200 THE AMERICAN BREEDS OF POULTRY 



board and soap again. If using Ivory soap, take soft brush and rub 

 across bar of soap, then rub soaped brush the way of plumage. 



Dip brush in water and use as much soap and water as necessary. 

 Work soapy water clear to skin. Brush with lay of feathers. Brush from 

 head to short feathers around hock over back, and turning bircf over, 

 soap and brush breast. Open wings and brush out wing feathers. 



Immerse in tub No. 1 and soak out soap. Lift bird to tub No. 2, 

 immerse and rinse. Open wings in water ; open tail with hand, in water. 

 Get out all soap. Lift to tub No. 3. Rinse again in the clean water of 

 this tub, working and rinsing feathers in every section, so that when 

 bird drys, feathers will be snowy white, and not sticky with soap. 



Lift from tub No. 3 and set bird on table. Press out water from 

 neck, back, breast and legs. Dry wings and tail with towel, being careful 

 to open out tail and not press it together and warping its natural shape 

 while feathers are wet. Put bird in coop on broad roost in temperature 

 of 90 degrees. 



The chalky condition of the plumage of your birds may be due to the 

 character of the feather your birds carry. A great many White Wyan- 

 dottes carry feathers that are rough and soft. 



A White Wyandotte to wash well must carry a hard surface feather. 

 Some strains of birds have not a hard surface feather on them. It may be 

 that your stock is from some breeder who has not developed the proper 

 character of feather. 



If you will wash the birds with Lux and soft water and then put them 

 ou'.side to dry, the plumage should fluff out and prove to be hard and 

 smooth. If it does not, the character of the feather is probably at fault. 



In the winter it is of course necessary to dry indoors in a tem- 

 perature of 90 degrees or a little more. For fall shows, the birds may 

 be dried outdoors in the open air and sunshine. 



We would suggest that you try washing a bird or two in August, 

 putting it outdoors in a wire coop or cage to dry. 



In order to get the legs nice and clean we would scrub them with 

 soap and water and then with lard and gasoline, then with more soap 

 and water, and then take a toothpick and pick the dirt out from under the 

 scales, finishing by putting on a little oil and rubbing with a woolen rag. 

 In scrubbing shanks with soap and water, lard and gasoline, use a 

 brush. Use same treatment for face, comb and wattles, except that 

 you should employ a cloth instead of a brush for these skin areas. 



The shanks will be real yellow if the birds are on grass range and 

 fed a fair amount of yellow corn. The shanks are lighter if the birds are 

 grown in confinement on barren runs. However, a rich yellow shank 

 is not as important as formerly. 



