Conformation

                            Show Preparation by Julie Mitchell  1.       Get small blank mailing labels (80 to a page) and print out a bunch with your name and address on them.  These serve two purposes, to put on the entry form and to put your name on each show tag.  Believe me this is VERY TEDIOUS.

2.       I use the same small mailing labels and print out my birds' colors, sex and band code so I don't have to write that either.  For the most part, I try to cover all of the show string that I have and that way I have most of them covered and will have to "write" very few tags.

3.       Clean your boxes at least several days before the show.  That way there are no surprises.  I know one exhibitor who loans hers out dirty and hands them to folks at the show.  The morning of the show is not the time to be doing a thorough scrubbing of a show box or examining it for problems.

4.       Clip toe-nails about a week before the show. 

5.       I go through my birds about 2 weeks before the show and make a list of ALL that look good enough to go at that time.  As the two weeks go by, I either subtract or add to the list.  If I have a questionable bird, I may put it in a show box to see how it looks.  Sometimes I take pictures of it and several others to compare. 

6.       SPRAY, SPRAY, SPRAY!

7.       I bathe dirty birds about 3 to 4 days before the show, but only if necessary.

8.       Right before the show - try to handle your birds minimally.

9.       We have a "show caddy" of stuff.  I have this fold-down thing that looks like a brief-case that opens up to a container on wheels with a pull handle.  It comes in REAL handy.  This holds the spray bottle, gloves, food, millet, water, etc.  Of course, since this show is on our home turf, we won't have anything but water for this one.  It's when we go away . . . . 

10.   We always carry a drop cloth for the hotel.  No matter what, we always attempt to be considerate.  We'd like to be invited back.  We try to clean up any bird mess that we can.  In fact, after BCV two years ago in VA Beach, I think my room was actually cleaner than when I checked in.

ACS Standard of Perfection for Exhibition Cockatiels