FITTING AND EXHIBITING POULTRY 563 



of the shank. It is quite well established, too, that down may 

 develop and become visible within from twelve to eighteen hours 

 after a thorough examination failed to find any. The heat of the 

 showroom is supposed to be the cause of such quick development 

 of down. 



Cleaning the legs and feet to remove dirt in the wrinkles of the 

 skin and under the edges of the scales is always necessary. The 

 parts should be washed first with castile soap and warm water, 

 scrubbing them with a toothbrush or a nailbrush. After washing, 

 any dirt showing under the edges of the scales may be removed 

 with the point of a wooden toothpick. The legs, when thoroughly 

 cleaned and dried, should be well rubbed with cottonseed oil or 

 sweet oil, rubbing the oil in until none is left on the surface to 

 catch dust. 



Washing white birds is now so universally practiced that it is 

 useless to put unwashed white specimens in a show unless the 

 exhibitor is sure that no well-washed birds will be there. White 

 birds to be exhibited should not be washed until shortly before ship- 

 ment. An exhibitor who has had no experience in washing birds 

 should begin weeks before the show to practice on cull specimens, 

 and be sure before he tries with a good one that he can do the 

 work in such a manner that the specimen will not look worse after 

 his washing than it did before. There is a knack in washing so as 

 to thoroughly cleanse the feathers without mussing them up. That 

 part of the operation cannot be described. Some persons seem 

 naturally to handle the bird and maniputate the feathers right ; 

 others never acquire the knack ; most are awkward at first, but with 

 practice attain some skill. The washing must be done in a warm 

 room (85 to 90), and everything must be in readiness before the 

 work begins. Three or four tubs are required. The bird is first 

 thoroughly soaped and lathered in a tub of warm water, then 

 rinsed in a tub of lukewarm water, then in one of cold water, and 

 sometimes through another tub of cold water. 'After washing, the 

 rinsing must remove every trace of soap. The bird is dried in 

 the same room, in a clean coop, with clean litter in the bottom, 

 the room being gradually cooled to about 70. 



Shipment to shows. For shipping birds to shows many fanciers 

 use the ordinary light shipping coops used by poultrymen for 



