146 FIRST LESSONS JA POULTRY KEEPING. 



day stock of the cook room, and a quick eye for the condition of the birds and the bouses, to 

 enable you to set up as finely conditioned a string of birds as any of your contemporaries." 



How to Wash a Fowl. 



Mr. E. Wyatt, in an article on preparing fowls for exhibition, gives the following detailed 

 instructions for washing fowls: 



"All white birds need to be washed before being sent to the show, and this should be done 

 two or three days before sent on their journey. To wash a 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 ten times better by not being touched than if they were washed and a bad job made of 

 them. Those breeding white birds have often noticed when passing through a show, many 

 white birds looking smoky in color, the feathers sticky, not sitting right ; in fact, looking very 

 unnatural indeed. The matter was that they had been washed, and that by an inexperienced 

 haLd, whose birds would have looked better if they had never been washed at all. And so it 

 goes, if it cannot be done right it had better be left alone. 



'The first thing necessary is to prepare a kitchen for the work, and start a good brifk fire in 

 a wood stove Remove all the unnecessary furniture; warm plenty of clean rain water, and 

 set three good sized tubs in position around and close to the stove. One needs a good assistant, 

 and no better can be found than a good patient woman. One must have an assistant, for many 

 things will need tending to that can't be done by one person. First, have all the birds ready, so 

 that no inconvenience will be caused by having to go to the hen houses for the specimens just 

 when they are wanted. After 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 to do so 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, depending on its disposition. If the bird has never been 

 washed before, it will not know what to make of it at first. It may want to fly, or many other 

 things. 



" Just then, the operator will have to exercise that highest of all virtues patience. Take it 

 easy for awhile; hold the bird down in the water, partly immersed, and in awhile begin apply- 

 ing water with a good sized sponge. With this rub the feathers with the web as they lay ; 

 never rub against the lay of the feathers. The best way to hold a bird in the water is, when 

 seated on a chair close to the tub, to face the birds towards you, and wash away from you. 

 You will 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. Castile or Ivory soap is good, but I always 

 use Colgate's shaving soap on my White Cochins, and White Cochins are the hardest breed of 

 all to wash on account of the great length and fluffiness of their feathers. With free use of 

 water and soap get the feathers all over neck, breast, back, cushion, wing, tail, thighs 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 appearance out of them. Then they are properly 

 wet. 



" Continue rubbing with the sponge, and applying the soap, turning the feathers over and 

 over, and getting at the entire surface of every feather if you can. By so doing, you will get 

 all the dirt out of the feathers, and the next step is to get out the soap. 



" Tub No. 2 should be in waiting, half full of clean lukewarm water, as before. Here the 

 bird is put, as in tub No. 1, and washed thoroughly, so as to get out all the soap. After 

 rubbing with 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 them from the soap. Do this all over the bird. If you 

 do it right, one tub of this kind of work will be enough. 



"Tub No. 3 should also be handy, and in it some cold 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 cold bluing water. The water should be just cold enough to be chilly. The 

 reason for this cold shower bath is for the same purpose that men take them after taking a 



