Crossroads Poultry Show 2011-History and Reflection

[mame1616]

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And dont bring dogs into the show or you will probably be asked to leave....I saw that happen once.

Excellent suggestions! May I add a couple more?

Instead of a zip tie, I use some small padlocks for my cages. An old cockman once told me he's seen people just whip out a small swiss army knife and cut the tie, and that's it - bird's gone. My little padlocks have keys - it's worked out well.

Ask questions! Don't miss this opportunity to mine some of the best bird knowledge in the country all located in one place! Write them down now on index cards because you'll forget most of them with the glorious visual assault on your senses. Haunt your breed area, and start conversations with everyone - you never know who you'll meet. There's no dumb question!!

Take pictures of the birds in your breed that win. Print them up when you get home, and use them to study from.

 

[Silver Spring Waterfowl]

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This summer we went to St. Louis from SE Arkansas with four of our kids, Catherine and I, a dozen birds to deliver and a 130# Anatolian Shepherd. It was a fun trip!

I'm surprised you aren't laughing like Woody Woodpecker before you arrive at final destination! That's too funny! I myself will drive anywhere with geese. They travel better than any kid, dog, or cat I've ever taken on long trips. The only animal right up there with them are rabbits.

try hauling 12 migget whites turkeys, and rosters and chickens in the back of a ford excursion on a little trip from FL to PA
everytime you stop for gas the roosters are giving you away and every body turns and look at you

I remember being out for a drive across town many years ago in my Volkswagen van to bring my pair of nubian goats to visit my daughter's school. She was in a closed-campus school for mentally and physically disabled children and they looked forward to regular visits from "Merrilee's animals". I had stopped at a light and a car pulled up beside me and the woman in it just stared and stared. The weather was beautiful and our windows were down. Finally she says to me, "Lady, I'm sorry, but them's some UGLY dawgs!". Then follows the indignant bleat -and where's that foolish emoticon. Just a minute.

The light changed and I had to pull into the nearest parking lot. I was laughing and crying to hard I couldn't see! It was priceless!​

Well, I wasn't laughing like Woody last year when I had a carload of Calls and had to make a sidetrip on my way home from Wisconsin by way of Iowa before I got back to Illinois. By the time I stopped for dinner at the Iowa 80 truck stop, my head was thumping with a migraine and all I could hear anymore was the AAAAAAA! AAAAAAA! AAAAAAAA! of female Calls screaming in my ear! One prime offender yelled for the whole trip. I have since found that they love talk radio and are much quieter when the radio is on...but if my cell rings and I start talking, they can keep a running commentary, depending on how tired they are! And all bets are off in any drive-through, they want to place their own orders!

I have also figured out who the "bad kids" are, including my main offender, and they go in the back, the quiet "goody two-shoes" ride behind the driver's seat...so yes, anyone seeing me loading up at a show, there is a definite method to my madness and how I load my van! Such is one of those times when there is something to be said for having more drakes than strictly necessary...they can make much better carpool buddies!​

I can easily understand the headache! Calls are off my list under threat of murder. We choose the seating arrangements, too. They are placed with care. We've found that choral Christmas music is both mutually acceptable and highly effective, along with Mozart, Beethoven, and anything else that is quiet and calming. It will still be a long ride. We plan to leave around midnight Wednesday. We are bringing a number of American Buff geese, many for sale or swap. If anyone is interested in them, pm me and I will give you a phone number so we can meet up.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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Cats are also a no-no! Strange household pets will frighten the birds. Plus ALL poultry must be tested, with proof, for Pullorum-Typhoid. No pet birds are allowed at all (parrots etc). No offence intended.

We also suggest all Jacobs stay outside the showroom. Long story short, but everyone attending last years APA National knows what I mean. He tried to rake a call drake on a flight down the aisle of the AOCCL bantams. APA Judge Brian Decker caught him before I could get to him. Later at the APA General Membership meeting, as Sam Brush was finished, Jacob ran up and took over the platform. Thankfully Jacob (8) will be staying in Arkansas!

 

[JBramer]

If you are interested in following the action this weekend during the Crossroads of America Show, follow my blog:

http://crossroadspoultryshow.blogspot.com/

I will be blogging daily as the show unfolds at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. Check often for show results, photographs, and vlogs.

Requests may be emailed to me: jaredbramer at yahoo dot com

 

[SimplySplendidSilkies]

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Cats are also a no-no! Strange household pets will frighten the birds. Plus ALL poultry must be tested, with proof, for Pullorum-Typhoid. No pet birds are allowed at all (parrots etc). No offence intended.

We also suggest all Jacobs stay outside the showroom. Long story short, but everyone attending last years APA National knows what I mean. He tried to rake a call drake on a flight down the aisle of the AOCCL bantams. APA Judge Brian Decker caught him before I could get to him. Later at the APA General Membership meeting, as Sam Brush was finished, Jacob ran up and took over the platform. Thankfully Jacob (8) will be staying in Arkansas!

I usually bring his pack and play which I can easily set up outside.

 

[High Roost Ranch]

Yes! Please do not bring a dog, cat, ferret, or any other creature into the show hall unless it's wearing feathers and either has a show coop waiting for it or a sales coop reserved for it. You will see a lot of happy, easy going people turn in ogres should that happen. DO NOT bring your pet into the show hall, PLEASE.

Also, and I say this with respect to parents, but I so often see birds become extremely frightened over little toddler sized kids, so please have your child in hand when walking down the aisles or approaching a bird. I don't know what exactly it is about a young toddler that frightens them so badly, but a startled bird could easily injure itself in this situation.

And lastly, that egg in that coop or on the coop stands? Even though it has exited the hen that produced it, does NOT mean it is up for grabs. For those who don't know, taking an egg is considered stealing. Don't do it. It's the property of the owner of the bird and/or the show committee, ONLY.

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Plus, most eggs in the showroom have a snowball's chance of hatching. Very few have breeding pens set up. The birds I am bringing have been inb a breeding pen; however, we are leaving the gals at home. So no eggs in our boys coops. If you see anyone gathering eggs, report it to a show official. If by chance the egg hatched and grew to adulthood and won a show, you will always know you stole the egg.

Spoke with Mrs. Wulff yesterday. Bill, Dave and the gang were setting up coops. Seems they have ran out of coops and sent to Kentucky State Fair to borrow more. She said there are more than 10,200 birds entered. That does not include the sale, silent auction and raffle birds.

You will want to hit the silent auction birds early and often. Crossroads will have their own silent auction and raffle table set up. The APA and ABA will also have theirs. Then the breed clubs will have their own silent auction and raffles.

The Exhibition Turkey Fanciers and American Orpington Poultry Fanciers combined booth will have several silent auction birds and a raffle. Our Silent Auction will ahve Orpingtons (large fowl and bantams), Wyandotte Bantams, Buff Plymouth Rock Bantams, and possibly some Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons and even an Icelandic chicken. (Still working on some others). The raffle will have a $50 gift certificate from Randall Burkey Company, Orpington hatching egg certificates, a 6 months BYC GFM, 1 year APA membership and lots more.

We will also be raffling off this custom built Brooder Tote:

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quad chairs are a neccessity!

There is usually limited seating at poultry shows. You are welcome to bring a quad chair, with name attached, and set them up near our booth to visit. Bring an extra so Walt will have somewhere to sit when you catch him walking by!

 

[High Roost Ranch]

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Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot to put that on my list. You will definitely want to have a place to park your tired derierre. Believer me!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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