I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SHOW CHICKENS FOR 4H!!!!

[silver1polish]

Hi i really want to know ALL ABOUT showing chickens for 4H but i don't know how

. but i know you need a chicken show kit (obviousay) but all the 1st to last show pose things i kindof know how to do but the prob is i don't know how to TRAIN the chick!! but besides that my horse trainer got a black silke like in may 2014 and she is now umm.. about allmost 20 weeks and my horse trainer
said i could maybe show her so now i handle her and (do the show pose with her) like once a week and ps she is really good at doing the show pose and she has champ bloodlines so ya and if you have info just tell me in the article ok

TANKS

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You might want to check out/ post in the Silkie Showing thread and Exhibition forum, good luck in 4-H https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/690632/silkie-breeding-genetics-showing and https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/16188/exhibition-genetics-breeding-to-the-standard-of-perfection

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I don't know a thing about showing chickens. Kelsie has left you with some good links to follow.

Good luck in the show circuit and welcome to our flock!

 

[silver1polish]

Thanks

 

[gander007]

Alright

 

[drumstick diva]

There is also a step by step thread "Bathing and grooming silkies for show." If you put that in the search box, it should pop up.

 

[king tail]

If you still need help, there is a book that is very helpful for that. It is called Showing your chickens at the fair how to get started. you can get it on the kindle, but it is not free, but it is cheep.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome!

I'm glad you joined our community.

Showing chickens is a wonderful adventure that I'm sure you'd enjoy.

Here are some tips and information on showing:

• Handling the chicken is important. It is good that you are practicing posing your Silkie, because a bird that poses is much easier for a judge to evaluate. Practice posing it, putting it into, and taking out of a cage. Always put it in and take it out headfirst, to avoid messing up the feathers. You do not want a flighty, unhandleable bird!
• Judges focus on type (body shape of bird), color, and condition when judging chickens. Though type actually gets the most points when scoring, many judges pay more attention to condition. Condition and cleanliness of the bird are especially important at 4-H shows. Be sure that your bird is clean before judging and that the the feathers are in good condition. At least 8 weeks before the show, pull out any broken feathers. This allows the feathers time to grow in before the show. Broken feathers do not look good to the judge!
• To maintain condition, keep the bird in a clean pen. Make sure that the pen is dry, too, because moisture can quickly ruin the feet feathering of feather footed birds. Usually, it is best to not keep feather footed birds on wire, since that can damage the feathers.
• Enter your bird in the correct class at the show. Silkies should be in the Feather Legged class (at most shows, anyways; some county fairs/4-H shows have different rules).
• Three days before the show, wash the bird. Washing improves the appearance greatly. Get together three tubs of 90-95 degree water. Put some mild shampoo like dog shampoo or baby shampoo in the first tub, leave the second tub plain, and add about 1/2 cup of vinegar to the third tub. Slowly immerse the chicken up to its neck in the first tub. Thoroughly soak the feathers and wash the dirty areas. Move on to the next tub, being sure to rinse out the soap. The vinegar in the last tub helps cut away any extra shampoo that still remains on the feathers. If you don't get all the shampoo out, your bird will not dry right. After the washing, pat the bird dry with a towel. With a Silkie, you can also dry it with a hair-dryer. Once you've gotten most of the moisture out, put the chicken in a clean cage, and keep it there until you take it to the show.
• Either at the show, or after washing, you'll need to trim the bird's nails and possibly the beak. Use dog or cat nail trimmers and trim the nails on the feet as short as you can without making them bleed. Judges do not appreciate birds with very long nails. Sometimes the beak will need to be trimmed as well. This is a bit trickier, and you may need someone else to help. Just trim the tip off if it is much longer than the lower part of the beak. Nail trimming and beak trimming count towards condition, and your bird may be counted down if you have not taken care of those procedures.
• Know what your bird is judged on. If you're really interested in showing, you should get the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection. That is the book that judges use to judge chickens. It contains the information on the ideal shape and of every recognized breed of chicken, as well as ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl.
• At the show, it is a good idea to bring the following supplies: Paper towels (to clean up any dirty spots on the bird), baby wipes (same purpose as paper towels), nail trimmers (just in case you didn't get all the trimming done before you went), petroleum jelly, oil, or VetRx (to moisturize the comb before judging, making it shine), zip ties (always handy to secure cage doors or feed/water cups), feed and water cups (can be special poultry show cups, or just empty cottage cheese , yogurt, or sour cream containers), feed (many shows do not provide feed- bring your own), and water (just in case you have difficulty finding the water- also, some birds prefer the water from home). You may also need to bring bedding, as small 4-H shows don't always provide that.
• I'll just point out that some people think that 4-H shows only focus on the condition of the bird and the young person's knowledge. While those areas are certainly important (and probably most important), quality of bird does matter. A bird without the correct body shape or color will do poorly at even a 4-H show or county fair. That's why it is important to get the best quality birds you can find, preferably from a helpful breeder. It is good that your bird came from champion stock (though that by no means gurantees her quality).
• You may decide to participate in poultry showmanship (usually a component of 4-H shows). Poultry Showmanship is a competition in which a young person can show his/her knowledge of poultry and handling skills. To participate in this, be sure to study a lot. The more you know, the better. But, here is some of what you should probably know: What breed your bird is, its color variety, other breeds in its class, the classes recognized by the American Poultry Association, what you feed your bird, how you house the bird, what some of your bird's strong points and weak points are (as it pertains to the ideal representation of the breed- for example, you might say that your bird needs a better, rounder crest), how you prepared the bird for the show (including handling practice and washing), incubation periods for chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys (it is poultry showmanship, not neccesarily chicken showmanship), incubating conditions for those aforementioned breeds, correct weights and appearance for your breed, information about the American Poultry Association (when it was founded, etc), chicken anatomy (external and internal), how an egg is formed, parts of an egg, raising meat birds, how to determine whether a chicken is a rooster or hen, the definitions of cock, hen, cockerel, and pullet, and much more! Know the basic handling skills, such as how to put it into/take out of a cage (always head first!), how to pose it once it is in a cage, and how to pass it to another person (head first, maintaining control). Be prepared for questions on other breeds of chickens and other types of poultry, not just your own. Showmanship is a wonderful opportunity for a young person to demonstrate how much he/she knows, and it can be quite fun, too!

These are some more good links and resources that you may want to look at:

Pathfinders farm has some good information:

http://pathfindersfarm.com/Showing.html
http://pathfindersfarm.com/Washing.html
http://pathfindersfarm.com/Prepping.html
http://pathfindersfarm.com/Beaktrim.html

http://youthexhibitionpoultry.org/educational_material.htm
http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/
http://web2.uconn.edu/poultry/4-H Poultry/questions.htm
http://valencia4-hffapoultry.tripod.com/id8.html

I hope this helps!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Welocme to BYC!!! It is an aweosme forum (the BEST in the world) and has a great comminity!!! Hope you have a great time and learn A LOT!

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm glad you joined our flock!

Wyandottes7 gave you some great advice. Good luck with showing chickens!