been Known to Prevent a Competitor's Birds from Showing Properly. Unscrupulous breeders have been known to "doctor" the birds of their competitors in the show room and prevent them from winning by giving the bird a four or five-grain capsule of whisky an hour or two before the judging. The effect upon the bird is the dropping of the head and tail and a general appearance of lassitude or ill- ness, in which condition the judge cannot intelligently pass upon it for shape. How to Add Weight to Exhibition Birds Quickly. Many a bird of superior merit fails to win because of the severe cut for shortage of weight. Generally a pound or pound and a half can be added to a bird by expert feeding. The special feeding should begin about four to AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 33 six weeks before the bird is to be shown and it should be confined in a small pen or a big, roomy coop. One feed each day should be a mash, the greater portion of which should consist of two or more of the following articles: boiled rice, boiled potatoes, cornmeal, barley meal, buck- wheat meal. Bran, wheat midlings, ground oats, etc., may form a small percentage of the total bulk. Five per cent of beef tallow, linseed meal or cottonseed meal should be added. Mix the mash with whole or skim milk, the former preferred. Give sweetened water to drink. Two other feeds per day should be given, consisting of corn, barley or buckwheat. An ample supply of grit should be kept before the birds. With the variety of foods here specified, the breeder can avoid feeding the same mash or the same whole grains two days in succes- sion. The object should be to not cloy the appetite of the birds by continued feeding of the same rations. They should be given a good tonic or condition powder to counteract the ill effects of forcing, although some birds will not need it. The following is used by a number of experts : One ounce each of fenugreek, mandrake, ginger and gentian root with four ounces of bicarbonate of soda ; mix thoroughly and place one teaspoonful in each quart of mash food. How to Make a Bird of Its Own Accord Pose in the Show Coop. The secret of having birds tame and in condition that they will pose in the show coop is to properly train them for a few weeks before showing. Place them in a coop similar to the exhibition coop and handle them often. Feed them in these coops and hold choice bits of food, such as meat, etc., near the top of the coop so that they are compelled to reach for it. Many a good bird loses first prize because it is wild and the judge cannot get it to assume a natural position. 34 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS The Acid Method of Dyeing White Feathers Black. The following method requires experience and expert handling: Dissolve one-half ounce of nitrate of silver in two ounces of concentrated ammonia. Dissolve one-half ounce of gum arabic in one-third of a pint of water. These two solutions should then be thoroughly mixed. Next, dissolve one-fourth of an ounce of gallic acid in a half pint of alcohol and then add a pint of water. The feather or feathers to be colored should be thoroughly clean, and it is best to wash them. After they are dry, apply the second solution, containing the gallic acid, soaking the feather thoroughly. Dry it with a clean cloth and then apply the first solution. After this has become dry, the feather may then be washed, in order to remove the rough appearance of the coloring. Legitimate Show Preparation Versus Faking It would seem at first thought that nothing could be easier than to draw the line between honesty and dishon- esty in preparing birds for the show room. But in this, as in all other things, we must consider the views of many different minds, and as all people will not think alike, we are confronted with conditions which require special rules and ethical standards. In the glossary of technical terms in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection the word faking is defined as "any self-evident attempt on the part of an exhibitor to deceive the judge and thus obtain an unfair advantage in compe- tition." In connection with this definition, a few specific Items are mentioned, such as removing side sprigs, trim- ming combs, artificial coloring of plumage, staining of legs, etc. These methods are unquestionably open to criticism and are properly termed faking, but there are many other practices which are not mentioned by the Standard and about which there is considerable difference of opinion. The definition given by the Standard is not literally fol- lowed by fanciers, and never will be. Take, as an example, the washing of white fowls and the use of common "wash blue" in the water used for rinsing the plumage. The use of this "blue" serves to make the plumage whiter than it really is. This, therefore, is changing the color of the plumage, even though the change is hardly per- ceptible, although it is quite so when skillfully done. Un- der a strict interpretation of the Standard law, this is an attempt to deceive the judge and is taking unfair advan- tage of other exhibitors who do not prepare their birds in that way. Still, there is not the slightest criticism 36 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS from any source of the washing of white birds in this manner, and, in fact, amateur fanciers are taught through poultry journals and books how to do it to best advan- tage. The most honorable and respected fanciers have repeatedly explained it over their signature in the col-' umns of the poultry press. Custom, therefore, decrees that you can fake a little, but not too much. The question is, how much? There are many other little items of show preparation that are fully approved and that come within the same range as the use of bluing in washing white birds. Then there are some others just a little farther removed from these and which come under the head of "doubtful" practices, as, for instance, the removal of black feathers from Barred Rocks in all sections except wings and tail. There should be no attempt to deceive the uninformed in regard to the true conditions. It is rank folly to deny that some of the best Barred Rocks ever bred have had a few black feathers in them, and that these feathers are plucked from many of the prize-winning birds at our largest shows. If we take the Standard to mean just what it says, this is faking, but by common consent of fanciers it is considered legitimate faking, if we may use that term. It is in the consideration of items of this charac- ter where we meet with difficulty in drawing the line be- tween honesty and dishonesty. It is not honest to pluck these black feathers, except that there is an unwritten law making it honest. Then, the breeder of White Wyan- dottes, White Rocks or some other white varieties comes to the front and wants to know why it is that the Barred Rock breeder may pluck black feathers from Barred Rocks and the breeder of white varieties is branded as a faker if he pulls a feather or two that may have just a few specks of black in it. His question is right to the point, but no one can give a satisfactory reply, and he, therefore, takes the matter in his own hands and gen- erally removes the off-colored feathers. Other cases AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 37 might be mentioned involving other similar defects, but the above will serve as an example. The question is, what can be done to harmonize con- ditions and to eliminate all doubt as to what is faking and what is not. There ought to be some way to give everybody a chance. There are not as many rascals in the fancy poultry business as some people would have us believe. There are thousands of breeders who would not do anything to take an unfair advantage or that would conflict with their conscientious views of the mat- ter, but some things are justifiable in self-defense, and with no absolute or specific guide to govern all breeders, there exists an elasticity which leads us into paths in which we would not like to be seen. The way matters stand at the present time, there are too many qustions which are left to the judgment of breeders and there is too wide a difference of opinion among them as to what is fair and what is not. A Little Advice to Exhibitors Concerning Judging. Don't under any circumstances feel that the judge is prejudiced against you. This feeling causes harsh words, trouble and much unpleasantness in every way for all concerned. If you must think that this condition might exist, don't show your birds under such a judge. Keep them at home. Always maintain your dignity and self-respect by act- ing like a gentleman or a lady. An open demonstration of anger and uncomplimentary remarks concerning the judge, the association or other exhibitors will turn people against you and you lose the support you hope to gain. Remember that judges are human like yourself and that they sometimes make mistakes just as you do, and just as you would do if you were doing the judging. Even our most learned judges in the highest courts of law sometimes make mistakes. If it is clearly evident that the judge has made a mis- take, go to him and in a pleasant way ask him if he has not made an error. If you can show that he has and he refuses to correct it, you then have cause for reporting the matter to the proper show officials. Never make a formal signed statement unless you are absolutely sure of your ground. Very few protests, if any, are ever sustained, and your failure to prove your case will hurt you much more than the loss of a prize. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 39 If you have any complaints to make, choose the proper time for it and do not condemn the judge till you have given him a chance to explain. Remember that the judge must pass upon the birds just as he finds them in the coop. He cannot take into con- sideration that your bird, while in your yards at home, carried its tail lower, or that its comb was straight, or that it stood in a more natural position, showing a better shaped back, breast, neck, etc. He must judge the birds just as he finds them, and he has very little time to try to make them pose. Do not direct a rapid fire of questioning at the judge while he is doing his work, unless he is willing to have you do so. Some judges cannot keep their minds on sev- eral things at the same time, and the answering of ques- tions diverts their thought from their work and they are apt to make mistakes. Some judges are more courteous and obliging than others and show a greater interest in answering ques- tions and helping breeders with advice. You ought to use your influence in having these judges employed by asso- ciations where you hold membership. This is one way of getting satisfactory judging. Learn to be a cheerful loser. Everybody cannot win. Some must lose. Don't be blind to the defects in your birds. Don't magnify their good points. Criticize them just as you would if they belonged to your competitor. Get all that is due you from the judge — no more, no less. Ignorance, arrogance, incompetency and a disre- gard for the rights of exhibitors should not be tolerated. 40 SEC RUTS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS A judge should be more than willing to discuss griev- ances and try to show a dissatisfied exhibitor that his decisions are correct, and he ought to cheerfully and promptly correct any mistake that may have been made. After you and your competitors have spent months at home and hours in the show room examining various specimens, weighing their defects and dwelling upon their good points, don't expect the judge to form in a minute the impressions you have formed in months. He sees the birds just at the time, and a short time at that. Concerning Show Preparation. If you do not give a little special attention to prepar- ing your birds for the show, you cannot expect to get the same results as a breeder who does. A bird picked right up out of the yards, without hav- ing received any special fitting, can always be improved in some ways. The coat may not make the man, but fine feathers and stylish carriage certainly make the show bird. You can control this to a large extent. White birds ought to be washed, and black, buff and parti-colored birds should "also have their plumage cleaned as explained on another page. Birds that are wild and object to being handled will not assume a natural position in the show coop when the judge approaches it, and he, therefore, cannot do them justice in judging their shape. Broken feathers in wings and tail are the points that often lose the prize to otherwise winning specimens, and 42 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS Do not exhibit a bird that is out of condition physically. Confinement in the show room will aggravate illness of any kind, and the bird will seldom, if ever, win a prize. If it is too much trouble for you to work with your birds and put them in best show condition, you are not a real fancier. It is a sign of success when you reach the point where handling the birds and fitting them for the show is a pleasure instead of a task. Concerning Relations with Associations. Read the rules of the show as printed in the Premium List and then abide by them. A strict enforcement of the rules is absolutely necessary for the success of the show. Get your entry blanks made out and into the hands of the secretary in time. This will often save you a great amount of trouble and inconvenience. Take your chances on getting your birds in a good position in the show room. Everybody cannot get in a good, light location or in the most desirable part of the show room. If you are not in attendance at the show, don't expect the secretary to ascertain and mail to you the scores of your birds, or what they won, or other similar informa- tion before the close of the show. He has his hands full every moment of the time. Don't ask the judge for your score cards or to let you handle them. He has no right to give them to anyone ex- cept the secretary of the show. Don't ask the secretary to give them to you till they have been entered upon the books of the Association and the prizes are all awarded. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 43 Remember that there are dozens of other exhibitors who are just as much interested as you are and that the showing of favoritism in any way by the officials is a sure way to create dissatisfaction that will hurt the show. Don't handle the birds of other exhibitors without their permission. You don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry handling yours, do you? Don't complain of mismanagement of the show un- less there is a good reason for it and then go to the offi- cials first. Remember that some things will go wrong no matter how hard the officers work to prevent it. As a general rule everybody is overworked at a poultry show. If you are a member of an association, don't stay away from the meetings and then criticize the actions of those who bear the burdens. Help push. Have a voice in the affairs of the organization, but have it at the proper time. Take advantage of all privileges that are rightfully due you. See that your birds are properly cared for. Don't hesitate to ask for proper information upon any matter that concerns you and if you can't get all that is coming to you, kick vigorously, but above all things be sure, absolutely sure, that you are right and then pro- ceed in a dignified and gentlemanly way. After your class has been judged, don't expect the show officials to stop the rest of the work to figure out your awards and get up your ribbons. There are other classes which should be judged just as promptly as yours. The man with the bantams and the ducks paid his entry fees just the same as you did. Easy Lessons in Judging — No. 1 Much more rapid progress would be made by breeders if they would learn to score or judge their fowls. It is a comparatively easy matter to master one variety if we have had two or three years' experience in breeding it. After we learn the one variety, all others of the same breed will not prove much of a task because they are all alike in shape, the difference being in color or shape of comb. The first point to fix in the mind is that each section of the fowl is allotted a certain number of points and that the total is one hundred. For instance, in the American class, which includes all varieties of Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, etc., symmetry, which means the harmonious relation of all sections of a fowl one with another, as regards shape, is valued at 4 points. Weight is given 4 points. Condition 4, Head 4, Beak 4, Eyes 4, Comb 8, Wattles and Ear Lobes 4, Neck 10, Back 10, Breast 10, Body and Fluff 8, Wings 10, Tail 10, Legs and Toes 6, making a total of 100 points. Some of these sections are divided, as for example the neck, which is given 10 points, with 4 for shape and 6 for color. The method of scoring of a fowl is to determine in one's mind just how defective it is in each section and deduct this percentage of defect from the total number of points given to the section. If a bird should be absolutely per- fect in shape and color of all sections it would score 100 points, because there would be no deductions to be made. If it should be perfect in all sections except comb and the comb was 25 percent defective, the cut would be 25 per- cent of the 8 points allotted to comb, which would be 2 points. This deducted from 100 would leave 98 points, which would be the score of the bird. The same rule is followed with each section and after the percent of the AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 45 amount of defect in all the sections is determined, the total is deducted from 100, which gives the score of the bird. The Standard has placed a valuation upon a great many specific defects in all varieties and this makes it easier for the amateur judge to do correct work, and it also aids in producing harmony of ideas among the older judges. In the case of single combs, the Standard speci- fies a cut of j4 for each point (or spike) more or less than five, because each point is valued at j^. In all single comb varieties except Minorcas the comb should have five perfect shaped points. The total value of these points at ^ each is 2^. The total value of the comb in the American class, as previously stated, is 8 points, which leaves Sj^ points for general size and shape, not including the spikes. If the comb contains seven spikes instead of five it would have to be discounted 1 point for the two extra spikes. If it was only half as good in other ways as a perfect comb there would be an addi- tional discount of half oi Syi points, which would be 2^ points, which added to the 1 point discount for extra spikes would make the total discount or cut 3^. Some of the defects usually found in combs in addition to too many or too few spikes are coarseness of texture, which should be cut yi to I point ; thumb marks, 1 to 2 points ; rear of comb turning around, 1 point; too large, >^ to 1>4 points; too thin or too thick at the base, J^ to 2 points, and lopping over (not sufficient to disqualify), 1 to 3 points. With all these defects to be considered, it should be an easy matter for any experienced breeder to understand that a cut of 1 point for comb is exceptionally light, and that not one comb in a thousand or more can consistently be passed with a cut of Yz or perhaps ^, and yet it is a common occurrence for exhibitors to look "daggers" at the judge if an extra good comb is cut more than J4. A 46 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS 3 point cut on comb is an exceptional one in the show room today, and a 4 point cut is so seldom that an in- stance may not be found in several shows selected at ran- dom. But under a strict interpretation of the Standard, 3 point cuts should be quite frequent. There is undoubt- edly a tendency to score birds too high, but the evil is one that cannot be eliminated by the influence of one or two judges without entailing an injustice and great loss to the exhibitors affected. Two breeders exhibiting at different shows may have birds of practically the same quality and in fact this is the rule in thousands of cases. If the judge at one show is a "hard cutter," discounting the birds severely, and if the judge at the other show is a liberal one, giving high scores, the breeder who receives the low scores is at a great disadvantage, as he is com- pelled to advertise a score of 94, for instance, when his competitor can advertise 95, thus wrongfully influencing buyers to the detriment of the breeder with the low score. There is need for a greater uniformity in judging, and it is bound to come sooner or later. Easy Lessons in Judging— No. 2 In order to convey to the uninformed reader a clearer idea of the method used in scoring, we shall endeavor to point out the defects in the shape of the bird here illus- trated and will specify the proper cuts, explaining the method of arriving at them. The principle is the same in scoring all breeds and varieties. Among the rarest things in the show room is a Leg- horn male of any variety, that can be called Standard type. This is particularly true as regards shape of back. The back seems to be a feature that will not come right, no matter how hard breeders try to get it. The Standard shape of Leghorns is the same for all varieties, both Sin- gle and Rose Comb, and including Brown, White, Buff, Black and Silver Duckwing. The Standard describes the shape of back as follows : "Rather long, slightly rounded at shoulders, slightly sloping downward from shoulders to center of back, then rising in a gradually increasing concave sweep to tail." In the scale of points, the back is allowed five for shape and five for color. The bird shown in this connection is a Rose Comb Brown Leghorn male. It will be noted that he is not standing in a natural position such as he would assume if at liberty in the yard under ordinary circumstances. He is in a somewhat crouching position, with neck and tail lowered, but this is in his favor when offering criti- cism of his back because if he were standing naturally his neck would be thrown upward and backward and his tail would be elevated. This change of position would cause his back to appear straighter and more of an angle would be formed at the juncture of tail and back, thereby giving greater prominence to the faults of his back. Much better backs may be found at many shows, but thousands 48 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS of specimens are no better in this section than the bird shown here. With only five points allowed for shape of back, it is not possible to cut this specimen more than five points, no matter how imperfect it may be. The Standard de- scription previously quoted calls for a concave back. The back on the specimen shown herewith could hardly be more imperfect even though it were convex. It is prac- tically straight, being neither concave nor convex. It is an excellent back for a Minorca and if on a specimen of that variety, it could pass with a cut of one-half point, but when placed upon a Leghorn it is a sorry misfit. It Is straight instead of being concave or properly curved and this deserves at least a cut of one and one-half points. It should have at least one-fourth off for the incline or slant and this makes one and one-quarter points. The total cuts would therefore be two and three-quarter points. How many judges would have the nerve to cut a back of this kind two and three-quarter points ? Those who did would be severely criticized by many breeders. A Minorca back on a Leghorn is an abomination and deserves the severest cut. The comb on this bird is not an exceptionally good one. An intelligent opinion in regard to details cannot be ex- pressed because we have only a side view of it. The breadth of it cannot be seen and it may be very hollow in front. The comb in all varieties of Leghorns is valued by the Standard at ten points. The defects that can be seen in the picture are the height of the comb from the base of the skull, the extension over the side of the head forming a recess and the thickness of the blade from the top to the point where it leaves the top of the head. These features alone are deserving of a cut of one and a half points, which would place the valuation of the defects at 15 per cent. Rose Comb Brown Leghorn Male, refei-red to in Lesson No. Pages 47 to 51, Inclusive. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 51 The neck, as it appears in the picture, is much too short and thick. It would not be nearly so defective if the bird were standing erect. Shape of neck is valued at three points, and this one is not less than one-third defective, which would make a cut of one point about the proper amount, taking the comb just as it can be seen in the illustration. The breast should be well rounded, full; carried well forward. This is the Standard description. Any novice can plainly see that the bird does not come anywhere near fitting the description. The breast is extremely flat from the hock up to the hackle. Calling it one-third defective is treating it liberally, and as four points are allowed for perfection, the cut on this basis would be about one and one-half points. If the reader will compare this picture with that of the male Leghorn in the Standard, the great difference will be readily noted. The body is especially defective, it being nearly or quite as long as would be required for a Minorca. There is so much of the body in front of the legs that it seems greatly overbalanced and the bird has the ap- pearance of being ready to topple over on account of being so heavy in front and so little of the body back of the legs. The body is valued at three points. If it was fifty percent defective the cut would be one and a half points, but this is perhaps a little severe and one and a quarter would be better. The tail is almost perfect, ex- cept in carriage. It is much too low, but between the two evils the tail that is too low is to be preferred to one that is equally as much too high. One of the worst and most common defects in Leghorn males is straight or squirrel tails. If this tail was carried at the proper angle, 45 degrees, it could be passed with a cut of one- half point. Easy Lessons in Judging — No .3 In this lesson we shall consider the scoring of Barred Plymouth Rocks and discuss the matter with reference to the highest score that can consistently be given to a bird of this variety. The subject is one that can hardly be duplicated as regards the number of breeders and exhibitors interested in it. No variety, absolutely none, is more difficult to breed to Standard requirements. Some of the very best talent to be found in the poultry world has constantly been striving for perfection in this variety and from the testimony of some of the old time judges, we are forced to the conclusion that perfection is just about as far dis- tant as it ever was. We often hear the statement that the Standard values color 40 percent and shape 60 percent, thus attaching more importance to shape. This is a mistake. Color is given 41 points out of the total of 100. Shape is given 51 points, which includes 4 for symmetry and 8 for comb, and the 8 for comb should really not be considered in this comparison because it is not strictly a shape section like some portions of the body. Neither is it cut for color. The remaining 8 points are divided between weight and condition, 4 for the former and 4 for the latter. The sections that are cut for both shape and color are given 39 for shape and 41 for color, which makes the division approximately 51 percent for color and 49 percent for shape. But without specifically considering the above com- parison let us see what would be necessary for a Barred Rock to score 95 points. Suppose the bird was so near perfection that it could pass with a cut of only ^ point for color in neck, back, breast, body, wings, tail, and ^ for shape of comb. This would make a total of 3j4 and AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING S3 is assuming that the bird is perfect in color of head, including eyes, and also in color of wattles and ear lobes and legs and toes. Then suppose that in the other 12 sections it is perfect in 9 and is cut only J4 point each in the remaining 3. This would make ij^ points, and the bird would then score 95. Such a bird as described above has never been bred and never will be. There never was a Barred Rock that under a strict application of the Standard was absolutely perfect in any color section. Surely no breeder will deny this. There- fore the least cut that can be given in each color section is yi. Perfection of color consists of several things. The feathers should be regularly barred, the bars should be narrow, they should be parallel, they should be sharply defined, they should be free from shafting or brownish tinge or metallic sheen. The white should be a "grayish white," not any other kind of white, and the dark bars should be a bluish black that "stops short of a positive black." Every feather in every section should fit this description and every one of them should be barred clear down to the skin. In summing up what the highest possible score could be, we believe that the following estimate is a fair one: Taking the sections as they appear in the Standard we will apportion the cuts something like this — symmetry perfect, weight perfect, condition perfect, head perfect in both shape and color, eyes perfect in shape and color, comb ^ for shape, wattles perfect, ear lobes perfect in shape and color, neck I/2 for color, back }i for color and y2 for shape, breast J/j for color and }^ for shape, body and fluff }i for color, wings 1 for color, tail j4 for shape and % for color, legs and toes perfect in shape and color. This makes a total of 6 points and would make the score 94. Ten thousand specimens might be inspected and not one of this quality be found. In all our experience as a judge, we have never given a score of 94 to a Barred Rock. In fixing the above cuts in just the places they 54 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS appear, we do not wish to convey the impression that if a 94-point bird could be found, the score card would be a duplicate of the above. For instance, the breast, back or tail may pass without a cut for shape, but if they should, there would be other sections in which the de- fects would bring up the total to the same amount. In our opinion, a score of 94 could be reached by a pullet only. A cock bird could not get close enough to it to entitle him to a moment's consideration. A 91j4- point cock is a "corker." This is why the Standard permits the awarding of first prize to a cock bird if he scores as high as 88, while in the other classes a bird must reach 90. A cockerel that scores 92^ honest points is about as good as a breeder can hope to get. A 93- point hen and a 93^-point pullet are about the limits in their respective classes. The average first prize cockerel at a good show in strongest competition will be found to score about as follows: Weight yi, comb 1, neck j^ for shape and % for color, back % for shape and % for color, breast j4 for color, body and fluff yi for color, wings 1% for color, tail j4 for shape and 1 for color, a total of 7%, which would make the score 92^. Cuts of 5^ point in Barred Rock color are almost impossible if the Standard be strictly applied. The color value of the neck is 6 points. If the neck is only half as good as a perfect neck, then the cut should be hall of 6, which would be 3. If it were one-third defective, the cut would be 2. If it were one-fifth or 20 percent defective, the cut would be practically 1%. If it were only one eighth or 12 J4 percent defective, the cut would be ^. Let the reader fix his mind on the full requirements of the Stand- ard as regards color and then ask himself if he ever saw a neck on a Barred Rock cockerel that was only one- eighth defective or 87j^ percent perfect. Yet in order to make the cut }4 we havie to say that the neck was about 92 percent perfect. Five points are fixed by the Standard as the color value for back and six for wings. AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING S5 If we find a bird that is less than one-fourth defective in color of wings we have found a remarkable specimen. One-fourth of the 6 points allowed for color of wings would give us 1^ points, and except in most unusual cases this should be the minimum color cut in this sec- tion. We may get fairly good wing bows and secon- daries, but the primaries is where the trouble arises. Breeders are careful to conceal these when showing the wing barring. It is a tender spot and they hoodwink themselves and each other by hiding this section. They don't like to consider it. The average cockerel deserves a cut of about two points in wing color, and many of them should be cut 4. If each section is carefully gone over and discounted in true proportion to the Standard values we will readily see that 92-point cockerels and 93- point pullets are rare good birds. It is not a discredit to Barred Rocks nor a reflection upon the ability of breeders that this variety does not score as high as the solid color birds. The public should be educated in the matter and amateurs should be made to understand that a 93-point Barred Rock pullet is as good a bird in its class as is a 96 White Rock pullet in its class. The same proportionate difference exists in both sexes and in young and old birds. Easy Lessons in Judging— No. 4 In the following remarks we call attention to three types of fowls that at the first glance would appear to the amateur breeder as being of one variety, namely, the Plymouth Rock, the Wyandotte and the Orpington. There is an old saying known to all poultrymen but never thought of by the average breeder in the light of its full importance. We refer to the truism, "Shape makes the breed, and color the variety." The old Stand- ard descriptions for these breeds were so similar in many respects that were it not for a few minor details we could not distinguish some of the varieties upon any other basis than the shape of their bodies. For example, take the White Plymouth Rock arid the White Wyandotte. The Wyandotte has a rose comb and the Plymouth Rock a single comb, but in all other respects the description was the same except in shape of body. The two types are so apt to breed alike that hundreds of birds exhibited at the shows could pass for either breed, were it not for the comb. The same is true of BufT Plymouth Rocks and Buff Wyandottes. Quite a number of the White and Buff Plymouth Rocks found at the shows and in the yards of breeders seemed to be simply Single Comb Wyandottes. Many Buff Orpingtons would easily pass for Buff Plymouth Rocks were it not for white or pinkish white legs and toes. It often was necessary for the judge to look at the legs of the fowl in order to determine what breed the exhibitor claimed the birds to be. To the inexperienced person and amateur poultryman it was a most difficult matter to distinguish between these three breeds if shape alone was considered, and the breeder could never make any great progress till he had clearly fixed in his mind the shape of the one he was breeding. At the present time, thanks to the diligent AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 57 eflfort of conscientious breeders and the American Poul- try Association, the Standard for these three varieties has been changed so as to meet with the approval of the different specialty clubs and fanciers. The types are now so well understood that the difference is noted even by one not familiar with fowls. The types are en- tirely different and by observation and study of the Standard of Perfection one can soon learn the true type of each. It is, of course, impossible for a breeder to secure the proper shape in all the birds he raises, but if be knows what the proper shape is, he can discard the culls intelligently and can keep and breed from the most typical specimens, thereby increasing the average excel- lence of his flock. It is impossible in space here available to more than briefly refer to a few of the differences in type in the three breeds mentioned. The body proper is the most distinguishing feature, but the details of neck, back, tail and breast constitute special modifications that are of great importance. In order to get a correct idea of the difference in type it is necessary to compare the illus- trations in the Standard, although a fair idea may be obtained by viewing living models nearly perfect in type and by having the defects pointed out by some one who is familiar with the breeds. There is just as much dif- ference between the Orpington and the Plymouth Rock as there is between either of them and the Wyandotte. The Plymouth Rock body is much longer than either tl;ie Orpington or Wyandotte and it is not nearly so deep. It tapers from front to rear and produces what is often termed a "wedge" shape. It is also higher from the ground, but while this feature impresses one as a shape characteristic it is really attributable to the greater length of the legs. The Wyandotte body is set on shorter legs and it is more compact. It is quite deep and short, much more so than that of the Plymouth Rock, and instead of being long and "wedge" shaped 58 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS it is short, deep and very much rounded, with a slight cushion in the back of the female. The shape of the Orpington body is a peculiar one and somewhat difficult to describe. It is long, like the Plymouth Rock, but is much deeper. It may be said to be a Plymouth Rock in length and a Wyandotte in depth, although the charac- teristic shape of neck, back and tail so modifies the body shape that the bird as a whole presents an entirely dif- ferent appearance from eitheyr of these two breeds. Easy Lessons in Judging— No. 5 Orpingtons, especially White and Buff males, as they are found at the majority of shows, are as a class farther away from true type than is the case with any other breed. Improvement is being made each season and even slow as it is, there is much encouragement for breeders. Those who have birds of extra quality as regards shape are fortunate and are able to sell them at high prices. A glance at the ideal picture in the Standard of Perfection will show the great difference in the three breeds re- ferred to in this article. The Plymouth Rock body is long and narrow. Measuring from the base of the neck hackle where the back begins, to a point immediately in front of the hock plumage, the depth of the Plym- outh Rock body should be about two-thirds of the length, measured from the most prominent point on the breast to the upper extremity of the fluff. These are about the right relative proportions of the bird, and the lower part of the body should taper from the front to the rear, being deepest at the rear. The Wyandotte body is shorter and deeper, which makes it more rounded. It should not be so very much longer than it is deep. The Orpingfton body is still shorter and deeper than the Wyandotte and in some of the best specimens the body is almost as deep as it is long. The length of legs in the three breeds also influences the impression one gets of the bodies of the fowls. The Plymouth Rock leg is long and that of the Wyandotte is noticeably shorter, while the leg of the Orpington is extremely short. The Plymouth Rock type seems to be the more firmly established, by which we mean that the Plymouth Rocks are not nearly so defective as are the other two breeds. The tendency in the confusion of types is toward the 60 SECRETS OF EXPERT EXHIBITORS Wyandotte and Orpington encroaching upon the Plym- outh Rock. A Plymouth Rock is seldom seen that could be called fairly good Orpington shape, but there are Orpingtons in plenty that would pass for Plymouth Rocks. The matter is not so prominent in Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes, but as between the two there are a great many more Plymouth Rock shaped Wyandottes than there are Wyandotte shaped Plymouth Rocks. In view of this fact, it will, therefore, be more appro- priate and our comment may be better understood if we use principally the Plymouth Rock as a basis or stand- ard of comparison. A short thick neck upon a Plym- outh Rock should be cut ^ to 1^ points, the latter amount being justified in case of the neck being similar to an ideal Orpington or the other extreme, that of a Game. A Plymouth Rock possessing a Wyandotte type should be cut approximately % for shape of neck, }4 for back, yi for tail, % for breast, ^ for body and J4 for legs. Any one of these sections may be specially de- fective, which would make the cut in that section greater than specified. A Plymouth Rock female with short cushioned back like a Wyandotte female should be cut at least 1 point for this defect, and the same cut could consistently be made for tail. A Wyandotte shaped like a Plymouth Rock should be cut in about the same pro- portion in each of the sections as above specified. A Wyandotte shaped like an Orpington should be cut about y2 point in each section except in body, back and tail of the female, which sections should be cut about 54 of a point. An Orpington showing the shape of a Wyandotte should be given practically the same cuts. An Orpington with the shape of a Plymouth Rock should be cut approximately as follows: Neck 1, back %, tail }^, breast 1, body 1, legs ^. In the shape of fowls, the extremes are represented by the Minorca and the Cochin. We refer particularly AND EASY LESSONS IN JUDGING 61 to the length and depth of body. The Minorca body is long and narrow and the Cochin is a big bulky rounded mass of flesh and feathers. There is not a flat or con- cave surface anywhere upon the body of an ideal Cochin. All breeds other than these are modifications of these types. A few degrees removed from the Minorca, we find the Plymouth Rock. A further deviation toward the Cochin gives us the Wyandotte and farther down the line we get the Orpington. All three of these breeds are so far removed from each other in this respect that the ideals are conspicuously different in type, but then we find that nature mixes things up a little for us and the breeder who possesses the skill and knowledge to mate the birds and get a goodly number of typical speci- mens is entitled to much credit. He generally gets it as well as the financial profit that is a possible addition to it.