Once the birds are selected, it is important to care for them correctly to minimise damage to condition and plumage.

At this time, the housing for your birds must be carefully prepared. Place the birds in a clean shed that is dry and free from drafts. Cover the floor with deep, clean wood shavings. I use coarse pine shavings as these do not stain white feathers and remain dry and loose for maximum absorbency of wastes. This is particularly important when preparing birds like Pekins, that have feathered feet. Make sure that the water containers are of a type that will minimise spillage. At this time, feed is provided in containers where the birds do not have to scratch to find it. This helps in keeping legs and feet clean.

Now the birds are settled in their new accommodation, they must become accustomed to being handled. Many splendid birds have lost, simply because they were not trained properly and did not display themselves to best advantage. Handle each bird once or twice daily for at least two weeks. During this period the birds should be introduced to show pens. These are small cages which are approximately the same dimensions and construction of the cages found at the show. Initially, it may be easier to train the birds at night when they are generally more docile, so the training cages would be best set up in a draft-free, well lit shed or garage. Flightier breeds such as Hamburghs and Leghorns tend to need more handling and cage training than more docile ones and this must be taken into consideration when planning your training program.

Small pieces of bread or other delicacies may be fed to the birds until they are confident enough to take these directly from your hand. Timid birds never show themselves well and tend to crouch at the back of the show pen and poultry shows are generally busy, noisy places. An important part of training your birds involves other family members and friends. Have them view your birds regularly during the training period so they become used to strangers and noise.

There is a real danger at this time for feathers to be broken or damaged so it is important to learn the correct procedure for removing birds from the show cages. This following is the best way to catch and remove birds from small cages.

Reach into cage and turn the bird so its head faces the door (with flighty birds ensure they cannot fly out the door).

Place your right thumb on the bird's back just above the wing and grasp the left wing and thigh together. Turn your wrist slightly so the bird's weight rests along your forearm. Obviously most birds will struggle to some degree, but once you have pinioned the wing and thigh, the bird is almost helpless. This method works well for birds (and people) of all sizes.

Gently guide the bird toward the door head-first.

Place the fingers of your left hand under the breast with the thumb along the side of the right wing to prevent it flapping unnecessarily. You can now easily remove bird from the cage.

Once free of the cage, the bird will be resting along your right forearm. Place the right leg between your first and middle fingers of your right hand and grip both legs. Your first finger will be between the bird's legs (for large birds, sometimes 2 fingers are needed to be placed between the legs). Your left hand is now free to use to examine the bird. You will find that most fowls held this way will be quite comfortable and will not struggle much. You can also easily rotate the bird to view all sides.

To catch Pekin bantams, it is important not to touch the top of the bird as this can destroy the desired round appearance. For these, simply turn the bird towards the cage front, slide the right hand under the bird and gently grasp both legs. The bird will naturally fall gently forward into your hand.

You can replace the bird into the pen without changing your grip. Simply roate your hand so that the bird's head enters the cage first and as you gently push the bird into the cage, simply release your grip. The bird will naturally place its feet on the floor and will walk into the cage.

It may pay to practice this technique on less valuable birds until you are confident of handling your show birds without unduly damaging their feathers.

Note the position of the hand as it grasps wing and leg together.

The bird is then tilted gently over onto the holding hand and removed head first from the cage.

Similarly, the bird is replaced into the cage head first. At no time does the handler need to change his/her grip.

Most show fowls need to be trained to show at their best. This entails regular handling and...

stick work.