My 6yo son started 4H this past month and has already asked about "doing chickens for 4H". As an ex-4H'er, I'm all for it... but my experience is with horses... I dont have a clue about showing chickens, LOL!
Anyhow- my broody recently hatched a whole bunch of mixed bantams & I'm thinking about letting my son pick a few to call his own and use them for his 4H project. I've got a couple of questions, tho:
1. Can 4H'ers show mutts? My adult chickens are EE's. The bantam chicks are a mix of cochin, serama, d'uccles and silkies (and there are 2 that are frizzled- not sure of their breed yet). I have no idea what most of them are & the few that I can identify are definitely mixed.
2. How do you train a chicken to be a show bird?
3. Any tips for which ones to encourage him to pick? Or should it just be totally up to him? Do their colors matter?
4. The chicks are just over 2 weeks old and are still living with Mom on my front porch. Should I wait until she looses interest in them before letting him choose his chicks and start handling and caring for them? Or should I take them out & let him finish raising them in a brooder?
I checked the extension office website, so I have a general idea of what the actual process is. I know I'm going to have to help him with most of this stuff, which isnt a problem. I just need to know where to start.
THANKS!
Anyhow- my broody recently hatched a whole bunch of mixed bantams & I'm thinking about letting my son pick a few to call his own and use them for his 4H project. I've got a couple of questions, tho:
1. Can 4H'ers show mutts? My adult chickens are EE's. The bantam chicks are a mix of cochin, serama, d'uccles and silkies (and there are 2 that are frizzled- not sure of their breed yet). I have no idea what most of them are & the few that I can identify are definitely mixed.
2. How do you train a chicken to be a show bird?
3. Any tips for which ones to encourage him to pick? Or should it just be totally up to him? Do their colors matter?
4. The chicks are just over 2 weeks old and are still living with Mom on my front porch. Should I wait until she looses interest in them before letting him choose his chicks and start handling and caring for them? Or should I take them out & let him finish raising them in a brooder?
I checked the extension office website, so I have a general idea of what the actual process is. I know I'm going to have to help him with most of this stuff, which isnt a problem. I just need to know where to start.
THANKS!