Crossroads Poultry Show 2011-History and Reflection - Page 45

Excellent suggestions!  May I add a couple more?

Instead of a zip tie, I use some small padlocks for my cages.  An old cockman once told me he's seen people just whip out a small swiss army knife and cut the tie, and that's it - bird's gone.  My little padlocks have keys - it's worked out well.

Ask questions!  Don't miss this opportunity to mine some of the best bird knowledge in the country all located in one place! Write them down now on index cards because you'll forget most of them with the glorious visual assault on your senses.  Haunt your breed area, and start conversations with everyone - you never know who you'll meet.  There's no dumb question!!

Take pictures of the birds in your breed that win.  Print them up when you get home, and use them to study from.

Well, I wasn't laughing like Woody last year when I had a carload of Calls and had to make a sidetrip on my way home from Wisconsin by way of Iowa before I got back to Illinois. By the time I stopped for dinner at the Iowa 80 truck stop, my head was thumping with a migraine and all I could hear anymore was the AAAAAAA! AAAAAAA! AAAAAAAA! of female Calls screaming in my ear! One prime offender yelled for the whole trip. I have since found that they love talk radio and are much quieter when the radio is on...but if my cell rings and I start talking, they can keep a running commentary, depending on how tired they are! And all bets are off in any drive-through, they want to place their own orders!

I have also figured out who the "bad kids" are, including my main offender, and they go in the back, the quiet "goody two-shoes" ride behind the driver's seat...so yes, anyone seeing me loading up at a show, there is a definite method to my madness and how I load my van! Such is one of those times when there is something to be said for having more drakes than strictly necessary...they can make much better carpool buddies!

I can easily understand the headache!  Calls are off my list under threat of murder.  We choose the seating arrangements, too. They are placed with care.   We've found that choral Christmas music is both mutually acceptable and highly effective, along with Mozart, Beethoven, and anything else that is quiet and calming.  It will still be a long ride.  We plan to leave around midnight Wednesday.  We are bringing a number of American Buff geese, many for sale or swap. If anyone is interested in them, pm me and I will give you a phone number so we can meet up.

If you are interested in following the action this weekend during the Crossroads of America Show, follow my blog:

http://crossroadspoultryshow.blogspot.com/

I will be blogging daily as the show unfolds at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. Check often for show results, photographs, and vlogs.

Requests may be emailed to me: jaredbramer at yahoo dot com

I usually bring his pack and play which I can easily set up outside.

Yes! Please do not bring a dog, cat, ferret, or any other creature into the show hall unless it's wearing feathers and either has a show coop waiting for it or a sales coop reserved for it. You will see a lot of happy, easy going people turn in ogres should that happen. DO NOT bring your pet into the show hall, PLEASE.

Also, and I say this with respect to parents, but I so often see birds become extremely frightened over little toddler sized kids, so please have your child in hand when walking down the aisles or approaching a bird. I don't know what exactly it is about a young toddler that frightens them so badly, but a startled bird could easily injure itself in this situation.

And lastly, that egg in that coop or on the coop stands? Even though it has exited the hen that produced it, does NOT mean it is up for grabs. For those who don't know, taking an egg is considered stealing. Don't do it. It's the property of the owner of the bird and/or the show committee, ONLY.

Thanks for your understanding.

Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot to put that on my list. You will definitely want to have a place to park your tired derierre. Believer me!