4-H Showing and Choosing

[4Hchickenproject]

I'm having trouble getting specific information about our 4-H show too. We were sent all pullets, so no roosters to handle. We were told my son will show up to six hens... fewer only if fewer survived. After the show the hens will will be auctioned. Who will buy? I figure it will be about like our Tuesday livestock sale, just whoever happens to show up and want a hen that day

Or, perhaps, my dh (or I) will buy them

My son keeps half the $ from the sale, 4-H gets the other half (?).

Our 4-H book has recordkeeping pages for expenditures, pages for flock health, individual hen info, etc. and the part about showing only mentions breed standards, nothing about showmanship... though I'm sure my son will have to actually handle the hens, because the 4-H leader stressed handling the chicks regularly -- which hasn't been a problem, the kids won't keep away from them, and they follow us everywhere.

 

[cubakid]

As far as we know California and Nevada are the only states that do walking. i know Washington only did knowledge at the APA Semi Annual in Stevenson, the members put the bird on a carpet square posed it and answered lots of questions... no caging, examination, or walking.

 

[donrae]

Quote:
Sounds like your son is raising meat birds maybe? I'm thinking a meat bird pen is different than a show bird. The meat birds would be auctioned off, like the other 4H meat animals. The show birds wouldn't necessarily be sold, maybe just offered for sale per the owner's wishes.
I'm not sure they do showmanship with meat birds? That's something you should ask the leader.

 

[calicokat]

I was lost on all this during DD"s first year of 4H too

THe best answers will come from your poultry leader, or perhaps a family that's been doing poultry in your county fair for several years.

Our kids start with 5 meat birds, we all get them on the same day from the same order of chicks. So everyone starts out even. The chicken judging at our fair is usually 7 weeks later. At the end of the fair, on livestock sale day, the kids can choose to sell their 2 meat birds. This is where the kids make their money in poultry. No show birds are sold (unless it's a private sale between individuals. These sometimes happen between folks on the last day as we are taking our birds home).

Here in Indiana (or at least our county) The show birds and meat birds are kinda seperate. The show birds are judged in the ring by classes, and our meat birds were just judged at their cages. We show meat birds in pairs, two girls or two boys, not mixed. The ideal you are going for is two perfectly matched birds. Once they are judged, the top 10 pairs are brought into the show ring so we can all watch the final judging.

From what I saw at our sale, the buyers were a combination of animal or farm related businesses (feed & grain operations, a pet creamatory, meat lockers, Rural electric Coop, etc.) with a few individuals thrown in there. The businesses seemed to bid on animals belonging to families that they were courting business from, or who were loyal customers. The birds were not being bought by Mr. & Mrs. city dweller, looking for a couple of Sunday chicken dinners. The nearby eleveator (we buy our feed there, and he drives my DD's school bus) bought my daughter's birds, and when we thanked him and asked what he wanted done with the birds, he told us he didn't want them. The VAST majority of the meat birds sold that day went on a truck to butcher and were never seen again, I don't know if I saw a single buyer taking birds home. THis still puzzles me and I plan to ask more questions and figure this out this year, LOL.

The auctioneers did point out if the pair of birds were for a 10 year 4H member or were the meat pen champions, and the bidding did go a bit higher then. THough, the highest bids had more to do with who was selling, not what they were selling. I sat through the pigs, sheep, and rabbits and it worked the same there. They'd ask the buyer if they wanted the animal, if not, it was marked and taken to the butcher truck. THere are a lot more tears with these other animals because the 4H'er has raised them longer. We only had the meat birds for 7 weeks, and I did learn that everyone was right - they are stinky little critters that only eat, drink and poo!

 

[ginbart]

Quote:
Only one thing I would add is, here in PA all 4-H'ers wear white jackets. They dress like they are going to church and have the jacket over their cloths.

 

[cubakid]

See but that is not something they do every where. in CA we where a white button up shirt, white pants, 4H hat and a 4H Scarf/Tie, when in washington they were a white button up shirt and black pants. it all depends on your state.