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It's a judgement call. You certainly wouldn't want to show a bird that was so young it still peeped, but certainly anywhere from around 8 or 9 months to a year, they should be ready to show as pullets or cockerels. I don't think I've shown any large fowl that are younger than 9 months ever. They just aren't mature enough nor do they have the size to compete against a more mature bird. I've seen plenty of times where a bird that is still in the gangly awkward stage is put in the show, but they don't get more than a glance from the judge, or they may get "age" marked on the coop tag or something similar. I wouldn't waste the entry fee on a bird that is too young.
I know there is a slight weight allowance for pullets and ckrls, but is any consideration allowed/given for their young age when judging type and color? They are just so slow to mature - no matter how great typed I think my young bantam ckrl may be (to me) at 4 months, there's no way he's going to have the long flowing length in his hackle and saddle, for example. I suppose the best thing to do is tell myself that if I think he's good now, he'll be that much better in a year. I just wish we had a greater frequency of shows here in Colorado.