Breeds To Show?

[FREEZE's CHICKENS]

will someone please give me some advice...
showing tips?
Specific showing chickens?
easy showing chickens?
hard showing chickens?
are mottled houdans or polish roosters a good show bird?
maybe bantam rooster? or rhode island red rooster? im already gonna show WHITE silkys
anyadvice is oh so very helpful! thanks kevin!

 

[Illia]

Rhode Island Red - No. Unless you got yours specifically from a good, heritage breeder, you're not going to win anything fairly.

Mottled Houdans - No. Very few, even non-hatchery, match the SOP very well.

Polish - They're okay. Depends on the color, as some hatcheries offer worse quality of one color than another.

White Silkies will be very hard, as there are a LOT of others out there with white Silkies they've been breeding and showing for years, so you'll be pretty far behind.

Almost any breed is a good showing breed, the tip is to NOT get them from a hatchery or from hatchery bloodlines.

 

[FREEZE's CHICKENS]

thank you! thats very helpful. what about bantam roosters? or just straight bantams? any advice on where to get them!

 

[muddyhorse]

bantam refers to size not breed

Pick a breed YOU like, there is alot more to showing chickens than sticking it in a show pen. If you don't like the birds it becomes work quick. My advice is to go to an APA show ( not the county fair) walk around and see what catches your eye

Most breeders are more then willing to help a newbie get started.
If you would like to post some pictures of your birds we can help you pick ones that come closest to the standard for that breed.

 

[FREEZE's CHICKENS]

sounds good that ereally helful. i bough ta bkacl polish rooster last night. i think there so cool! and i have a silky hen. i want to get a bantm rooster. i dont know what kind of bantam it is but i wanna find out... it looks like the one that is in every single chicken magazine. there really pretty.

 

[RioLindoAz]

When I was more of a Newbie, I was told to choose a bantam, clean legged, solid colored bird. You're chances of winning something dramatically increase as there is less criteria to follow for the judges.
I, of course...Did NOT follow this because I went with what caught my eye the most. I ended up showing a Silkie with bad show results.

 

[ultasol]

Start with one breed you plan to show at first. Especially if you are a junior go to a local show and talk to local breeders, see if you can find a mentor. Learn the standard. If you show that you have really looked into the breed and know about it, the better reception you're likely to get.

Once you know one breed decently, try another if you want another or don't think the one you're working with fits your needs.

Get the best quality of the breed that you really like. If you're not a fan of the breed, you might lose motivation. Liking what you do is more important than winning.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

I love all of this advice. Yes, go to a real poultry show with lots of birds and breeders competing and look around. Find birds that catch your eye. Perhaps try talking to one of the owners of that breed and get an idea of how difficult they are to raise/breed/condition/etc. Do your research and become familiar with the breed standard. Then get your hands on the best you can: I suggest adult birds. With chicks/eggs you run the risk of more death rates and the quality not being worth what you paid. With young pullets/cockerels it goes very much the same. (I paid $45 for a pullet who ended up growing into a bird with multiple show disqualifications. Love her anyway, but her showing career ended before it started.) Mature adults already look like what they are (generally) going to look like for the rest of their adult life, although good quality birds will cost more. So I would purchase adults.

 

[gumbii]

like everyone said... go to a show and mingle...


my advice, is get some birds with champion bloodlines... i show OEGB and have several colors right now... but in the future, i'm only gonna work on one color and stick to it... it's just too much work and stress to breed and hatch around a bunch of different chickens that you want to show... don't get ahead of yourself, and buy a trio or two to start you off right... line breed, then use the other trio as fresh blood a couple of generations in...

if you want a nice solid color bantam roo, get a black OEGB rooster from kieth proctor... his are gorgeous.... i think he also always wins with his white's too... not sure... hunt down some top breeders and send them an email... but you're gonna spend some cash...

 

[Ivywoods]

Lots of good advice here. I've only shown on a local basis, but my sister and I always "cleaned house" with our bantam black cochins and black rosecombs. Our stock was originally purchased from very reputable breeders.

Solid colored birds almost always place higher than multi colored chickens because it is easier for them to meet the standard. Get the best you can find and afford.

Best wishes for you future in showing!