138 POULTRY BREEDING 
poultryman should first accustom them to being handled. 
This makes it easy for the judge to examine them with- 
out trouble and improves their chances of winning. They 
should be in perfect physical condition, but not too fat. 
The standard requires most of the large breeds to weigh 
in at a certain weight, cutting all that do not reach this 
weight. The large breeds are cut for underweight and 
the bantams for overweight. Birds so fat that they weigh 
above the standard requirement usually become mis- 
shapen on account of the excess of fat and therefore take 
a lower place than they would if exactly at weight. 
Judges are required to give the highest award to those 
specimens nearest standard weight, other things being 
equal, 
Fowls intended for exhibition should be separated 
from the general flock some time before they are to be 
shown. The varieties that have feathers on their. toes 
should be kept on soft straw, so that the feathers will not 
become broken. They should be fed grain alone, as such 
feed is always used in the showroom, and they should 
not be subjected to a sudden change of diet at this time. 
Two or three days before going to a show white fowls 
should be washed. Have two tubs of warm water in a 
warm room. Dip the fowl in one of these tubs and then 
rub good soap into the feathers, taking care to rub with 
the feathers. Gently manipulate the feathers until the 
soap has loosened all the dirt and grease in the feath- 
ers. Then wipe the bird as dry as possible and dip it 
into the tub of clean water to rinse out the soap. Rinse 
all the soap out, wipe the bird again and put it into a 
very warm room to dry. Many breeders give a third dip- 
ping, the last being in a tub of water in which a little 
pure indigo has been dissolved to clear the color, the 
