Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Beekissed]

I think I'd rather have a root canal.

It had nothing to do with my birds or how they placed....I was actually surprised to have any placing at all, as my birds are not far along in development towards any standard. It was the extreme boredom, the standing around doing nothing, the weird behavior of the other people... either very standoffish and giving me dirty looks or breathing down my neck wanting to know if I would sell them something.

The show organizers were very nice, though, and very helpful but the show moved so very slowly, there was nothing else to do while the judges trudged through a few hundred birds, my birds seemed very uncomfortable standing in one place in a small cage and I had about a million better things to be doing on a pretty day.

The long and short of it is that it's just not my thing. I had to go and find out and I did. It actually was a very valuable experience for me as it helped me re-evaluate where I was going with my stock and make some changes for the better, for them and for me. It was a HUGE wake up call and I'm grateful for it, even though it was hard to get through.

 

[NanaKat]

[S[/S]Congratulations on your showing.
I'm so glad to see all your photos. Your got some lovely clear shots. The White Wyandotte LF were nice. My Cochin are large too...big body under the large feathers.

 

[Beekissed]

IMO, the standard Cochin and the white Wyandottes were some of the most impressive birds at the show, especially in the LF. They were just glossy and huge, very beautiful birds. The other impressive birds were the bantam RIR...another set of birds that were just shining with health and dark beauty. There were many, many bantam breeds there that were very beautiful, though I was not familiar with the breeds. The Cayuga ducks were also of amazing beauty...I've always been attracted to them. All in all, I wouldn't have minded to visit the show as an observer...the many breeds were interesting and beautiful, but I wouldn't have stayed very long at all.

 

[MagicChicken]

I think I'd rather have a root canal.

It had nothing to do with my birds or how they placed....I was actually surprised to have any placing at all, as my birds are not far along in development towards any standard. It was the extreme boredom, the standing around doing nothing, the weird behavior of the other people... either very standoffish and giving me dirty looks or breathing down my neck wanting to know if I would sell them something.

The show organizers were very nice, though, and very helpful but the show moved so very slowly, there was nothing else to do while the judges trudged through a few hundred birds, my birds seemed very uncomfortable standing in one place in a small cage and I had about a million better things to be doing on a pretty day.

The long and short of it is that it's just not my thing. I had to go and find out and I did. It actually was a very valuable experience for me as it helped me re-evaluate where I was going with my stock and make some changes for the better, for them and for me. It was a HUGE wake up call and I'm grateful for it, even though it was hard to get through. ,'I

I'm not fond of showing either, but I'd rather show than have a root canal.

Showing is helpful for getting feedback on the birds. You can always drop off your birds and then leave for a while. It helps break up the tedium.

 

[Beekissed]

I did that...we all left and went out to eat. We sat out in the parking lot and had a family reunion~my son and his family came to the show. We sat in the truck and read books, took a nap, etc. As for feedback...the judge barely held my birds long enough to look at them, shoved them back in the cage and that was that. No feedback, no discussion with other Rock breeders other than the two guys wanting to buy my birds, chicks or eggs...those guys were wanting to take them to other shows. The one fella even bragged about buying the number 5 RIR at the OH Nat'l last year, taking it to another show and beating the fella he bought it from. No integrity there.

The other Rock breeders stood along the wall~all men, mind you~and glared at me now and again, but even when I smiled, offered a hello, they were not real interested in any feedback or making friendly. I'm not hypersensitive, but I know how "outsider" feels and those vibes were there.

Again, it's not about the show, really....I just never really saw the merits in it and now that I've been there, done that, I am still unable to see the merits of it. I'm just not that fanatical about chickens, though it would seem so because I talk about them a lot here. I like an easier flock life and showing or planning for a show was a lot of stress on my time and body, with very little return on that effort. No, make that NO return. It was a huge waste of my time, in other words. I learned only that I don't ever want to do it again and, yes...I'd rather have a root canal. It's over with in a reasonable amount of time, you know it's going to hurt and be unpleasant, so you are prepared for it, and it actually gets you out of pain in the future.

As for feedback....that happens in the nest and in the jar. That's really all the feedback I require, at the bottom of the bottom of things. I'm just not what you folks call a "serious" breeder. I like to have good stock, I like them to look good and perform well, but I'm not all about the shows, the breeding, the SOP and such. Chickens are a not a huge part of my life...they are part of my food supply, first and foremost.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi Beekissed,
I guess that's where you and I differ on the merits of "down time" during the shows. And nothing wrong with that at all, smile. I came to poultry from the dog world ( 15 yrs. in dog world) . Where folk all can sit and ringside and observe the judging. Now that can get to be a circus, what with friends "double-handling" the dogs from ringside, snarky comments. And positive comments about the dogs at "just the right time". It can get to be quite a "interruption" from ringside if one is showing.
On to poultry where everyone gets thrown out for judging. What a treat! No one sees your birds ( or distracts them or harasses them ) during the judging! And all the exhibitors and other folk are left to their own social conversations during those hours. What a great time to learn from other poultry folk. If your breed is unwelcoming, then pick another breed close to yours in type and production virtues and talk to those folk. Or anyone who is friendly. So many general poultry topics which cross many breeds. Or just tell some seemingly friendly folk, "Hey, this is my first show, how do these things work?" You probably won't be able to shut them up, LOL. As far as the unfriendly folk? So what? Just ignore them and move on. Maybe they viewed the quality of your birds as a threat.
That judge didn't have to award you anything regardless of the number of entries. He could have DQ'd your birds for quality. But that didn't happen. The judge saw quality and virtue in your birds and awarded them accordingly. At your first show. Congrats, that's something to be real proud of. Um, and those guys who kept asking to buy your birds? They obviously were looking for quality and thought your birds qualified. Another compliment to you and your birds.
Now if I was at a dog show and got evil looks from other exhibitors and then folk unknown to me came up and wanted to buy my dog/puppy. I would be real pleased I had so discomfited the first and encouraged the second with the quality of my stock, smile. (course I would not sell them my dog) You should be pleased too, smile. You made a nice splash at your 1st show and people noticed. Doesn't get much better than that!

Best Regards,
Karen

 

[Beekissed]

I realized all of that and there is some measure of satisfaction from it, to be sure.

I wouldn't have been getting the stink eye from the Rock guys if my birds were no threat to them and those other fellas were interested in taking my birds to other shows, so they must have thought they could win with them.

Coming from showing dogs that long you obviously enjoy that activity and you are well versed in shows by now, so chicken shows probably weren't much of an adjustment. I can see where folks might like it and there were many there who seemed to be enjoying it all in one way or another and I don't want to say that it couldn't be enjoyable to many people....it's just not something I enjoyed much.

Much like football...or any other sport, for that matter. Never liked it, will never like it and unless I'm playing, it's as dull and frustrating as waiting for water to boil. Same with many other activities that folks seem to enjoy~auctions, bingo, shopping, ceremonies of any kind~ I'm just not tuned into it. I'm sure the things I like to do would bore most folks to tears too, so it's all about different strokes for different folks.

I'm eternally grateful, though, for the experience of this show as it sort of woke me up from a bad dream and set me back on a true path, back to what I know is good for me and my flock. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I'm back to enjoying the birds again and that's pretty important to me and will be better for them as well. No more cages, no more pens, no more bands....just living.

Sweet, sweet freedom!!!

 

[3riverschick]

I realized all of that and there is some measure of satisfaction from it, to be sure.

I wouldn't have been getting the stink eye from the Rock guys if my birds were no threat to them and those other fellas were interested in taking my birds to other shows, so they must have thought they could win with them.

Coming from showing dogs that long you obviously enjoy that activity and you are well versed in shows by now, so chicken shows probably weren't much of an adjustment. I can see where folks might like it and there were many there who seemed to be enjoying it all in one way or another and I don't want to say that it couldn't be enjoyable to many people....it's just not something I enjoyed much.
Hi Beekissed,
Actually, didn't enjoy the dog shows at all. I found them stressful and a notable amount of maneuvering for placement I didn't condone. So I basically quit showing and bred dogs which I sold to others who did successfully show them. Then enjoyed the "reflected glory" . Since the dogs either had my kennel name on them or my kennel-named male dog or female dog was named as the sire or dam of the show dog in the show catalogue. I get where you're coming from, smile. In the end, I enjoy breeding a useful symmetrical animal which can succeed in its "bred-for" endeavor in the hands of another person. While I enjoy them as beautiful creatures here at home.
Best,
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

I realized all of that and there is some measure of satisfaction from it, to be sure.

I wouldn't have been getting the stink eye from the Rock guys if my birds were no threat to them and those other fellas were interested in taking my birds to other shows, so they must have thought they could win with them.

Coming from showing dogs that long you obviously enjoy that activity and you are well versed in shows by now, so chicken shows probably weren't much of an adjustment. I can see where folks might like it and there were many there who seemed to be enjoying it all in one way or another and I don't want to say that it couldn't be enjoyable to many people....it's just not something I enjoyed much.

Much like football...or any other sport, for that matter. Never liked it, will never like it and unless I'm playing, it's as dull and frustrating as waiting for water to boil. Same with many other activities that folks seem to enjoy~auctions, bingo, shopping, ceremonies of any kind~ I'm just not tuned into it. I'm sure the things I like to do would bore most folks to tears too, so it's all about different strokes for different folks.

I'm eternally grateful, though, for the experience of this show as it sort of woke me up from a bad dream and set me back on a true path, back to what I know is good for me and my flock. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I'm back to enjoying the birds again and that's pretty important to me and will be better for them as well. No more cages, no more pens, no more bands....just living.

Sweet, sweet freedom!!!

More and more I'm thinking you're a long lost relation Bee. LOL.

I think you have to really enjoy the competition in order to put yourself into the atmosphere of the show circles. Yes, there are some decent people there, but the jerks seem to be much more pervasive. I've watched the exhibitors at the shows - they remind me of the cliques back in high school. Their body language just screams "you aren't wanted, go away". They don't talk to anybody but their friends. They moan and groan that nobody cares about poultry or wants to learn from them, but they don't make themselves approachable and they don't go up to people looking at their birds at the show and engage them in conversation. It's like they want the glory but they really aren't as interested in educating others as they claim to be. I made the mistake of getting involved behind the scenes in a breed club - it was like either everyone was a jerk, or they were apathetic, or they were afraid of the jerks. And none of them were willing to do what was necessary to have an active, successful club.

I just don't understand what it is about showing that turns people into *rude, crude, and socially unacceptable names*, but the whole atmosphere really turned me off from wanting to show poultry. When I saw a woman that refused to do *the right thing* in a situation because she was terrified that she would anger someone that might gossip and hurt her chances of being able to win at poultry shows - that was just too pathetic to me. I don't understand that kind of thing. I've never tolerated that kind of behavior in my professional life and I sure am not going to tolerate it in my personal life. It would be a constant struggle for me because I would either be in fights with these jerky people all the time or I'd be frustrated by keeping my mouth shut to avoid a fight. Winning a poultry show just isn't enough reward for me to deal with people like that.

 

[gjensen]

No. It depends on the show. Some small shows in some places are not up to par. Others have a better crowd and atmosphere. And of course it depends on why you go. Some of these small shows need better participation to improve the atmosphere, and participation. Few show large fowl at these small country shows, and most of these only purchased what they have. They can be just a little better (or not) than the State or County Fair.

I know many that show, and very few (none) that show for competition.

It is like anything else. Some will contribute, and some will complain.