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My answer to this question would be maybe. There are some hatcheries from which you can get high quality birds. Urch/Turnland, Superiior & Sandhill Preservation Center to name three.
Many of the so-called breeders out there are actually what I would characterize as reproducers. They don't take the time to learn & know their breed, rather they put a male & some females together & immediately start selling hatching eggs with no idea what the outcome will be. In many case these "breeders" will buy hatchery birds & breed from them. In other cases they will buy hatching eggs from a source they know nothing about, often another reproducer, and immediately advertise that they will have hatching eggs availabe as soon as the birds they hatch start to lay. I'm sure this will offend some here but this description applies to many "breeders" on this board.
My best advice is first do as Rodrigues Poultry suggests, buy anf study a Standard Of Perfection. Know your breed before you buy anything. Then go to smoe shows & compare winning birds to what you have read in the Standard as learning to apply the Standard is a process as well. Then talk to people showing the breed you are interested in, most will talk all day about their birds. Also talk to the Judges at the show about your selected breed. [wait 'till after the judging is over, please] I have many times gone to look at sale birds with a beginner & helped them select stock. [most shows have a sales area]
If you do these things you'll be way ahead of most beginners who just go buy birds w/o knowing what to look for. This will save you time, money and most of all frustration.
I think this is really helpful.
I am finding for myself and my daughter that it is really challenging to learn what is good type and what is not... and I have to say, the SOP was actually anti-helpful at first. The descriptions are too vague, and examples of faults and good characteristics are not shown. We've attended some shows, but in our area it's unusual for any breed other than Silkies to be represented by more than one owner, so it can be challenging to get a good feel for what is good and what is acceptable and what is fair or poor. I have been pleased at the times when the judge writes comments or speaks generally to the exhibitors about the qualities of the birds - that has been very helpful, and I've also learned from following links to chickens that were champions and been able to say, "YES, now I see what they are talking about."
To the OP, I'd say it's worth getting your son chickens that are better bred and more likely to represent the breed. Yes, it's a bit more trouble and they cost more, but in the end by the time you've paid your fair admission and for a transport cage and a coop and gas to drive there, the cost of the chicks or chickens are the least of it. It's much more fun to show when you're in contention for a prize than if you're always last or worse, DQd. And, if the chickens are not to standard, it would be hard to feel good about raising another generation from those birds.
You didn't say your son's age, but at our fair, kids under 9 can only show two chickens, so it might be good to start with just one breed and get several individuals. Even if he is older, remember you have to transport all the birds you take to the show, and that you will need some appropriate carriers, so starting with 2 the first year is a good way to ramp up. The process of finding differences between the chickens you have and choosing the best one in each class is useful. Also, especially if he is younger, you might want to consider bantams of those breeds, which will be much easier to handle for showmanship.
