Best Breed of Chicken for my Daughter to show at fair??

[4hchickmama]

Thank you very much for your tips. I think I may get her a Bantam b/c now that you mentioned it my daughter is only 7 and very little to handle a standard size chicken. I will see what I can put my hands on. I will keep you posted!!

Oh yeah, I'd definitely do some sort of bantam for her at 7. My daughter is 8 and struggles with her silkie. And I love my silkies, but the clean legged bantams do often show better. Good luck!!!!

 

[Chicken Lover21]

Can i show Anything in the fair i don't know how to post a Question.

 

[4hchickmama]

Can i show Anything in the fair i don't know how to post a Question.

You might need to make a certain number of posts first.

Technically, yes, you can show whatever you'd like in the fair. If you are under 18, are you in a 4H or FFA program? If not, and you won't be doing showmanship, then you want to stick to a good quality bird of one specific breed...but that breed can be whatever you'd like!

 

[ChristineR]

I got my 10 year old daughter Seramas and we love them. The are tiny, easy to handle, and become very tame. They also come in all sorts of fun colors.

 

[calamityfarm]

I'm sure I'm only repeating what has been said in the previous pages but here it goes. My kids all showed poultry (this is why I have birds now- I was hooked). So what breeds to have. First breed- the one that she wants/loves! Go to a show and let her pick it out. I would avoid any that require ai to reproduce, but other than that it should be something she is passionate about. Second breed- something small! Showmanship gets impossible with a big bird! You can do it, but it's no fun and it is much harder to do well. That said, you really only need one showmanship bird, with a backup, as the best showmanship bird should be her best friend! My daughter's breed was Black Langshan (she won the Nationals one year!), her showmanship bird was a bantam white cochin who was like a pampered show dog! Have fun, enjoy, learn. Those are the lessons to learn from showing.
Ann

 

[calamityfarm]

I'm sure I'm only repeating what has been said in the previous pages but here it goes. My kids all showed poultry (this is why I have birds now- I was hooked). So what breeds to have. First breed- the one that she wants/loves! Go to a show and let her pick it out. I would avoid any that require ai to reproduce, but other than that it should be something she is passionate about. Second breed- something small! Showmanship gets impossible with a big bird! You can do it, but it's no fun and it is much harder to do well. That said, you really only need one showmanship bird, with a backup, as the best showmanship bird should be her best friend! My daughter's breed was Black Langshan (she won the Nationals one year!), her showmanship bird was a bantam white cochin who was like a pampered show dog! Have fun, enjoy, learn. Those are the lessons to learn from showing.
Ann

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

You might need to make a certain number of posts first.

Technically, yes, you can show whatever you'd like in the fair. If you are under 18, are you in a 4H or FFA program? If not, and you won't be doing showmanship, then you want to stick to a good quality bird of one specific breed...but that breed can be whatever you'd like!

At some shows they also have independents or just youth shows.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I'm sure I'm only repeating what has been said in the previous pages but here it goes. My kids all showed poultry (this is why I have birds now- I was hooked). So what breeds to have. First breed- the one that she wants/loves! Go to a show and let her pick it out. I would avoid any that require ai to reproduce, but other than that it should be something she is passionate about. Second breed- something small! Showmanship gets impossible with a big bird! You can do it, but it's no fun and it is much harder to do well. That said, you really only need one showmanship bird, with a backup, as the best showmanship bird should be her best friend! My daughter's breed was Black Langshan (she won the Nationals one year!), her showmanship bird was a bantam white cochin who was like a pampered show dog! Have fun, enjoy, learn. Those are the lessons to learn from showing.
Ann

VERY well stated!!! The best breed for your child is the one that makes his/her heart sing! The whole point is for the child to thoroughly know their bird, and to train it to accept the necessary handling. Chickens are easily trainable, and while a specific bird may be easier or less easy to train, I do not think there is any breed characteristic about it. Those having problems with silkies, do your birds have clear vision? You may need to trim the feathers around their eyes so that they can see unimpeded. While a larger bird may be more difficult to handle, if that is the bird that your smaller child adores, let it be her decision, just make sure she/he understands that extra work and training will likely be needed, and that the child is willing to put in the extra time. It is fin to steer your child to a smaller breed, but if she/he insists on a large bird, that is okay. The experience gained will be worth the extra difficulty in handling a larger bird.

Showmanship is done a bit differently in different parts of the country, and walking the bird is not done in many places. Not that long ago I listened to a couple of judges talk about how different showmanship can be in different parts of the country. Likewise, age and being in 4H or FFA are not necessarily related to showmanship.

 

[4hchickmama]

VERY well stated!!! The best breed for your child is the one that makes his/her heart sing! The whole point is for the child to thoroughly know their bird, and to train it to accept the necessary handling. Chickens are easily trainable, and while a specific bird may be easier or less easy to train, I do not think there is any breed characteristic about it. Those having problems with silkies, do your birds have clear vision? You may need to trim the feathers around their eyes so that they can see unimpeded. While a larger bird may be more difficult to handle, if that is the bird that your smaller child adores, let it be her decision, just make sure she/he understands that extra work and training will likely be needed, and that the child is willing to put in the extra time. It is fin to steer your child to a smaller breed, but if she/he insists on a large bird, that is okay. The experience gained will be worth the extra difficulty in handling a larger bird.

Showmanship is done a bit differently in different parts of the country, and walking the bird is not done in many places. Not that long ago I listened to a couple of judges talk about how different showmanship can be in different parts of the country. Likewise, age and being in 4H or FFA are not necessarily related to showmanship.

The ONLY problem we have using a silkie is walking the table. She just...doesn't want to. BUT, like you said, she is my daughter's pride and joy, so losing out on a few points because of that is worth it. She was beaming when she was telling the judge about her bird, going over her strengths and weaknesses.

In all of the fairs around here, there is the option for independent competitors in showmanship, but I have never seen anyone in that class. So, I kind of misspoke. You *can* enter showmanship without being part of one of those organizations, but I think it is beneficial to a young competitor to be a part of either.

 

[calamityfarm]

Did she train the bird to walk at home? Easy to do with scratch. Do it at home enough, have some in their pocket for the show, then after the bird has walked give the bird a little scratch while the judge is busy with the next child.