The Book of the Hamburgs

PREPARING HAMBURGS FOR EXHIBITION

Condition means everything in showing Hamburgs, and without it many a fine bird comes home from a show minus a prize that could easily have been won had its owner known how to properly fit it for exhibition. By “fitting it” we do not refer to the unscrupulous tricks resorted to by unprincipled scoundrels who mutilate and torture their birds to bring them within the requirements of the Standard, but to the legitimate preparation to which it is not only allowable to subject a bird, but without which it is really a pity to send a good bird to the show room. We are not going to recommend any practices which may not be fully known and approved of by any judge, so that any exhibitor may have no hesitation in following our instructions. For at least three weeks before the exhibition all varieties of Hamburgs should be confined in a darkened coop – not too dark, but with just light enough to enable them to see to eat. We recommend this for the following reasons:

1. It serves to whiten in an astonishing degree the ear-lobe. We have often seen a bird which, when placed in the darkened coop, had ear-lobes discolored by exposure to the weather, come out at the end of three weeks with pure milky-white ear-lobes throughout. During this confinement the ear-lobes should be washed each day with sweet milk, applied with a sponge.

2. This confinement is of great value in promoting a rich luster to the plumage, making each color stand out distinctly, and giving the feathers that glossy appearance so much desired. This matter of plumage is one of primary importance. In Black Hamburgs the greenish gloss should be brought out as much as possible, and in order to do this confinement in darkened quarters is necessary. After they (the Blacks we are now referring to) have been confined until about a week previous to the show, they should be taken from the coop, and their feathers rubbed down daily with a piece of flannel cloth. Hold the bird firmly on your lap, and pass the cloth lightly down the back from the neck to the tip of the tail, and keep up this rubbing steadily for the required time, say fifteen minutes. You will be surprised to see the magnificent gloss brought out upon birds that before were even slightly dull in appearance of plumage. If your birds have the undesirable purple tinge, this will bring it out more than you would wish, but if they have the greenish sheen, it will make them glisten in a manner to delight your eyes.

The Whites are much improved likewise by this confinement, as it gives the plumage a clear milky-white color, and it loses under this treatment the yellowish cast they have acquired by exposure to the weather; only, if they are bad in this respect, they should be put in their darkened quarters at least a month previous to the exhibition. With Golden-Penciled and Spangled Hamburgs this darkened coop is of much assistance in bringing out the greenish spangles and brightening and enriching the ground-color; and with these varieties, as with the Blacks, we would recommend the gentle rubbing with coarse flannel.

Silver-Spangled and Penciled birds gain by their darkened quarters a clear and distinct appearance in their markings, as it makes the ground-color a beautiful white, furnishing a desirable background for the colored feathers.

There is no help for a bad comb or a white face. The best way is never to allow a bird with these defects to see the inside of a show room. Birds with a tendency to scaly legs should have them rubbed with Stoddard’s Poultry Ointment, beginning at least two weeks before the show. If breeders would only attend to this repulsive appearance of the legs in time, or whenever it makes its appearance, and treat it as above, these remarks would be unnecessary. It is an eye-sore in any bird, but particularly disgusting on the neat, slender legs of the Hamburgs.

In fitting birds for show they should have a wholesome variety of food, wheat and buckwheat being the staples. A little sunflower seed, fed at judicious intervals for the six weeks previous to the show, has a very desirable effect in giving them the gloss and finish so desirable, and which is always observed in prize birds.

When the time arrives to coop the birds and start them off for the show, great care should be taken that they are in proper trim. As each bird is cooped it should be carefully examined to see that there are no symptoms of disease, or any foul feathers in the plumage. Then take a sponge and carefully wash the comb, wattles, face and legs with a mixture of equal parts of sweet oil and alcohol, applying as little as is possible to procure the desired effect – which is, by the way, a remarkable brightening of the comb, wattles and face, giving them a rich, healthy and bright appearance, and imparting to the legs a beautiful gloss, which brings out their color with good effect.

If these instructions are carefully followed, you will hardly recognize in the smart, clean-looking bird that graces the exhibition coop, the soiled and dull appearing fowl you began fitting three weeks before. It may require a certain amount of time to attend to these details properly, but will you not feel amply repaid by beholding the prize card on your coop, and having your brother fanciers comment upon the fine condition of your birds?

HINTS TO JUDGES

Very few of the leading and popular judges at our exhibitions are Hamburg breeders, and realizing this, it should not be difficult to imagine the chagrin and disappointment of an experienced breeder of these varieties when he stands by at a show and sees the judge award the premiums to birds with many and glaring faults, to his eyes, but which are never noticed by this oracle of the show room, who makes his figures with a business-like alacrity, strongly savoring of ignorance to the close observer, and appears thoroughly satisfied that he is “up to snuff,” when in reality he has been absurdly unjust in his awards.

There is no breed which needs so careful examination from the judge as the Hamburg, in each variety, not only on account of the many points to be considered, but because there is no breed so subject to the manipulations of unprincipled exhibitors, or where there is more lynx-eyed vigilance required from the judge to guard him against the impositions of those pests of the show room —trimmers.

The points to which a judge should devote his attention in judging Hamburgs may be divided into four divisions, namely: 1, head; 2, plumage; 3, symmetry; 4, condition. Beginning with the first of these, we find included under this topic – comb, wattles, ear-lobes and face. There is no point in which Hamburgs are subject to such extensive manipulation as in the comb, and some of the practices which have been detected are of the most cruel nature. Cases where needles and pins have been inserted lengthwise of the comb to keep it from lapping while the judge is making his rounds, have been of common occurrence, although we are pleased to note that as more good and small-sized combs are being bred yearly, this practice seems to be falling into disuse. These instruments of torture are usually inserted just before the judges examine the birds, and withdrawn by means of pinchers immediately after the awards have been made, so that they are really difficult to discover. Where these needles are left in the comb, the most intense suffering ensues, and Mr. Hewitt has drawn a most harrowing picture of the tortures the poor bird is obliged to undergo. He says: “On the second day, the comb becomes most intolerably inflamed, and I have seen a fowl in its agony bend the head down, raise its foot, as with the intention of relieving the comb by scratching it, stop the movement midway without touching the comb at all, and then tremble like an aspen-leaf.” When cases of such barbarity are detected, the exhibitor should be remorselessly drummed out of the exhibition and the fraternity. A very common fault in combs is a hollow or depression in the center; and this is usually treated by cutting a wedge-shaped piece out of the middle, and stitching the outside portions tightly till joined and healed. Stitches put in for one purpose or other are often found, and, we regret to add, are employed far oftener than found. Small irregularities in shape and points are simply shaved off. Such mutilations are quickly discerned by a practiced eye in the smooth appearance of the comb when it has been cut, but as frequently this appearance is due to a past accident, judges should not act hastily upon suspicion.

Particular attention should be paid to the “work” or fine points of the comb; the more numerous they are, the better. Hollows in the front of the comb, above the beak, are common and objectionable, and should be severely cut. Pullets should have small and well-shaped combs. We recommend cutting large combs in pullets, as they are almost certain to fall over with age.

The face is also subject to painting red when it has a tendency to white, and this is often discovered by the difference in the shade of the comb and face, although sometimes the similarity of color is so perfect as to defy detection. When we suspect painting, a gentle rubbing usually suffices to prove if our suspicions are correct. This white in the face is a direct disqualification in Black Hamburgs according to the American Standard, but as we seldom find a two or three year old cock without it, we think the Standard should not thus disqualify old birds, but “cut severely as a defect.” Cockerels with this white face should be thrown out without remorse.

Ear-lobes are often painted white, and sometimes quite cleverly, but this is usually so bungling an operation as to be readily detected, if you examine it carefully. Ear-lobes should be round and small. Cut large, irregularly-shaped, and above all, pendent ear-lobes. The bluish tinge often seen on Hamburg ear-lobes should not be cut except in cases of comparison. We do not like it, but it is often occasioned by confinement, and is not a direct blemish. Wattles should be small and well rounded. We recommend cutting a pendent wattle, such as is proper to the Leghorn varieties.

Our second division treats of plumage, and here again the trimmer finds a broad field of labor. White feathers in Blacks are pulled out, but as these usually appear in the wings, if at all, the absence of flight feathers should be accepted as proof of the previous existence of white feathers. If there is any tendency at all to white in this variety, it will usually be found by holding the bird by the legs head downward, when the fluff feathers under the tail and between the legs will be found to possess small white tips. We found the first prize birds at a recent show distinctly tipped with white here, but the judge had never noticed it. In the case of the spangled varieties, large quantities of feathers are often extracted from the breast and back, when they are so numerous that the black spangles run together.

This trimming out process, which is, of course, done to show the color between the spangles, is very difficult of detection, and almost impossible to positively prove. In the penciled varieties the attention of the trimmer is turned to the tail of the cocks. A finely-penciled tail is a rarity, and when a fine set of well-marked sickles are obtained they are sometimes preserved “for future reference” (as it were), and often figure in several different birds before they are worn out. As these well-marked sickles often grow on a bird with a poor comb, the owner usually selects his best marked bird otherwise, extracts the poor sickles, and inserts the good ones in their place. The fastening may get loose during the show, and then drop out, exposing the fraud at once. These false sickles, however, are usually dull in color, lacking the gloss of healthy feathers, and can be usually detected by a judge who has his wits about him and is on the alert. Still, they are sometimes so cleverly doctored as to defy discovery, unless subjected to such harsh treatment as few judges feel justified in using upon mere suspicion. A dark, glossy, sharply-edged tail on a cock with very slight wing-bars should always excite suspicion.

Another frequent practice is dyeing feathers. This is often detected by the absence of the glossy appearance seen on the remainder of the plumage. Frequently, however, off-colored feathers will be plucked out, skillfully colored and glossed, and successfully reinstated in their places, with little chance of their being discovered. In spangled and penciled birds, imperfect markings or blotches are often bleached out with acids, and proper markings given the feathers with grease-paints, which assimilate with the oily substance in the feather, and render detection almost impossible. These various frauds make the task of a conscientious Hamburg judge one of unusual anxiety and responsibility. We may be blamed for mentioning these vile practices, but we believe that any evil that may arise from our furnishing hints to the unscrupulous will be more than counterbalanced by putting judges on their guard who are much too apt to pass over these points rapidly and carelessly.

The third division treats of symmetry, and right here let us say that there is no point in judging Hamburgs so much neglected as this most important one. We were dismayed to hear a judge, who was examining birds recently, say: “You are pretty safe to cut a Hamburg one point for symmetry.” What did he mean? Simply, we suppose, that he knew so little about this quality that he resolved to cover his ignorance by refusing to admit any bird to be perfect in this respect. There are too many judges, alas, who agree with him, because they know not what symmetry means. We have described the symmetry of Hamburgs under the heading of the Black variety, and so need not repeat it. Only let us again warn judges to discriminate between the undesirable Game shape, and the equally improper Dorking mould in judging these birds. The Hamburg symmetry is peculiar to the breed, and cannot be mistaken, and as fully one-half the birds exhibited incline either to the Game or Dorking symmetry, the distinct difference in shape should be understood by every judge, and severely cut if not correct.

Our last division refers to condition, and this, also, is of much importance in judging Hamburgs. It counts from five to ten points in making up a perfect bird, and we believe there is not one case out of ten where dark or dusty plumage, discolored comb or soiled legs are cut by the judge. Unless the bird has decided symptoms of roup, or other disease, it is simply passed over. A good judge invariably makes the point of condition a primary one. It means a fresh, well-kept condition of the comb and head, a fine, glossy plumage, upright and active appearance, and clean, shining legs.

There is an indescribable difference between a healthy, active, well-bred bird and one that, although it may be descended from pure stock, having correct markings and the like, yet lacks vivacity, spirit and a general air of aristocracy. If there be one breed of fowls above others more worthy of being called the “upper-crust of poultry-dom,” we are inclined to the opinion the breed under our consideration is that one.

Now, every man is not fitted to become a good judge of poultry, even if he go through the regular process, any more than every one can become an exact musician by undergoing the necessary course of training. There is an inborn something that distinguishes one person from another and certain it is that ideas of form, grace and coloring, above the ordinary, are to be found in the composition of our best judges.

The question is often asked by officers of agricultural and horticultural fairs, as well as by those of poultry exhibitions, if it is not possible to have awards made without producing the hard feelings and unsatisfactory results generally following. And we answer, “No!” – as long as no more pains are taken in the selection of judges on the score of their particular fitness for the position they are called upon to fill. On their efficiency turn the questions of success, harmony, and the keeping and securing of the public confidence and patronage.

We hope we have not been too severe upon judges in this chapter. A really good judge will see the force of our arguments, and in the case of the indifferent ones, we trust verbum sapientibus omnes est.