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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Conditioning housing for prospective show birds
« on: October 10, 2014, 04:12:30 PM »
What are y'all using for bedding in your show/conditioning cages?
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Susan:
I do not have a large barn with space for conditioning pens, so here's what I do. I have three separate coops. I built this one (my wife calls the two-seater) primarily for use as conditioning pens/coops. It is 4 ft x 12 ft, with a divider down the middle to create two 4'x6' coops. A month or more before a show, I transfer 3 or 4 potential female contestants into one side, and typically a cockerel into the other. Whether I let them outside depends on how wet the ground is. I usually don't let out the cockerel because free rangers from the other coops may want to pick a fight from the other side of the run.
When not in use for show birds, the structure is quite versatile. I use it to grow out chicks in the spring, as housing for cocks (with a cardboard divider between the sections so that they can't see each other) or for a larger group with the middle divider removed.
Several days before the show I bring the ones that I intend to show into the garage for bathing and final conditioning. Ideally I would get them cage ready earlier than this, but I work with what I have.
Duane
The second molt is not a factor, as chickens and bantams must be older than that before they are ready to be shown. What you have to worry about in young birds is unexpected molts at six to 12 months. Sudden changes in feed, weather, stress - lots of things can throw them into a molt just when you don't want it to happen. Some of them you have at least some control over, others you don't. Unless you have a climate controlled Taj Mahal of a chicken palace. Under normal conditions most bantams will reach peak show condition at 5 to 7 months, most large fowl chickens 6 to 9 months though some can take longer. Different breeds, even different strains of the same breed, may vary. Once again, experience is the best teacher. By the way, as just a reminder, don't believe everything you see on the internet. It is a handy tool, but misinformation can be spread at practically the speed of light and tends to be repeated.
Don't worry about forced molting for young birds as it won't be needed. And I never had much luck with forced molting of older birds, because I just don't have the heart to put them under that much stress.
I've never been to a double show, sounds like a lot of work.
The beach does sound like fun Susan. But if we go to Arkansas we can take John down to visit the Clinton Library and visit P Allen Smiths place along the river. Some say it's quite the place. I heard that one of our members was there this summer to pick up some Wyandottes.