Egg Swiping at Shows

[hcammack]

The two shows I have been to and showed at nothing was done with the eggs at the fair the eggs are auctioned off. I had a little kid take an egg my fav hen laid at the show and then just drop it on the ground! That was the only reason I was mad I felt the egg was wasted.

Henry

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

The thought has crossed my mind. But only because I saw kids stealing them and throwing them at each other. This is at our county fair. There the staff see an egg in the cage and take it out and put it on top of the cage so it dont get broke. The only reason I thought about taking eggs was to SAVE them from death.

If you really want the eggs. Just stand around for awhile. You will most likely run into the owner of the bird and you can ask them for the egg. Most likely they wont want to cart it back home with them.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

At our state fair, the staff collect eggs the day of/days prior to the show, and display them behind a glass window right in the middle of the building, labeling them with their breed and/or species. I read in a poultry magazine once that there was a hobbiest who went to a show and met up with a nice Wyandotte breeder exhibiting her Silver Laced hen. The woman was completely in love with that bird and saw an egg in her pen. She asked the breeder if she could have it. She took home the egg, incubated it, and hatched out a beautiful girl whom she cared for, though never showed. I think it's awefully neat, honestly.

 

[()relics]

most of the shows that I have showed at, Indiana, Illinois,Ohio, APA and open shows, state in the show rules : that all eggs laid on the premises belong to the show staff. You, the showman/owner, are allowed to remove them from your own cage and either destroy them or place them on top/next to the cage . They are then periodically collected by the show staff and destroyed....This also holds true for 4H shows, at least here in Indiana, the rule appears in the state fair rulebook and must be followed by all county fairs...Is the rule enforced? I guess I'v never paid that much attention.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi!

...in the show rules : that all eggs laid on the premises belong to the show staff.

That's a crummy rule. Wouldn't tolerate it.

Lisa​

 

[()relics]

Quote:
That's a crummy rule. Wouldn't tolerate it.

Lisa

Why do you think the rule is "crummy"? I would rather not have to worry about some "thief" hanging around my cage door, waiting for an egg , so they can open the cage to steal it...If they want some of my eggs they surely could ask to buy some and I would gladly sell them a few....But instead they would prefer to take something that doesn't belong to them....At least with a rule like that in place the show staff patrols the aisles to insure eggs are picked up, which keeps the thieves out of the cages...Or at least keeps them wary...This is a BIG PROBLEM at some shows....how easy is it for you, just for example, to take a few eggs from some of the top of the class birds? Then hatching them and showing the chicks/birds as your own without having to put the initial time and money into getting your own SQ birds...If you think that seems fair/right then something is wrong...

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! The eggs 'belong' to the person that owns the bird, not the show staff (or an individual that happens by and 'takes' it).

Lisa

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
I agree with you.

 

[()relics]

Therein lies the problem...The show staff doesn't always know every bird owner/showman....So if they see an egg or a person remove an egg from a cage they destroy it...They don't want to get into ownership disputes, I would guess...I hatch my own eggs...Most of the time the birds that I show aren't the ones that are doing the breeding...I would much prefer that those eggs, laid at a show, are destroyed...I have plenty of them, if I want them....Face it, a show may last 3(?) days so, that may be potentially 3 eggs that you might lose per hen...thats if your hen doesn't completely stop laying due to the stress...So more or less if you decide to enter your birds in a show, you had better read the rules, then if you decide you don't like some of them, you would be free to Not show your bird....JMO....But my Opinion is biased...I have had, not only eggs but a bird stolen at a show...Please don't let me see you with your hands in my cages...

 

[aveca]

Quote:
I personally wouldnt want to take another egg, funny that never occured to me..You see lots of them at the shows ..I would probably talk to the owner and ask to buy some hatching eggs.. one little boy came running up to me wide eyed and said MAM....There is an egg in that cage, he was just desperate about it...I honestly dont know why that upset him so much....I said Its OK , all hens lay eggs and that just means she is a happy hen. he felt a litttle better after I told him she was happy ..

I agree with that..I had always wished that hens were shown with examples of thier eggs and the egg quality except pullets. Some shows offer egg classes just for eggs some do not. It could be an added class hen with her egg example. It used to be an important feature of chickens .. The judges do pick examples of chickens that most likley would have the best success in that dept according to breed.by body type.