466 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



if too hot the feathers are apt to crimp and curl, which is un- 

 desirable. 



Black and red varieties may be improved in lustre and bril- 

 liancy of plumage by rubbing the feathers with a little sweet 

 oil. Use very little — a couple of drops on the palm of the hand 

 are sufficient. 



Shanks. — Many exhibitors are careless in not cleaning the 

 shanks. If the legs are soaked in warm water and well washed 

 with a stiff brush, and a wooden tooth-pick is inserted under the 

 scales that lodge dirt, every bit of discoloration can be removed 

 as readily as one can clean his finger-nails. A little oil applied 

 to the shank, or carbolated vaseline, rubbed with a woolen cloth, 

 will work wonders. This brings out the true color nicely, and 

 gives them a fresh, immaculate appearance. It is not generally 

 known, perhaps, but fowls molt the scales on their shanks and 

 toes about the same time they molt their feathers. Look care- 

 fully to see that any dead scales are removed. 



The comb, wattles, face and earlobes should be rubbed with 

 vaseline, using very little, but rubbing it in well. Those are the 

 finishing touches and should be given attention at the last minute. 



Under Weight. — If show aspirants are a little under weight, 

 careful feeding for a few weeks will usually bring them up to 

 specifications. Vary the birds' rations so their appetites are not 

 cloyed, using a mixture of some of the following articles: boiled 

 potatoes, cornmeal, boiled rice, buckwheat meal, barley meal, 

 middlings, ground oats, wheat, skimmed milk, a little beef tal- 

 low, linseed meal or cottonseed meal. At the same time give 

 them a little sweetened water to drink, and a good tonic or 

 regulator to offset any ill effects from the forcing. If the birds 

 have lost weight in shipment to the show room, as they are 

 likely to do, feed them liberally on the regularly cooked and 

 seasoned bologna sausage. 



In conditioning old hens that are over-fat and inacti\'e, no 

 soft food should be given except green vegetables. The whole 

 grain should be largely oats scattered in deep litter. 



Many beginners make the mistake of cooping the birds too 



