4-H people.. Is 16 too old to start showing poultry?

[BayouPoules]

If she has never shown before?
My sweet DH was just told by an old 4-Her(18) that he never sees beginners as old as she is and she would look silly.
I assured her that it would be fine and catch on quickly but she asked for opinions from the "chicken channel".
She is a homeschooler that will be new to 4-H and would be showing Barnevelders and Australorps and wants to start showing this coming spring.

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
16 IS ABSOLUTLY NOT TOO OLD TO BEGIN SHOWING! I cannot believe that a 4-H'er would say that to another person.

I got interested in breeding and showing to the standard when I was 15 1/2. By the time I found a poultry club in my state (2 hours away might I add).... I was 16 years old. I quickly learned that my birds didnt even come close to competing against the other junior birds. I acquired better stock, and finally have achieved in getting show wins and even a best in show this past weekend. Showing is a learning experience and there is always something new to learn at every show. Tell her to go for it and I'll be rooting for her

All you can do is show your birds and never give up.

 

[Celtic Hill]

My 13 year old brother just did novice showmanship and won first! It is NEVER too soon to get kids into animals, if she want's to show chickens, find her a nice little bantam to show and she will have a blast! And as a 4Her myself, I would NEVER say that to someone.

 

[SpringChickens]

Nope, absolutely never too late to learn something new!! There's no time like the present.

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Never too late to start learning! I know in our local 4-H, at fair, they offer a "novice" showmanship level for all age levels. From Junior right on up to Senior! She can enter in that category this year so she's not competing against her Senior level competitors who have been doing this for awhile for her first year. Have her look up You Tube videos on how to do showmanship to pick up some pointers. I hope she does well and has fun!

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

Highschool, and highschool functions can be a scary place for alot of young adults who are insecure about themselves. First off, let me tell you the "show kids" are usually a more accepting bunch than the " sports kids", and other teen groups. Secondly, chicken showing is primarily hands off after the bird is in the cage, so the embarrasment of say, having your calf knock you on your face because you were too busy paying attention to your boots is eliminated(true occurance). If your child is serious about showing, I would reccomend going to your local county agents office and seeking out the individual in charge of managing the "show kids". They can link you up with other kids who know the ropes and your daughter can maybe meet them beforehand and they can share tips and experiences. When I was in 4-H ( didnt start showing any livestock until 13), our county agent held a "grooming clinic", at our local parish(Louisiana) barn. It included a knowledgeable child and at least one knowledgeable adult for every type of animal we could show. They helped us groom our animals and told us what the judge was looking for with each animal. We had a mock showmanship clinic, and It was very very hands on, meaning everyone brought one animal and either washed hogs, gave calves haircuts, cleaned chicken feet and combs,and at the end, we all ate lunch together in the barn on hay bales and laughed and made new friends. Our agents did this at the start of EVERY show season. Our agent also encouraged us to carpool/trailerpool to shows far away, and always asked the kids with the calm animals to help the new kids with showmanship. 4-H livestock exhibitors are a wonderful group of kids that arent usually concerned about their looks, or who is the most popular in the lunch room, they are busy preparing animals and taking pride in the results of good animal husbandry. The one thing I would like to give advice on, is dont do ANY work for your daughter in terms of preparing the animals. I cant describe the sense of pride that comes from winning grand champion on a state level when YOU pesonally sweated, cryed, worried, and stayed up some nights fretting over a critter, and then you go and get a plaque and have the nicest animal in the room!.... good luck, and please post show pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EweSheep]

I was in my sophmore in high school when I started 4H and it was fun! It was goats and arts. FUN FUN FUN!

NO, it is never too old for 4H. I would have smacked that lady for saying that to a teenager or anyone for that matter!

 

[justbugged]

My daughter was 16 the one and only time she was able to show llamas. She has no regrets that I have ever heard. And I know that we both still love the pictures that were taken then. I say let her do it, and there are never enough experiences in life. I wonder why any one would try and discourage a kid from showing at 4-H.

Maybe they are afraid that she could win. I do know that DD had a run in with a friend over dog 4-H. We have a Komondor that got a lot more attention than her friends Staffordshire Terrier did. It was clear that my DD's friends mother was meddling in the outcome of the show. I think my big clue was when her daughter won the contest that the mom judged. I think that was what tipped me off. On the other hand DD learned a lot from that experience also. She was able to learn how loose gracefully, and learned to be more careful with her friend.

But still your daughter can learn so much from the experience of showing chickens. Even if your DD doesn't win anything, she is still going to meet people and learn from the things she experiences while being part of 4-H.

 

[BayouPoules]

How kind and encouraging of you all! Those words are just what she needed to hear,.. of course He father and I had already said as much,.. but she feels a little better hearing it from those that have done this before,.. I've only shown horses,. never chickens,..

The young man in question is sadly an arrogant fellow and we pray the Lord work in his heart,. but his words hit their mark.

She is now looking forward again to her first show,. Thanks so much everybody!

 

[EweSheep]