I want to start showing!

[Annabel]

Hello. I've kept chickens and ducks for many years but have never ever thought about showing until now. Just for fun.

I have literally no idea where to start. I have no clue on what I need to do other than make sure my birds are clean on the day! I've googled country shows for dates and that's it.

Any hints or tips or even books and website recommendations would be very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance, Annabel X

 

[mandelyn]

http://amerpoultryassn.com/

There is a button on the main page of the APA site to check dates and such for recognized shows. Otherwise it would be 4H and fairs. See if any of the APA shows are near you so that you can check it out.

Then you need to see if any of your stock meets the breed standard, or if you need to track down some that are show quality. Typically, birds from a hatchery won't perform as well as birds bred by someone raising exhibition birds. Searching google images is a good way to see a variety of show birds from different regions to see how yours stack up in comparison. Sometimes there are dramatic size differences, lot's of variation in feather pattern, things like eye color, leg color, tail set, body shape... every little detail matters and the bird that comes the closest to the written breed standard should be the winner.

Lot's of details involved. Plus a membership to the APA.

Not only do they need to be clean the day of the show, but also in peak condition with excellent feathers. Housing for them needs to be spaced enough to keep the feathers in good shape, feeding a show conditioning feed several months in advance will help with shine and over all condition. They don't mind baths that much if the water temperature is warm enough, and I've never had a chicken fight me over a blow dry. LOL I've never shown before with chickens, only dogs. I have given lot's of chicken baths though.

You may need to have health certificates or NPIP paperwork... not sure what the regulations are and it might vary by state, but typically you can't move around animals or bring them together in groups without some sort of disease controls.

I'm toying with the idea of showing, marked my calendar with nearby dates so that we can check out a couple. Lot's of travel involved, not exactly a common event.