How Many Birds to You take to a show?

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

I was doing the horse thing when my husband and I first met and for several years into our marriage. Children and responsiblities sidelined my hobby. As I still have a munchkin at home, chickens are a more sustainable hobby. And as far as cost goes...a piece-o-cake when compared to horses!

 

[Pathfinders]

I've shown horses, goats, and poultry, and poultry is the easiest/most fun, hands down. I sure don't miss having to shave goats, I assure you!

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

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There is SO much to learn and please be ready for lots, and lots, and LOTS of questions from me

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

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It has to be cheaper than horses. Just bedding for our show horses was hundreds of dollars over the week long National show-ugh!

 

[Chris09]

This year the wife and I had 30 bird that we were taking to the shows..

Chris

 

[Chris09]

Pathfinders:

I sure don't miss having to shave goats

LOL I know the felling.. The wife and I show dairy goats and I don't know what is the worse the shaving of the goat or getting all the little hairs off me...

Chris​

 

[wegotchickens]

Ya'll are really making me appreciate my d'Uccles. I took 10 to the shows and never washed them.
But I didn't wash any silkies this year, either, and they still won in their catagories.

As far as the OP's concerns about competing against himself: I like it because it ranks the birds. Gives you an idea of who has better traits. After 4 shows I had a really good idea of what traits I wanted/needed to develope and which birds weren't up to par.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

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LOL I know the felling.. The wife and I show dairy goats and I don't know what is the worse the shaving of the goat or getting all the little hairs off me...

Chris

The worst part is having to HAVE all the hair on you while you're shaving. At least when you're FINALLY done, you know it will be coming off soon..after you feed and water and clean pens/stalls...

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

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And now you know part of why I sold you the last of my Silkies!

[URL]http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing025.gif[/URL]

But really, Silkies do take more work. How are they doing, btw?

We show both large fowl and bantams, and generally take more bantams. We usually wash everything we take (although I will admit to sometimes just grabbing up a LF or two and putting them in a crate.)

The most I ever washing in one day was (I think 12 or 14.) We also will do assembly line washing. I can wash two birds while the girls dry one each. Gets them done much faster that way. It's all a matter of how many crates I have to put them in to finish drying.

Generally, we take about 25-40 birds to shows. That's sort of critical mass for the truck.

They are doing great......the hens were picking on the black so I put her in with the "special needs silkie hen" for now and one of the splash girls lays an egg a day.

Brianna loves them!
We will get the new silkie house done one of these days. i was thinking of building it in the backyard.....Jerry will love that!

 

[GracefulBantams]

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Yes, once the birds are in the cage, you have hours to visit with other breeders and to watch the judging instead of actually "showing" your birds like you would with horses.