PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 365 



CHAPTER II. 



CONDITIONING FOWLS FOR EXHIBITION. 



Successful showing consists of two things, having the quality 

 and showing it properly. The gardener who raises roses for 

 the market strives to place them on the market when they 

 bring the greatest price. The man who raises broilers for a 

 living times his product for the highest market. It is the 

 exhibitor's business to time his birds for the exhibition just 

 as the gardener and market poultryman time their products to 

 be at their best at the most advantageous season. 



Regulating Development. The second principle involves 

 the science or art (may we say knack?) of properly rearing a 

 bird and timing it for the exhibition. 



The phrase "Every dog has his day," will never be applied 

 to anything more forcefully than to exhibition poultry; the 

 bird that was a "Never Beaten" last week is a "Has. Been" 

 this, and we see it exemplified time and time again. There 

 comes a time in the life of every young bird when, seemingly, 

 a transformation from the awkward, angular lines and short, 

 scant, rough garb of the chicken to the full, round contour and 

 abundant, sleek, profusely flowing feathered dress of maturity 

 takes place, which, on account of its brevity, appears almost 

 magical. It is well then, to estimate the time, even the mo- 

 ment, which you can from years of experience with your own 

 strain of birds, when your birds will be fully matured in form 

 and fully fledged, as the growing proclivities of two strains 

 are seldom the same. Note mentally the progress and de- 

 velopment of your birds each year. If your memory is in- 

 capable of carrying the relative progress of your birds with 

 reference to age and development, keep accurate notes. They 

 will be both interesting and instructive if kept in connection 

 with a feather album, which is always a valuable asset to any 

 breeder's library. 



Condition, All-Important. A good exhibition specimen 

 must have, first, a certain degree of excellence in size, shape and 

 plumage. Excellent quality in all of these particulars except 

 size passes unnoticed in poorly conditioned birds. 



We see then that condition is an all-important, overshad- 

 owing essential to a winning bird and without approximate 

 perfection in this particular, specimens even of great quality 



