[ 54 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
each a long packing-needle, with a stout cord. The bread should be arranged with the crumb 
facing the inside of the basket, and be moistened with water or diluted port wine, For longer 
journeys it will be needful to provide an aperture, in front of which are fixed food and water-tins, 
with a request to the express agents, as the persons in charge are called in America, to feed and 
water at due intervals. In this request bread and milk, or some other soft food, should be specified, 
as it is very injurious and even dangerous to feed poultry on hard grain whilst travelling. 
For some years past the great majority of shows have adopted a suggestion made by us, 
and allow two or more pens to be sent in one basket, which saves much in trouble and carriage. 
Baskets are accordingly made extensively in two or more divisions ; but the skeleton wicker is 
still the best known method of construction. 
The last thing before despatch, the heads should have a final wipe over, and be “ freshened 
up,” to bring out the red, and produce that beautiful coral-like appearance which so sets off a bird 
in the show-pen. Most breeders use a little salad-oil for this, putting it on with a sponge, but 
taking care to give a very slight greasing only, and to avoid soiling the plumage. This answers 
well with birds off grass-runs, but is apt to produce, after a few hours, a very dull appearance in 
fowls from small yards. For such it is better to use vinegar, either by itself or diluted with half its 
bulk of water. By carefully sponging with this, the colour is usually brightened considerably. 
Others, again, use an ointment composed of cocoa-nut oil and turmeric. We should advise com- 
parison, and adoption of the best of these, having found even our own experience by no means 
uniform ; but whatever the material, all surplus should be carefully removed with a squeezed sponge. 
Last of all, any bent or broken body-feathers should be removed, and a last smoothing over be given 
with a silk handkerchief before placing the birds in the baskets for sending off. We prefer always 
to put the birds in their baskets at night, when it can be done in peace and quietness ; and 
even if they do not leave till next morning, they can easily be fed in their hampers before 
departure. 
Fowls sometimes arrive at shows very much the worse for their journey. In this case, the 
best thing is to administer to each a table-spoonful of port wine, and a bolus containing some such 
restorative spice or condiment as given at page 141. After this a moderate quantity of food and 
water may be allowed ; and the fowls, if not too far gone, will “ pick themselves up ” rapidly. 
Sherry does not seem to suit fowls as a rule, and if we could not obtain port wine, we would 
substitute brandy or whisky diluted with water. 
In the majority of cases birds need no treatment after returning from a show ; but it is always 
best to feed them the first day on soft food alone, and to put them on an allowance of water. 
If they appear feverish, a little warm bread and ale should be given, followed by a tea-spoonful of 
castor-oil. If exhaustion and debility appear, some port wine, and half a thimbleful of condiment 
mixed in a bolus of meal, may be administered ; but these are exceptional cases. A brood cock 
may be put back after feeding to his usual run ; but we would give a special caution against 
returning cockerels sent to a show for the first time to their old walk with the others. If their 
absence has extended over three days, and often even when less, they will not again agree, but 
begin to fight with great determination ; and as the system is often unusually excited after 
exhibition, this involves considerable danger — cockerels thus fighting not very unfrequently 
dropping down dead from apoplexy. For this reason, as we stated in our chapter on Poultry- 
yards, a number of spare separate pens, in which unsold cockerels can be placed alone, become 
highly necessary where more than a very few exhibition birds are reared. 
When not overfed, some fowls will stand a wonderful amount of exhibition, especially if they 
can be freshened up on a grass-run in between ; but birds thus continually shown require a most 
