Editor's Note: Thanks goes to Colin H. from the Poultry Youth Association for contributing this article about showing your chickens in a poultry show or exhibition. Don't forget to also read our tips on feeding your show chicken.

1. Remove your chicken from coop.

2. Carry the chicken to show table.

3. When the judge asks to show the following -

Head: Holding the bird in your left hand, show both sides of the bird at shoulder height. Gently place your right-hand thumb on the bird's beak to turn its head. At the same time, turn your left hand slightly while showing the right side of the bird's head.
Wings: Spread the wings to show feather pattern and condition. Showing bird's right wing requires crossing right hand over bird with thumb up.
Under Color: Show undercolor of back and body feathers.
Width of Body: Show the chicken's width by using the span of your right hand over its back.
Breastbone: Show the chicken's breastbone by turning the back of the bird against your body with your left hand. With your right hand, gently grasp its legs and pull to your right while sliding your left hand to its breast to expose it between the fingers of your left hand.

Feet and Legs: Show the bird's feet and legs by placing it against your body with its head up using your left hand. With your right hand show the chicken's feet and spread its toes.

5. Pose the bird: Pose the bird on the table. It is most natural to place the chicken facing the left on the table. Pose the bird to its advantage. This is the most important step of showing your bird.

Picking up your chicken (the right way): To pick up your chicken the right way take your left or right hand (it doesn't matter which one you choose) and spread out your fingers. Tuck your thumb and your pinkie finger into your palm. Spread the three fingers wide apart and you can notice that there are two spaces there (space between fingers). Gently take the chicken's legs and place one leg in each space (left leg in left space and right leg in right space). After you're done placing the bird, the chicken should be facing you.

Washing your chicken....

Washing consists of three parts: washing, rinsing, and drying. Each is very important to a good, finished job. It will help, especially for large birds, to have someone helping you in the washing job. For large fowl, you will need four large tubs. For bantams, small tubs or large pails will do. You will need mild liquid soap, or detergent, and several towels (or soft absorbent cloths) to wrap the bird in after the wash.

Wash : In the first tub, make lots of suds. The water should be about the same temperature as your arm. Keep the chicken upright and push it up and down in the water to get it throughly soaked right down to the skin. Wash it carefully, always working your fingers with the feathers, never against, so as to not break any feathers. See that the legs are clean and that there is no dirt under the scales of the leg. Use a toothpick to gently get the dirt out from under these scales.

Rinse: After it has been well soaped and washed, the chicken should then go through the rinse process in the next two tubs. Be sure to get all the soap out of the feathers. If you do not, the bird will be sticky and will look worse then it did before washing. The last tub should be cooler than the wash water (but not cold!). It helps to put 125 ML (1/2 cup) of lemon juice in the rinse water as it will help to "cut" any soap left. After rinsing, wrap the chicken loosely in a towel to soak up as much water as possible before placing it in a clean coop to dry. Have the temperature warm enough so that the bird will not shiver (but not too warm or the feathers will dry too fast).

The washing should be done in the morning so that the bird will not sleep on its damp feathers and get them out of shape.

Dry: The chicken should be watched as it dries to make sure that the feathers smooth out and do not curl. Dusting the bird with cornstarch when they are nearly dry will whiten the feathers and help the drying process. The color of non-white birds can be improved by gently rubbing its feathers with your hand or with a silk cloth at least once a day to give them a glossy shine.

If you have any questions on the above information on showing your chickens, be sure to contact us! Don't forget to comment on this article by using the easy form below -

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