APA Chickens

[beagleman77]

Th

1)  All APA (American Poultry Association) recognized purebreds can be shown in APA shows.  There are many breeds that are not recognized by the APA, and those cannot compete for awards in an APA show, but may be able to compete in other shows, depending on the show rules.  The same applies to APA recognized breeds that are not of an APA recognized color, as the APA only recognizes certain colors for each breed.

2)  HUGE topic.  This entire category of BYC is devoted to breeding chickens to the SOP (Standard of Perfection -- a book that describes what each breed should like and which characteristics it should have).  The APA publishes the SOP, and anyone serious about breeding show quality chickens should get a copy.  A "show quality chicken" is one that matches the description in the SOP as closely as possible, although it is rare to see a bird that is perfect in every way.  The best way to learn how to breed show quality chickens is to get the SOP, then find a breeder of your chosen breed to mentor you.  It is a skill that take decades of judgement to learn, and starting with good quality birds and the guidance of an experienced breeder can be the difference between consistent improvement with each generation vs. floundering aimlessly making no progress and not knowing why.  Hatchery stock is usually so poor that starting with hatchery chicks isn't worth it.

3)  The rewards to the winners are the pride that you get with success after a long and difficult journey, a pretty blue ribbon, and lots of people calling to request eggs and chicks from your stock. 

Thank you so much

 

[ChickenJerk]

Many experienced poultry breeders will tell you there is a lot of money in exhibition poultry
They know from experience, they put it there.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Many experienced poultry breeders will tell you there is a lot of money in exhibition poultry
They know from experience, they put it there.

HaHaHaHa. Yes, maybe for a select few. For most exhibitors, the hobby is a money pit where their goal is to be able to sell enough eggs, chicks, and breeding trios to pay the feed bill, and have enough culls to fill the freezer every year. And thank goodness for the day job to pay for the infrastructure costs, overhead costs, and remaining feed bill. Yeah, it feels good to sell that breeding trio for $150 or the 25 chicks for $200, but it took thousands of dollars and years of success to get there, and the customer base isn't limitless. Don't count on it to pay the mortgage!