Showing chickens for 4-H, 1st time, help?

likkatron · Jan 31, 2016

Kahluaisamazing said:
i am the founder and president for Lehigh County Pennsylvania's 4-H Poultry club. showing is amazing and you need some skills to master it, you need to be able to talk in front of a crowd, know everything there is to know about the bird your showing. Also your bird needs to meet all the standards for that breed to be show quality

It seems to me like the 4-H is very much about perfection, which at this point all of my birds seem to have a fault or two (though they're still growing). I have no problem with speaking, but it's difficult to know everything without having an APA book, or being able to find adequate sources for my breeds.
Are there any other shows I could enter my chickens in that are less strict? I saw a post awhile ago with a lady saying her daughters wanted to enter in 4-H, she called a judge, and the judge mentioned something about a different show more geared for kids and their pet chickens, making it easier to place better, and less picky?

LehighCounty4-H · Jan 31, 2016

not that i know of. maybe she was talking about clover buds? for younger 4-Her's?

Wyandottes7 · Jan 31, 2016

likkatron said:
Thanks for the insight, it's exactly what I need!
I was successful in checking for split wing in my Brahma, and he certainly has it. Couldn't feel any feather nubs, hoping that his axial feathers come in with age.
Personally my Brahma is defiently a heavy one, though his size might trick you. I know that roosters should be 10-12 pounds, and that his breed is slow to mature so I'm hoping he wiill fill out.
If the split wing stays will it be an immediate disqualification?
Also I googled multiple times with different word usage and could not find a double laced partridge, I just got mix of black blue and silver. If you could provide an image that would be amazing since apparently the variety is not as common as the others?

I wasn't able to open up my salmon faverolles wings to tell for sure if she has split wing, but would the colors and her tail be a problem?
I don't think it's preferred that hens have black feathers or black flecks in the face, and her tail is very weird at this point, the inner feathers are smaller than the outer ones, will she grow out of them?
I'll have to ask my teacher about what kind of judges will be judging, and if unrecognized colors will be disqualified.
I wish I lived in England, since I could happily show my barnie.

Often times the Double Laced Partridge variety is just called Double-laced. According to the Standard of Perfection, two varieties (Double Laced Partridge and Stippled Partridge) were standardized but the Double Laced Partridge variety became the most popular and was therefore recognized by the American Poultry Association. The birds pictured on the MyPetChicken website (Double-Laced Barnevelder from My Pet Chicken) are an example of the Double Laced Partridge variety.

If split wing stays, it should be a disqualification. However, some judges will let it pass, on the basis that the feather may just be missing, the bird is molting, etc. Some will just call it a weak wing. No matter what, a bird with an apparently split wing will not place well.

Your Salmon Faverolles is still young and her color will change. Her tail will grow in different, longer, stiffer feathers as she matures. I've seen bantam Salmon Faverolle pullets that have a tail similar to your bird's tail. It is because they do not have their full adult feathers in yet.

likkatron · Jan 31, 2016

Wyandottes7 said:
Often times the Double Laced Partridge variety is just called Double-laced. According to the Standard of Perfection, two varieties (Double Laced Partridge and Stippled Partridge) were standardized but the Double Laced Partridge variety became the most popular and was therefore recognized by the American Poultry Association. The birds pictured on the MyPetChicken website (Double-Laced Barnevelder from My Pet Chicken) are an example of the Double Laced Partridge variety.

If split wing stays, it should be a disqualification. However, some judges will let it pass, on the basis that the feather may just be missing, the bird is molting, etc. Some will just call it a weak wing. No matter what, a bird with an apparently split wing will not place well.

Your Salmon Faverolles is still young and her color will change. Her tail will grow in different, longer, stiffer feathers as she matures. I've seen bantam Salmon Faverolle pullets that have a tail similar to your bird's tail. It is because they do not have their full adult feathers in yet.

Thank you for all the help and insight.
One final question.
I've been reading a few articles stating that a breeder could give you a prefect top of the notch bird, but if you don't feed and prep it well before the show it will not place well at all.
Could you recommend a good feed, bathing supplies, etc?

3riverschick · Feb 2, 2016

likkatron said:
Thank you for all the help and insight.
One final question.
I've been reading a few articles stating that a breeder could give you a prefect top of the notch bird, but if you don't feed and prep it well before the show it will not place well at all.
Could you recommend a good feed, bathing supplies, etc?

Hi,
Get all this from the breeder who sells you the birds. Listen to them. Never, never create mirth over what they say no matter how different it sees from ideas you have or have heard. Every breeder knows what does best with their strain. . Never share it with anyone else. Breeder secrets are hard won and tightly held. If a breeder takes you into his/her confidence, honor that and keep your mouth shut.
Best,
Karen
Find your breed. Then buy from a breeder with a line bred vintage strain which has been winning in quality competition over multiple generations. Tell the breeder you want foundation quality birds which an be line bred. Then do not cross strains to found a flock. It can take decades to get some of these plumage pattern gene pools stable enough to reproduce reliably from generation to generation. Crossing strains will mess up that stability. If you want/need to strain-cross. Go to your breeder and ask them which strains will cross well with their gene pool. But best advice is to line breed for 4 generations until you get a "feel" for your birds and how they inherit. Following the advice of your breeder in how to mate the birds for best effect. After several generations you will know enough about them to make your own decisions and then run them by your breeder for analysis. Whatever you do, honor the breeder who gave you your start. The elite poultry world is a small one.

Showing chickens for 4-H, 1st time, help?

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