2015 Pacific Poultry Breeders Association Show NOW MODESTO

[Happy Chooks]

Bantams. Blue cockerel and a birchen trio. If I could find bernavelder chicks that would be awesome but I doubt it. Lol

I have LF Barnevelders, but no chicks at the moment.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Quote: How well would you say your Barnevelders lay?

 

[Happy Chooks]

How well would you say your Barnevelders lay?

I would say they are good (average) layers. My Welsummers do lay more, but Barnevelders are a broody breed and Welsummers are not. But they are very slow to mature and start laying. I only have 1 Barnevelder pullet from the Easter Hatch that is laying - the rest haven't started up yet. My hens are still molting.

 

[lation]

Happy chooks do you have pictures of your barneverdes ?

 

[lation]

Barnevelders.

 

[Happy Chooks]

2014 pullet


2014 pullet - her tail is down in the picture.


Same 2014 pullet as above. Terrible picture for type, but it shows her tight feathering and lacing.


Hen

One of my males

My #1 breeding male, backup male in background

2013 hens (they were still pullets in the picture)

Main breeding male again.

2013 pullets

Young pullet

 

[lation]

You have very beautiful birds. I love their lacing and their green sheen. Your main rooster is awesome.
amazing breed. Thank you for sharing your photos happy chooks.

 

[CluckCluckChoo]

Wow those are gorgeous birds Happy Chooks! You must be very proud of them!

 

[poltroon]

It's a good show to go to. It will be interesting to see how the new location works out.

As far as buying in the sale barn, there are a lot of birds but not necessarily what any one person is looking for. If you are searching for a particular breed or variety, it may work out better to contact breeders of interest in advance. Some breeds are definitely better represented than others. Definitely take the time to inspect the birds for parasites before taking anything home... that was a problem last year.

If you buy, you get just a bird handed to you. It's your responsibility to feed and water and contain it once it's yours, so it's wise to bring an empty carrier, a little feed, and a water cup. Weather could be warm/sunny or not, so even if you're going right home it's good to be thinking about water (and most likely you'll want to hang out and look at other birds etc). Usually there will be a vendor selling cage cups. The sale barn may have cardboard boxes for sale but best to come prepared.

As far as prices, they are all over. You'll see some birds as low as $10 and some quite a bit more; it varies mostly on how willing the seller is to take the birds back home, as far as I can tell. Do your research ahead of time in terms of knowing your breed and what to look for if you want a show bird - there will be a range of quality. Bring cash and a cell phone, because yes, usually you'll need to call the seller. Cruise the room several times, because people will arrive later, people will refill the cages with additional birds, etc. Some birds that were in the show will be available for sale after the judging on Saturday, for pickup Sunday. If you go to buy, you'll want to be there Friday evening or early Saturday. All the action happens on Saturday, in terms of things to see and do.

I usually photograph sales cages of interesting birds, which will have a name and phone number, for future reference. The cell camera is a wonderful thing.

A local 4-H club usually sells food on Saturday for breakfast and lunch and it seems that will be continuing at the new location.

The sale barn (and the competition bird count) is usually bigger in years when it's a national meet, which is not this year. Still, it should be a fun show with plenty to see.

 

[dldolan]

Thanks for the great info for those of us first-timers!