4-h first year for chickens

[dichotomymom]

My 10 year old is showing for the first time and as we haven't done any of the workshops yet, it'd be nice to know what to expect! Are we going to be able to use any of our existing chickens (is there a division for chickens older than pullets?) We've got 2, 2 year old easter eggers and 10 year old wyandottes. When you show, do you keep your particular bird quarantined for the sake of plummage etc.....?

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Firstly, I wouldn't consider working with the Easter Eggers. EEs are basically mutts and you want to start off with pure-bred chickens. Also, you might want to look into buying birds from breeders unless your other birds are in very good condition. If they're from a hatchery, the chances of having good quality birds are not very high at all. I can't say the chances are impossible, because I'd be contradicting myself, but if you are able, I'd find a good breeder and start fresh.

In my county fair, there was a division for pullets (females under a year of age) and hens (over a year), and cockerels (males under a year) and roosters (over a year). From my understanding, small fairs (typically county fairs) are all very similar, but aren't always run the same way in different states, etc.

I would suggest, when preparing a bird for show, to keep the bird with at least one friend (chickens are social) and cleaning up the living area regularly. If you're looking into participating in showmanship, you'll also want to train the bird to feel comfortable being held, handled, and shown.

 

[dichotomymom]

Thanks! I was considering having him show the ee because one of them is so docile and has beautiful plummage (also at the top of the pecking order). My wyandottes are in great shape but I've been pretty hands off so they don't like to be held. I don't mind us starting over but am concerned about having to buy more than a few birds (my meat birds are going to be my big purchase this year).

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

From what judges have told me, when I showed my birds (last year was my first time) the first thing they consider is the condition of the bird. Are the feathers broken, dirty, sun-bleachd, etc? Then the shape. Does the bird look like how they should by the standard? Small fairs tend to disgregard alot of aspects about the birds condition, which is why I prefer larger fairs and shows. The more serious the occassion, the more 'top-quality' a bird needs to look. Don't make the same mistake as me, and many other people. Hatchery birds rarely look like how they should. I lucked out last year and had myself a pretty nice pullet, who did well, but most of the time, quality is poor. If you can help it, I'd highly recommend getting a small number of birds from a breeder, and perhaps, starting off with a breed that comes in a solid color, like black or white. That way, the chance of having a bird with messed up or incorrect feathering is less.

The other reason to start fresh is because many shows DQ birds and their handlers if the chicken jumps out of their handler's hands and is very flighty. The chicken being shown should be tame and used to human contact. That's key with 4H. You don't need alot of birds. Things tend to work better in small, well-kept groups.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

It all depends on how particular your county is. You should talk to your county's poultry leader when you get the chance.

You are getting meat birds. Does your fair have a roaster or broiler contest? Those are not as particular about feathering or fitting a standard, so your 4-Her may do well there even if they do not do well in the Standard of Perfection portiaon of the show.

Good luck with all! Poultry is a great 4-H project and can do a lot for your kids.

 

[poltroon]

I think we need to put together a guide for new 4H families! That first year is so very confusing.

I would suggest you start fresh. The easter eggers will not show well, and while you can show the older birds, if they're not friendly, it won't be so much fun, and they may have some condition issues. Besides, it's his project, and they need to be his chickens.

Get him chicks or adults from someone who breeds to the standard. It's really no fun to go to a show and be disqualified, or have the judge comment that it's a production quality chicken and have it pinned in last place. The cost of the chicks is miniscule compared to the cost of going to one fair (even if the entry fees are free, there's your gas, admission for the adult(s), carriers for the birds, the white shirt and pants, the inevitable fair food and rides, etc) so you might as well spend a little time at the beginning to get nice quality stock - not necessarily National level, but nice enough that the judge will praise them even if they aren't the winners.

Our group went through a breeder that had a variety of breed choices so that each child could get 5 chicks and thus we could split a shipment of 25. You can also look for someone local so that you can pick up chicks or adult birds. Having chicks, I think, is a good part of the experience. Ideally, your chicks will be at least 5-6 months old before the fair.

Use the Henderson Breed Chart at http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html to research the breed options and find the right combination for you of temperament, size, appearance, egg laying, etc and compare that to what breeds are available to you. I was particularly interested in docility and tractable roosters, because my daughter was fairly young when we started, so I narrowed it down to a list of about 5 breeds that seemed appropriate and then let her choose the breed and variety she liked best from those.

Some breeds and varieties are harder to show than others. Breeds like Polish, with their feathered heads, are more likely to have feathers going askew. The more complicated lacing patterns tend to have poorer type than the solid colors like white and black. For some breeds and varieties, you will need to be much more careful about your source than others.

I suggest starting with a bantam breed, which will be smaller and easier to handle. Remember that for showmanship, your son will have to be able to hold the bird upside down with one hand - very hard for a child to do with a larger chicken.

As far as keeping the plumage nice, if you start with chicks you'll probably be fine the first year. Over time, though, you'll need to be more careful about sun, mud, and about the roosters damaging feathers on the girls. It's a tricky balance to have a coop with good airflow, and light, but not direct sun, while still being secure and affordable to build. Ours have feathered feet and while they're pretty, they're more challenging to maintain in a way that is both good for the feathers and healthy for the chickens. The larger the run you can give them, the more active they'll be - which will help for that walking section of showmanship as well as being fun to watch and nice for the health of the birds.

 

[vicki2x2]

Well, here is another point of view. I would say that 75% of our poultry section is made up of hatchery birds, many are EE. If your EE is docile, she might be a great bird for his showmanship bird. Will she win Best in Show, probably not, but who cares, your son might very well do well in his showmanship class with his bird and that is what is important, because he is learning about chickens and their care. You could also get a few other birds from breeders to enter too, for breed classes. Remember 4-H is about having fun, learning about your species, responsibility, etc. After this first year, you will have a much better idea what is going on, especially at your local county fair.

 

[dichotomymom]

Thank you all for the help! Despite all my years in 4-h and having animals at home, I never showed any so it's all new to us!

 

[poltroon]

I know some people would probably rather not know, but I am someone who does not like surprises. Thus, I'm going to lay out some of the costs we've had with exhibition poultry via very small time 4H.

Chicks: breeder quality chicks seem to run about $7-10 apiece delivered. We got 5, which was enough so that we could pick the best ones from our group, and enough to ensure that we'd get some of each gender, and enough that one or two losses were not catastrophic. Note that "delivered" comment - even if the chicks are less, shipping on a box of 25 will add about $1.50 per chick.

Brooder: We bought a $30 rabbit cage and a $5 heat lamp, and used a thermometer we already had.

Shavings/bedding: incidental - I stole a small amount from our horses. You could probably cover yourself for a year with one or two $7 bags.

Food: I haven't kept close track, maybe $100 a year

Coop: we had one already, but if you build one, it's easy to spend $200 or more to make it secure unless you're flush with materials. Better do it right the first time rather than face the dead chicken two days before the fair or the day after Christmas... and then spend the $200 anyway.

To go to the fair:
- You'll need a white long sleeved shirt and white pants, and you know you won't use 'em for anything else.
- 4H hat and tie/scarf, about $10.
- Entries are cheap, but the adult has to pay admission, runs $10-$16 per adult.
- You'll need a carrier - we used or brooder cage, or you can use a dog carrier. A cardboard box can do in a pinch, but you'll be wanting something better. Make sure it has plenty of airflow so that you won't be overheating birds in the summer.
- At our most local fair, the chickens have to arrive Tuesday evening and cannot leave until Sunday. This means daily trips to the fair to care for the chickens and participate in various events, or camping at the fair, either of which have costs. Other fairs we've attended have shorter stays; one is a single day event. One of the fairs is during the school calendar; we coordinate with another family so my daughter doesn't miss school just to feed her chickens. The gas adds up if you're going every day, or worse, twice a day, plus your time.
- Food and water containers for the fair, can be as simple as disposable cups with clothespins. Other people have waterers that snap on to the cage. I gave my daughter the reject ceramic bowls I made while learning to throw pottery.
- You'll probably make up some sort of laminated sign to tell the public about your animals.
- There's tiny prize money, but it made me laugh when she got a check for $1 her first year, which didn't even cover a cotton candy.

- Fun fact: if you were going to the fair anyway, the entrant usually gets free admission. So that can be a savings... and maybe if you do an art or craft that is covered by the fair, entering may be cheaper than the parent wristband.

If money is tight, there are sometimes people willing to sponsor or to do hand-me-downs for things like cages. There may be someone in the community with extra chicks, or especially, an extra rooster. Try craigslist, too.

 

[poltroon]

Depending upon your leader, your fair, and your club, it seems there's quite a bit of flexibility in what the kids can do for a 4H project. One of the simplest is to have a pet chicken to take to the county fair for exhibition, and to do chicken showmanship. (Although the chicken showmanship is actually pretty challenging for the younger kids, just in the dexterity and memory. It is amazing to be able to see my daughter now do that with ease and relaxation.)

But, in addition to the exhibition, you can also do a meat pen (if over 9 years old), raise birds for your own meat or eggs, breed chicks, or you can do a project with ducks, turkeys, or geese. Your project does not necessarily need to have the fair as a goal, and even if it does, your contribution might be educational posters rather than taking a show bird. Once the kids have the basic knowledge, it seems they'll be supported in trying new directions and that they don't all have to go in lock-step.