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

[BayouPoules]

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Oh Honey,... I know just what you mean,.. It was the same with me, it was horrible to be so shy and afraid,. I can almost feel how awful it was to have to play that music in front of everyone-alone,. even though most would have been tickled to be singled out. I am so glad you took those courses and had a good time! Victory is yours!

 

[BayouPoules]

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Thanks,. We are learning so much from everyones suggestions!

 

[BayouPoules]

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chicken people are SO much nicer then horse people, BTW! lol I show horses and i love going to the chicken shows because everyone is so nice!

Ya know,..way back in the days of yor

,.. when my family was raising and showing Quarter Horses,.. it really was different,. we really had fun and looked forward to seeing everyone that we hadn't seen since the last show. We were happy for our friends when they won and they were glad for us if we won. We helped each other,. with saddle parts,. show sheen, getting dressed,.after the shows we all sat around grilling hot dogs and brushing horses and talking over the days events before we all headed home.... it really was a big happy family,... I still keep in touch with some of them after all these years.

The last show I attended was with a friend recently after many, many years out of the circuit and what you say about them is spot on,. it was CUT THROAT! I can't say what I saw and heard,. it's not nice. It was sad.

I'm sure there are folks still trying to enjoy themselves,.but it seemed that for most it was hard core business.

ETA I know I've posted a LOT here but I am so grateful for everyone's input,. just wanted to reply. well,. off to help Olivia ,. she's bathing her first chicken,. I want this on film!

 

[TK Poultry]

I started 4H when I was 9 but I didn't start showing poultry until I was 14! I was 15 when I started showing in open jr. shows. and will be 15 1/2

when I start showing with adults. Its never too late to start

 

[Ohne-Fehler]

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chicken people are SO much nicer then horse people, BTW! lol I show horses and i love going to the chicken shows because everyone is so nice!

I will totally agree with you on the horse show thing. Horse people are not nice at all. I show APHA and they will eat you alive if you aren’t just as nasty back to them. By contrast I just went to my first poultry show in years and the people were wonderful. Willing to help, give suggestions, recommend breeders you might want to talk to, all of which you would be very unlikely to encounter at a horse show.

Personally I don’t think it is ever too late to start showing and 4-H is all about learning so it doesn’t matter your age. Show kids are usually much nicer than the sport kids, you still might get the occasional rotten one but you just ignore them and go on with life. I have more than once judged goat showmanship classes where there are older kids showing novice. In fact last spring I judged a girl who was 16 and showing her first goat, actually it was her first animal ever, and she did a fantastic job. Judges shouldn’t hold their ages against them, usually we are just happy to see a kid getting involved in our species of choice and want to encourage them as much as possible. You never know there may come the day down the road that you show under that kid as the judge at some open show!

I say go for it. She will make new friends, learn a ton and hopefully fall in love with the hobby and make it part of her life!