Fair Feathers
By Jeanne Hood
First came the egg, now we
have chickens. Actually, this discussion encompasses all aviary entries. Taking
time to read and understand how to prepare birds for the fair will help insure a
good showing.
At the Clearwater County Fair,
exhibitors are only allowed one entry per lot per person. That still leaves a
possible 150 entries per person if you raised all the different types of poultry
and game birds. Most of us don’t.
The important things to
remember are selection, cleanliness, uniformity, and care. Select your birds at
least two weeks prior to the fair. Put several birds in a clean comfortable cage
for observation. Chose the most uniform birds and return the rest to the yard.
These birds should be similar in size and color according to their breed.
They should not have crooked
or deformed beaks or abnormal wing formation or feathers. The tail should be
centered, have a full display of feathers, and not project over the birds back
(called Squirrel Tail).
The comb must be consistent to
the breed. Single comb breeds may not have side sprigs, No split combs. Except
for
Clean leg breeds cannot have
feather stubs on the legs or between the toes. Birds must not have any color
that if foreign to the breed on the legs, toes, quills, primary or secondary
feathers. In other words, no black on a white chicken and no red or yellow in a
black variety. Any of the above will be grounds for disqualification.
As with all fair entries,
cleanliness may be the difference between a blue ribbon and a white one. Birds
should be washed in mild dish detergent and lukewarm water, washing downward
from the base to the tips of the feathers. Rinse, twice, in lukewarm water to be
sure all soap residue is removed and pat dry. A hairdryer on warm, not hot,
setting is handy to dry the feathers. If a dryer isn’t practical, place the bird
in a clean, wire bottom, cage with clean straw to dry naturally. Keep the birds
out of drafts until they are dry. You may gently apply a thin coat or Vaseline
or mineral oil to the comb, shanks, and toes. This whole process will be easier
if your birds are used to being handled.
It takes practice to remove a
bird from and cage and return it without damaging the feathers. According to the
4-H Guide for Selecting and Preparing Birds for Exhibition you should:
Reach into the cage and turn
the bird so its head faces the door. Place your right hand on the birds back and
grasp the left wing. Pull the bird towards the door—head first. Place the left
hand under the breast, grasp the right wing and remove the bird from the cage.
Examine the bird while keeping balanced on the left hand, or keep the right hand
on the birds back and over the wings when moving the bird. When returning the
bird to the cage, put it in headfirst.
Bring birds to the fair in
clean cages and keep them clean during the activities. Don’t overcrowd the birds
and be sure to fasten an exhibitors tag to the cage.
I’ll bet you thought exhibitors just
stuffed those birds in a cage and hauled them down to the fairgrounds. I know I
did!
Just a reminder for 4-H
parents, Cloverbuds do not have to bring their birds to the fair or participate
in the Fitting and Showing contest, but we encourage them to do so. It’s great
practice for when they are full-fledged 4-Her’s.
All that work and I still like
my birds, best, one way - fried!
New exhibit tags
The Clearwater County Fair is
getting closer and the Fair Board continues to work on repairs, painting, and
improvements.
Since it was time to reorder
exhibit tags the Fair board has elected to color-code the tags for open class
exhibits by age and group. This will make it easier for the superintendents to
locate items that will be judged together. The tags will have the age or group
printed on the top section. The tags will be as follows:
Pink - 7 and under, Yellow - 8
to 12, Blue - 13 to 17, White - 18 to 64, Green - 65 and older,
Cream-challenged, and Orange-professionals. White cards will also be used in
areas that have no age or group distinction, such as Canning and Agriculture,
and all booth exhibits. Age
divisions have been standardized throughout the other departments.
If you pick up tags at the
Extension Office, be sure to get the appropriate color for you and your family.
There are additional
categories in Computer Enhanced Photography, and jalapeno peppers will be
separated into ‘regular’ and ‘extra large’.
This year 4-H judging will
begin at
It has come to our attention
that some of you may not be aware that we have room for Open Class exhibits in
the barn on a ‘space available’ basis. We encourage people to enter their
animals and would enjoy seeing some of the more unusual animals, such as yaks,
burros, emus, peacocks, oxen, and llamas.
To enter your open class
animals please call Marie or Tami at the Extension Office,
We still have a few booths
available for rent at very affordable prices. Call Cynthia,
Make plans now to attend the
Clearwater County Fair and Orofino Logging Show, Sept. 16-19 at the