age for showing??

[joe17]

What is the maximum and minimum age for showing chickens? I show hogs for 4 H and they have to be a certain weight/age etc......... What about 6 months? I have silkie chicks right now and I am hoping I can show them soon! Thanks!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

For silkies I would say around 8 months old. Also they do need to be tested to show, wether you enroll in NPIP or get them specially tested for the show.

 

[apc]

For alot of 4h shows, birds must be born after jan. 1st. Id check the fair book and get in contact with the poultry superintendent.

 

[Tim63]

There are classes for Pullets(female under one year). Cockerels(male under one year) Hens(female over one year)Cocks(male over one year). If you are asking at what age is a bird most prime to show, that would vary by breed. In my breed(bantam brahmas) about 5-6 months, especially pullets. Right before they lay their first egg they are in full "bloom".

 

[joe17]

I have silkies right now. I got a couple really nice chicks from Bobbi Porto!! Our shows are from early January to late February. Can I go 6 and a half to 7 months old instead of 8 months?? I do have another silkie that is already a month old and would be the perfect age to show at that time. How many birds can I show at once? Can I show 4 birds at a time?? Thanks! I am really new and never have never shown poultry before.

 

[joe17]

Oh I have another question for Sundown Silkies because you sound like you know silkie well! What do you consider good toe spacing? Can the spacing be a little different on each foot? Should the last two little toes on the inside of the silkies foot have feathers?? Do you have any pictures of silkie feet? Thanks! Ohh and I saw your website. I saw that you would trade eggs but they must be npip certified. I wanted to know how do you become npip certified? How many birds should I start with? A good pair? trio? quad?? Im worried about not having enough silkies to breed!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Perfect toe spacing is something drummed up by sellers, as I have been told by various breeders. Judges are looking for 5 toes on each foot, most do not care about the spacing. Silkies must have feathering at least to the mid toe. I have been hatching lots of chicks this year that have feathering on all 5 toes, even better.

I dont have any pictures of adult feet, probably should take some.


Here is your states contact for npip. Email and tell them you want to become NPIP certified and you need an application. They will send you one, you fill it out and mail it back. Then within a couple weeks the tester will call you to set up a appt to test.
Louisiana [email protected]


I would say, start with a good quad of silkies, see what happens when you breed those together. But your going to want an extra rooster. What happens if your rooster gets killed, dies over winter, etc. Then you have nobody to breed with.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Silkies are a very slow maturing bird. See how you bird looks at 6 or 7 months and then make a decision. Most are not done blooming till at least 8 months. Also, to show you will have to get either npip certified, or have to bring your birds somewhere to get tested for the shows.