We raise Old English Game Birds,, standard size,And want to show them at the Fair. I see by the poultry standard book they are disqualified if they are not dubbed. How do I dub them and at what age?Thanks

Chip - I'm not sure you'll get a tremendous amount of help here; most of us are chicken lovers who wouldn't dream of mutilating a chicken just to show him (to eat him, maybe, but not for show). My first suggestion would be to show a breed that doesn't require surgury to exhibit! Yeah, yeah, yeah, well ... it was worth a try. Gail Damerow's A Guide to Raising Chickens has section in it for dubbing birds. (But I think if you really wanted to make an impact on the poultry world, you could spearhead an organization for showing non-dubbed game birds.)
Okay, okay, I'll stop.
-liza

its easy do you see the line in the comb when its in the sun use this as a cutting line start at the head first closest to the beak cut along the line all the way back till its gone step 2 the remainder of the comb has to be cut from the bottom up step 3 round the remainding piece of comb step four the wattles this is the most crucial if you cut too deep you will have sliced its throat,be careful take wattle in fingers pull then cut strait off same for both sides step 5 earlobes another crucial point vain behind it same as for wattles once all this is done an the bird seems like its going to croak its not step 6 take flour bread crums or chick mash and douse it all over its head step 7 place bird by itself for 2 or 3 days then try to put it back where it came from if necessary be sure to check on the bird as the other birds may pick upon the bird.

another technique in dubbing: secure thei bird or have someone hold it for you. having two hands free is best. some use a sock I use a towel wrap with velcro, this leaves jsut the head sticking out. first cut the wattles and ear lobes first. then I start a cut from the back of the comb heading at a 45 degree angle up towards the top, then rounding the corner and cut a slope towards the beak. I hold the comb inone hand, pinch all blood out that I can and then cut preferably in one cut. I use surgical scissors and dunk the head in ice water after cutting . feed lots of greens the week you are to dub this will aid in blodd clotting, if the comb is thick you will need to "round off" the edges at the high end of the comb. when cutting the top fo the comb shoudl be rounded not pointed, also cut the "straight" part heading towards the beak in a rounded fashion, a slight bump loks better than an indent which may happen if the bird moves or if the comb shrinks when it heals.

This is the most horrible cruelest thing I've ever heard of!!!!

Shammo man has explained the procedure in the most explicit and elementary manner. I think he did a wonderful job giving you all the details. I will add a few more little hints that I find to be helpful. #1 Do the procedure at night when you can get the bird off the roost and he will not flap his wings and carry on . This causes the bird to bleed worse. If your bird is a bantam you can cut the toe out of an old sock and slip it over his head this will restrain his wings and give you freedom to preform the operation. When you are through dubbing I recomend putting a mixture of flour and sugar on the wound . This will help the blood to clot and stop the bleeding. When the procedure is done it will make the bird almost immune to cold weather and thus avoid frost bite. So no matter what all the "Bleeding hearts" say you are really helping the bird to avoid having frostbite or being injured in one of the many fights that might occour in his life.