Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Fair fowl smells sweet

Baby shampoo and tooth brushes great for making chickens sparkle

By Shelley Grieshop
Photo by Shelley Grieshop/The Daily Standard

Isaac Marchal, 15, and his brother, Nathan, 9, bathe one of the family's hens outside the poultry barn at the Mercer County Fair this week. The Marchal family of Cranberry Prairie regularly shows poultry at the fair and this year took home the distinguished Grand Champion Pen of Layers award and the Professional Showmanship award.

How do you give a chicken a bath?
Well, you can't just throw it in a Maytag washer and hang it on the line, that's for sure. Especially if you intend to have it judged at the fair.
The answer is best left to the experts.
"You start with some baby shampoo," says 15-year-old Isaac Marchal, as he slowly dips the backside of his Barred Plymouth Rock Bantam in a suds-filled sink at the Mercer County fairgrounds.
The water is cool and the spotted hen seems relieved she's not being blanched. As a matter of fact, she closes her eyes periodically as if lying in a Jacuzzi at a poultry paradise resort.
"Sometimes they try to fly away but after they get wet they don't get too far," Isaac says.
He and his brothers, Jake, 18, Aaron, 13, and Nathan, 9, are well-versed on this subject; they raise chickens and turkeys on their Cranberry Prairie farm. As members of the Lassies and Lads 4-H Club, the eldest three show poultry at the fair. This year, Jake was crowned "Poultry Prince," although the royalty status appears to mean little to his younger siblings.
Isaac and Nathan work as a team outside the poultry barn where crowing roosters fail to notice it's almost noon. Isaac uses the palm of his hand to rub soap bubbles across the bird's delicate feathers as his little brother wiggles an old toothbrush between its toes.
The chicken's legs and feet get the dirtiest from standing in its own you-know-what, the boys say.
"I scoop the poop out of the cages," brags Nathan, who is amazingly proud of his contribution, nasty as it sounds.
Isaac reminds his little bro that he's not the only one assigned doo-doo duty. That conversation leads into a "No you don't, yes I do" match that is quickly terminated when mom, Lucy, strolls up.
After shampooing is complete, the boys explain how important it is to rinse, rinse, rinse their feathered projects. A follow-up wash with a vinegar and water solution and more rinsing is the key to completely removing the soap, they say.
Next the bird enjoys a gentle towel rub before spending a few minutes drying in the sun. A special oil is sometimes applied to the beak and feet to give a shiny appearance, the boys say.
Chickens and other poultry also get pedicures, which involve a trim of their toe nails and spurs, a nail located on the back of the leg. Unfortunately, chickens aren't choosey where they step so baby wipes are kept handy to spruce up their feet just prior to showtime, the boys say.
The whole bathing process is best performed at least a day before fair judging to allow the natural oils to return to the bird's feathers, the Marchals say.
When the fair is over, some of the family's birds will go on auction; others may be bred or sold later.
The Bantam, looking quite chic and smelling like a newborn baby, is going home.
Lucky cluck.

At the fair:
Today (Nursing Home Day)
6 p.m. - My Scrapbook Paradise, craft project for kids, entertainment tent
7 p.m. - Harness racing, grandstand
7 p.m. - Guitar Hero contest, beer garden

Wednesday (Kid's Day/DARE Day)
8 a.m. - Gates open
9:30 a.m. - Kiddie Pedal Tractor Pull weigh-in
10 a.m. - Kiddie Pedal Tractor Pull, blacktop in front of grandstand
Noon - Mr. Potato Head contest entries (4 age groups)
12:30 p.m. - Treasure hunt (4 age groups)
1 p.m. - Rides and games open
1 p.m. - Mr. Potato Head judging, ag. dept.
1:30 p.m. - Color contest, entertainment tent
3 and 7 p.m. - Thaddeus Rex, entertainment tent
4 p.m. - Gaylord Scott Entertainment DJ/karaoke, beer garden
4:30 p.m. - Dance class, entertainment tent
5:30 p.m. - Diaper Derby, entertainment tent
6 p.m. - Junior Fair Olympics, Adrian DeBrosse Arena
7 p.m. - High school marching band show, grandstand
Photo by Shelley Grieshop/The Daily Standard

Isaac Marchal, 15, and his brother, Nathan, 9, bathe one of the family's hens outside the poultry barn at the Mercer County Fair this week. The Marchal family of Cranberry Prairie regularly shows poultry at the fair and this year took home the distinguished Grand Champion Pen of Layers award and the Professional Showmanship award.

Additional online story on this date
The Celina girls tennis team got the 2009 fall sports season started with a dominating performance, losing just one game in five matches to shut out Sidney 5-0 at the High School Tennis Courts. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local school district, like other districts throughout the area, is taking a proactive approach when it comes to preventing the H1N1 flu as well as the usual seasonal flu.
ST. HENRY - School Treasurer Glenn Miller mixed good and bad news while discussing the district's financial status during a school board meeting Monday night.
Teachers at Celina City Schools are preparing to use new technology for the upcoming school year, according to Celina Education Association President Wally Ellinger.
MARIA STEIN - Board of education members learned Monday night that a small part of its energy savings project has apparently short circuited.
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Mercer County voters will decide in November whether an operating levy for the Mercer County District Library passes.
Last week in a special session, the library trustees board passed a resolution putting a five-year, 1/2 -mill levy on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Coldwater Police found more than they expected when responding to a reported domestic violence at 110 E. College St. early Friday morning.
Taken into custody on domestic violence charges were residents Adam C. Boeckman, 21, and Melissa L. Melendez, 26.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Celina girls golf team lost a close match in their opening Western Buckeye League dual match of the season, falling to Bath 208-209 at Hawthorne Hills in Lima on Monday.
This Sands Hot and One Sharp Spur won their respective heats of the Grand Lake Trot during Monday's harness racing card at the Mercer County Fair.
In the first heat, This Sands Hot, with John Konesky III in the sulky, led from the start and finished the mile in 2:04.