150 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



to the soft food. The effect of this is sometimes extraordinary in giving lustre to the plumage ; 

 but it must not be overdone, and twice or thrice weekly is as much as is safe. The linseed 

 is to be stewed gently in a moderate quantity of water till it forms a jelly, and with this (using 

 seeds and all), instead of hot water, the soft food is to be mixed on the proper days ; using enough 

 of it to bring the meal to a proper friable consistency, as so often spoken of by us, and no measure 

 of quantity being needed. A little hempseed given in the evenings instead of a portion of the 

 grain, and a little sulphate or citrate of iron in the water, will bring out the red in the combs and 

 wattles, and make the birds all they ought to be. Over-fattening is most carefully to be avoided, 

 a nice, plump, handsome condition being all that is allowed ; and to this end great pains should 

 be bestowed in the feeding, the fowls never being given quite as much as they will eat, but allowed 

 to leave off while some appetite is left, and particular care being taken that the crop is never 

 distended with hard grain. Some rice, well boiled in milk, given twice during the week before 

 exhibition, will be almost a sure preventive of purging. 



Nothing further will be required in the circumstances described, except to make the fowls 

 tame if required by occasional penning, and to see that the heads and legs are properly cleaned 

 before sending ; unless the birds should be very light in colour and require washing altogether. 

 In cleansing the heads and legs, which should be done a day or two before sending off, the best 

 implement is a good nail-brush, with which the parts are to be well scrubbed with soap and water 

 till perfectly clean and bright, and then thoroughly rinsed. After this the birds are best turned 

 into a room or pen littered with clean straw. 



A very large proportion of exhibition poultry, however, are kept in small yards, and are 

 hence in a more soiled condition to start with than those which run on fresh grass. Their shed 

 at least should be floored with sand if convenient ; but it is not always possible to do more. In 

 this case the best plan is to provide a sufficient number of pens, resembling those used at 

 exhibitions, but larger, in which the birds, after cleaning the heads and legs as before, can be 

 confined for a week or two in order that the general plumage also may lose that soiled, or rather, 

 as we might call it, dingy appearance, which birds kept in such yards generally acquire, and which 

 can in fact only be avoided by having the whole yard laid in sand or fine gravel kept scrupulously 

 clean. The proper size for these pens will be about three feet square ; and if there be first of all 

 scattered on the bottom some clean sharp grit to assist digestion, and over this some finely-cut 

 clean chaff, the whole being scraped out and renewed every morning, the birds may be thus 

 confined for weeks without detriment to health, and will almost daily improve in cleanliness and 

 plumage upon a diet arranged as already hinted. Grit alone in the pens rapidly becomes dirty, 

 and soils the plumage, while chaff only does not supply the needed material for digestion ; but 

 by combining both as we have said each object will be secured. Another plan is to turn the birds 

 intended for show into an empty room or spare compartment, well littered with clean straw ; the 

 scratching in which for grains of wheat purposely thrown there helps in cleaning up the plumage 

 considerably, and in the case of yellow-legged breeds has the merit of bringing out the colour of 

 those parts as well. We should prefer this mode of treatment where possible, but when several 

 cocks have to be shown it must be manifestly often impracticable for want of room ; and the system 

 of penning as described will do nearly, if not quite as well, whilst it has the advantage of getting 

 the birds used to confinement. In any case, indeed, fowls not previously accustomed to it should 

 be occasionally penned before showing, in order to get rid of that shy and frightened air which 

 otherwise is often very evident, and greatly diminishes the chances of winning. 



Of course, with fowls penned up as supposed for a fortnight or three weeks before a show, 

 the greatest caution will be needed to avoid over-feeding. It must always be remembered that 



