"2012 County Fair or bust": 4-Hers gearing up!

[SweetSilver]

This is our first year showing in the county fair. Both my girls are in primaries and I'm wanted to share some of their pictures. You might have seen these in another thread.

I also am dying to see pictures of drenched chickens getting the spa treatment.

Please feel free to post your own pictures as we gear up for Fair. Sorry, but I deliberately kept my girls' faces out of the pictures. Imagine big, happy smiles.

Enjoy! And I hope some others decide to share as well.



Here's my 7yo with a black Sumatra named variously "Zinnia" and "Romilda Vane". We just had a hen named Zinnia, 4 other chicks were variously named Zinnia, and I gave this one my own name. She a bit wild for "sitting and showing" but dd is insisting. She's not so bad, I think she'll do fine.

I need to get some pictures of my 5yo with her bantam bearded D'Anver "Halloween". Now she is a sweety....

So, more pics to come.

I'm going to have to hand-deliver our animal entry forms on Monday as I've never filled one out and it is more involved than I thought. Then we were "supposed" to purchase leg bands and include a registration number, but no one carries leg bands in the stores anymore and just when I think I'm really screwed and have to tell my kids that mommy blew it and we can't show at fair.....

...... the poultry leader says "we're too small; we didn't do leg bands last year."

Phew!

 

[Maddywidget]

Such a cute hen!
I am competing as well But not in Showmen Ship!

In the Santa Clara fair, with my beautiful blue orpingtons!





They'll be getting their bath soon hehehehehe.

 

[SweetSilver]

Quote: Oh, and I can hardly wait to see the pictures! I will definitely post ours when the time comes.

Beautiful bird!

 

[Maddywidget]

I will post them if I remember to take them! Which fair is your daughter competing in?

She is a very loving Blue Orpington. She crawls on my back when I bend over to tie my shoes!


Silly bird.

 

[SweetSilver]

Fair starts Wednesday!!!!



Thank goodness! DD1 chose this Belgian bearded d'anvers pullet for her first fair instead of that wild and wily Sumatra.



This is Halloween, or "Weeny Beeny". Bucket of chicken anyone?



This is dd2's d'anvers pullet, Midnight, or "Midi". I am simply in love with this breed!

 

[SweetSilver]

Well..... since I had to be involved directly in the washing, this was the only picture I took.

Poor Midnight!

Fair is going supremely well. The girls are enjoying their barn duties-- this is almost as fun as Christmas! We are all really tired.

 

[Chickadee95]

Hi!!
This is my first ever fair in 4-H, coming up in September!!
The entry forms confused me so much, so we'll see if we get accepted! Haha.
You said you're bringing your calmer chicken? Can I ask why? How does showing them work, do I stand there and move my chicken around in front of a judge?
I would ask my fellow club members, but it's like pulling teeth trying to get information out of them! Grrrr...

~Charis

 

[SweetSilver]

Hi!!
This is my first ever fair in 4-H, coming up in September!!
The entry forms confused me so much, so we'll see if we get accepted! Haha.
You said you're bringing your calmer chicken? Can I ask why? How does showing them work, do I stand there and move my chicken around in front of a judge?
I would ask my fellow club members, but it's like pulling teeth trying to get information out of them! Grrrr...
~Charis

The entry forms were confusing! I thought I could just print them out and fill them in-- oh that is exactly what didn't happen. My secret? Called the 4-H leader and had her hold my hand through the whole process (not literally). And I'm the parent!

So, get help from the 4-H leader and the exhibitor's guide if you can (not parents, 'cause I'm a parent and I was stumped.) The exhibitor's guide kind of sort of helps, but kind of not really. But, check it out so you say you've tried. Go to the fair website for your county and click where it says "Exhibitor's Guide" or "Exhibitor's Book". Maybe no one can help you because no one can figure these things out either!

For last minute help, and when no one else seems helpful, take the form directly to the fair office. Call the number listed on their website and get directions and drop the entry off personally. They were extremely helpful. You need to know what breed your bird is and the sex (oh my lord, you'd think this would be a no brainer, but I am seeing so many misidentified birds this year--and I'm a newbie! If in doubt, post pictures on this forum "What Breed and Gender is This?")

You want to fill in 2 lines: one for the bird itself, one for "fitting and showing". But, like I said, get thee to the faire office.

The calmer chicken: you don't want to be struggling to keep hold of your bird. If they are approachable and don't always try flapping away, they are probably calm enough. You obviously don't want to take the calm chicken with scrappy feathering, but if you have a choice between two birds with good feathering, choose the calmer one. You will seem sooooo in control, and that does make an impression on the judges, though if you smile serenely and answer "I don't know" to all their questions, the control is not going to help you one bit.

As for walking the bird, that depends on the fair. Ours did not have us walk them. The judges asked questions about their bird and chickens in general including about others' birds, asked exhibitors to put the bird into a cage, take it out. But no walking.

 

[Chickadee95]

Eeeep, I'm excited to show my chicks to the judge!

We did ask for help at the office where we turned them in, but of course the people weren't at the office for another week who knew what they were doing, so they had a "sub."
So we pretty much winged it, no pun intended!
Thank for the reply!

 

[SweetSilver]

I turned mine in at the last minute and *everybody* was there then, processing all the last-minute entries.

Good luck! We've had so much fun, I never even guessed. Hope you enjoy the fair as much as we have.