436 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



should all be of one type and shape and should agree as to general 

 appearances, thus insuring a pen that is uniform. One very dark 

 or very light bird may detract from all others. Of course, the birds 

 selected should come as near as possible to the recognized stand- 

 ard of perfection. Show birds should be kept in celibacy for a 

 few weeks before the show. A week or more before the exhibition 

 they should be weighed and if any are found to be under weight, 

 they should be fattened by being fed lean, raw beef and hard corn, 

 with scalded milk to drink. Don't, however, rely too much on forc- 

 ing your birds, for fat is not form. Handle them frequently, teach- 

 ing them to pose and to assume the right attitude. Get them gentle. 

 See that they are not coop shy. Try them out in a coop resembling 

 an exhibtion coop. Make frequent changes in your clothes, especi- 

 ally your hat, so that they will not be afraid of strangers. Birds, 

 especially of white breeds, need to be washed for the show pen. 

 If this is properly done it will help, but improper washing is worse 

 than none. First, lather the bird with some good soap — some use 

 shaving soap — and allow the lather to remain until the feathers 

 are clean. Then rinse thoroughly in luke-warm water. Follow 

 with a bath in water to which a little indigo has been added. After 

 the birds have been allowed to shake themselves they may b3 

 wrapped in a woolen blanket or anything else that will take up the 

 moisture. Some birds, especially those of black plumage, need to 

 be groomed by being rubbed with a brush and cloth. The legs 

 may be greased occasionally in order to keep them clean and 

 bright. Look well to the cleanlinsss of the coops in which birds 

 are to be placed. Keep in irAnd the fact that lack of preparation, 

 rather than lack of quality, may defeat an exhibitor. You can 

 hardly hope to catch up the fowls the day before the show and win 

 over birds that have been properly fitted. 



HEALTH OF THE FOWLS. 



Josh Billings is credited with saying, "The best way to cure 

 anything is to stop it before it happens." The poultry raiser will 

 do well to keep this maxim in mind, for comparatively little is 

 known on the subject of poultry diseases. Prevention must be 

 the fundamental idea. "A pound of prevention is worth a ton of 

 cure." Disinfectants are cheaper than disease. Use lime freely, 

 for it is one of the best disinfectants. It is disease, not health, 

 that is contagious. Absolute cleanliness is the first consideration. 

 In the poultry business filth means failure, just as dark, damp 

 quarters mean disease. Birds can no more do their best without 



