Chicken showing

[cariboujaguar]

I raise Dairy goats and spend thousands on them, not to mention the time and effort to keep a healthy herd. I also have horses I show, I have learned that I just can NOt get involved with a new species of animal without falling head over heels and jumping in with both feet- so I have every expectation that I will do the same with chickens, so come on people fill me in!
Do chickens have papers? registries?
Do you record their lines, who beeds who etc?
Can you line or inbreed chickens or is it best to outcross them?
Do Chickens display hybrid vigor like other animals or can you not tell a diff. between purebred and crossbred chickens?
How on earth do you show a chicken? Is it just like at fair when I see them all in their cages and that's that?

any more info would be great!

 

[brooster]

Do chickens have papers? registries?
No chickens have no papers if you buy chicks or chickens you are going by the sellers words, and hop ethey are telling the truth

Do you record their lines, who beeds who etc?
I record all my breedings

Can you line or inbreed chickens or is it best to outcross them?
You can use line breeding where you breed off spring back to parents, this creates some of the best birds, you can out cross too

Do Chickens display hybrid vigor like other animals or can you not tell a diff. between purebred and crossbred chickens?
There is a HUGE difference between crossbred and hybrid, there are like >300 breeds of chickens in standard and bantams, with many different colors

How on earth do you show a chicken? Is it just like at fair when I see them all in their cages and that's that?
it depends if they are just judging the chicken, then yes thats it the juge will come by look over all your chickens and move to the next pen, it you are involved in showmanship then you actually have to show your bird to the judge, usually Q's and part display.

You should become involved with chickens it is an addiction, and a very fun one, everyone should have chickens!

 

[blackred]

Quote:
Bob

 

[cariboujaguar]

What I was asking, Bob, is in regards to crossbred chickens: like when people cross a labrador dog and poodle they have a longer lifespan, better health etc- reffered o as hybrid vigor. So do cross bred chickens grow faster, live longer etc...

 

[brooster]

i dont know about living longer, but if bred right they can grow faster such as meat crosses, or they can lay better

 

[CovenantCreek]

Quote:
I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I'll just pass on what I've been able to pick up with regards to hybrid vigor: you hear about it a lot in reference to the sex links and their ability to lay bigger, better eggs than the hens from either of the purebred breeds they're crossed from. I haven't heard anything in reference to them living longer or being healthier in general. The fact that they usually lay well over 300 eggs their first year can reduce the number of years of productivity, or so it seems anyway. My RSLs are coming up on 2 yr old this spring and although they still lay lots of extra large and jumbo eggs, the quality of the eggs has diminished significantly since last summer. Since they're the oldest members of my flock, I can't tell you how soon the quality of the eggs from the purebred hens will decline.

 

[blackred]

Quote:
Yes there is hybrid vigor in poultry as in any crossed animal, but what has that to do with showing purebred poultry? Can you show a Labrador/poodle cross?
I quess that I was under the assumption you were asking about showing poultry which is why the question confused me.

Bob

 

[cariboujaguar]

Sorry, you can show what is called 'experimentals' or 'native on appearance' goats and I was asking about the cross' because I intended to ask if you could show 'mutt' chickens or only purebred- then I apparently forgot to ask it... sorry! LOL

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Only purebred poultry are shown in APA sanctioned shows. Each breed is judged according to it's own standard. Whichever bird in that breed fits the standard closest, will win the breed. Each breed is also in a class. Whichever bird from the best of breed will compete against other birds against their own standards. Again, whichever bird closest matches the standard is the one that is chosen for Best of Class.

Then the Best of Class birds are put up for Best of Large Fowl, Best of Bantam, Best of Show, etc.

Personally I love it. I get a HUGE kick out of it.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

Yeah, pretty much the only breed you can get away with showing crosses of are Ameraucanas and Araucanas. And only at the smalller shows. Oh, and if you're a 4Her you can get away with anything-even if the chicken looks like it's got a bit of duck in it's history, the worst they'll give you's a red ribbon.