4-Her's, and other young exhibitors

[Twistedfeather]

Are there any young exhibitors or 4-Hers out there? As many of us 4-Her's know that one of the most sacred of competitions in the 4-H world is Showmanship. Many of you who are not in 4-H or those who are just starting this year may not know what this is. Showmanship is the competition where a showman (a young child or the future generation of breeders and exhibitors) are dressed in nice attire (Oregon it's white shirt, black pants and shoes, belt and girls must wear their hair back.) There is a judge that then will ask the health check:

Head
wings
under color
width of body
keel/sternum
vent
depth of abdomen
width between pubic bones
feet and legs

the judge then asks questions about poultry and if the showman get's them right it goes towards their chances of being champion in class. Classes are normally novice, junior, intermediate, senior.

The idea of this thread is to help those who want to learn more about showmanship whether it'd be a question about a question they were asked, want to learn more about 4-H extra tips to impress the judge, or just how to do the health check than people who've had experience can assist those who need the help. I will be going to a show next weekend and as best I can I'll write down the questions that I was asked with hopefully the right answers. If you want to do this too you're more than welcome.

Thanks,
Twistedfeather

 

[TriciaHowe]

All 4 of my kids are in 4H and I am co-leader of the 4H poultry club. The 2 oldest are also in FFA and do rabbits and beef. We do showmanship at every show that has it and the 2 oldest are on the county poultry judging team.

 

[Twistedfeather]

That's so cool! Our county doesn't necessarily have a county judging team since our chaperone makes anyone who does state fair does poultry judging anyways.