4H Show Chicken

[NYREDS]

I recommend Modern Game Bantams. They're much easier to prepare for show than Silkies as they are close feathered & clean legged. As a judge I've had the opportunity to handle pretty much every breed & variety there is, none are easier to handle than Moderns. They're a very small bird so easier for small hands to control. Also they seem to be natural pets. Most of the time they walk out of the cage & into my hand when I'm judging. Their unusual appearance makes them stand out as well.
I've raised Modern Game Bantams in the past & found them to be hardy & easy to raise. Again they're very small so they don't need a lot of space & they don't require a lot of feed.

 

[silis]

Hi this silis, I have two birds that i show and they are white stars, or in other words White rock/Rhode island red crosses. they are well behaved if they get a lot of contact with people when they are young.

 

[LeBlackbird]

For your son, I suggest you use some of your pure-bred Orpingtons for Breed shows, but you can probably use other birds for Showmanship
For Showmanship shows, the judge looks at how the 4-Her handles the bird and how much knowledge he/she has about that bird (age, gender), that breed (history, uses) and chickens in general. I never had amazing SQ birds, so showmanship was my favorite.
For this, use the calmest, most easily-handled bird. It doesn't have to be a specific breed- I've known members who have placed highly with well-behaved mutts and EEs
Breed shows are based solely upon the bird, and how close they are to the standard of perfection (SOP). My chickens were from a hatchery, but they placed 2nd overall. My county's poultry program is made up mostly of hatchery stock, so birds almost never meet the SOP. Judges here are pretty lenient in their judging, because they know not everyone has access or can afford SQ birds, but I've heard other counties are much more competitive, and some amazing quality birds are found at large county or state fairs.

I love 4-H, and its a great experience for any kid. The first couple years are all about learning how to succeed, not about winning. For most of my years, I never placed in any show, but it's still great to talk to judges- they are always willing to give advice for care and breeding.
I hope your son has as great of a time as I've had, and I'm glad you support his desire to join!

Another senior member here, and I definitely second this. Any type of poultry will work for showmanship, but as Chic_girl said, The calmer the better. working with your bird of choice on a regular basis helps leaps and bounds. A calm bird equals a Calm competator and a calm, collected competator does a lot better. Throwing curveballs like using a mix breed or a non-chicken bird for showmanship was always fun for us over here, watching the judge try to compensate for this "non-regular" occurence gives us an opportunity to jump in and impress him. Judges are very linient towards first years, regardless, so doing lots of homework and knowing everything there is to know about your bird usually leads you to victory. (I highly reccomend getting an APA standard of perfection if you haven't already acquired one, and I also reccomend consulting older members of your club for help whenever you need it. I definitely need to credit some of the older members of the club for helping me succeed, I have no idea what I would do without them.)

As for getting some pure bred chickens, there's more than a couple ways to go about doing this. Try sending out a call to your fellow club members, some of them might breed/have extra birds and can supply you with a pure bred bird. You can also rely on hatcheries or local breeders to help you out too. I've found some pretty decent stock at local fairs and show, but buying from a show is always risky, and it helps to take along someone with an eye for chickens and a lot of expirience (someone for references is always good). That, and you have to consider the places their coming from and what kind of "Unwelcome guests" your bringing into your flock (Diseases, External and Internal parasites, fun stuff like that).

Looking back at the early years, regardless of all the mistakes and accidents I made, 4H was and always will be, Extremely fun and rewarding. It's definitely worth involving yourself in. Best of luck, let us know how things turn out

 

[LOVEMYCHICKS03]

http://web.uconn.edu/poultry/4-H Poultry/showmanship.PDF best thing I found for showmanship

 

[Suzyqrp]

I recommend  Modern Game Bantams. They're much easier to prepare for show than Silkies as they are close feathered & clean legged. As a judge I've had the opportunity to handle pretty much every breed & variety there is, none are easier to handle than Moderns. They're a very small bird so easier for small hands to control. Also they seem to be natural pets. Most of the time they walk out of the cage & into my hand when I'm judging. Their unusual appearance makes them stand out as well.
I've raised Modern Game Bantams in the past & found them to be hardy & easy to raise. Again they're very small so they don't need a lot of space & they don't require a lot of feed.

Thanks for this suggestion! I live in Utah. What is the best way to go about finding a show quality one?

 

[LOVEMYCHICKS03]

mypetchicken has purebreds and maybe even show quality chickens. for showing I think bantams cochins and silkies are the way to go

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[mstricer]

mypetchicken has purebreds and maybe even show quality chickens. for showing I think bantams cochins and silkies are the way to go

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[LOVEMYCHICKS03]

whats the

for?!?!

 

[kschnetz]

I am 24 now, but in my 13 years of showing poultry I found that Old English Game are the easiest for younger children, their size if perfect for smaller hands. You want to find a good breeder, and the best way to do that is to go to a local show and start talking to people! As far as conformation, the American Standard of Perfection is the standard that judges use, so buy a bird that looks as close to the standard as possible. Good luck =)

 

[4-Her 101]

I think you should go to your 4h leader and ask because all places are different and I know that you cant show just any chicken you have to get aprovle from your 4h