As some people say, the Pekin Bantam is one of the hardest breeds to show. It isn’t really that hard to keep them clean or get them clean if you do things correctly, however.

From hatching it is always good to keep the chicks on small wire floors so that droppings can drop through the brooder into sawdust, straw or even shell grit.

When out of the brooder for the first time I find having a box for them on the floor with a hole cut out makes a good place for the chicks to go inside to keep warm - you might have to put them in box at night time to begin with though. Fill the bottom of the cage with sawdust and or shell grit and change as soon as it begins to get dirty.

When the chicks are older, make sure they have a perch positioned at about 30cm or more off the ground and have the pen covered over so that no dust, wind and sun can blow onto them. It is also a good idea to have the floor covered with a good soft, clean material such as chippings or sawdust which can be changed when it begins to get dirty.

Washing

Have 2 rinsing bowls of water ready and a bucket to wash the bird in.

• In the 1st rinse, squeeze half a lemon into the water. This takes any yellowish tinge off the birds.
• In the 2nd rinse, have about 5 drops of blue / blue-bag to bring the colour out. (Lux soap powder may be easier to get hold of these days)

When washing the bird use a wool wash laundry detergent as it is better for the birds skin and keeps the feathers in better condition than some other makes.

After that, softly pat the excess water off the bird, then blow dry with a medium heat hair dryer and put in small wire cage on grass for a while to bring out the shine and colour. Finally, keep the Pekin in clean litter pens.

By Ryan Dawson