Is it worth showing for fun?

[Sonoran Silkies]

I've never seen a show with free entries, but I've never seen them with expensive entry fees, either. Usually 2-3 dollars per bird. Also, poultry shows occur all year long, but the same show usually occurs at the same time every year.

 

[greathorse]

I assume you post for other folks opinion because you are interested in what they have to say. So here is my opinion. I dont show chickens but have shown horses for most of my life. If you dont intend to go into the show ring with a thought, chance or desire to win you should not go in. If you dont win and you seldom win you should know and understand why you did not and you should work on that part of the program. The money you spend in purchasing some breeder stock will be nothing compared to the cost of feeding traveling and presenting your birds. It is great to go into a show ring and just enjoy yourself, but going in knowing that your stock is way below standard, way outclassed and not representative of the breed is just simply no fun. And frankly a bit insulting to the entire idea of showing stock.

My advice get as good a stock as you can afford, learn everything you can about that breed, learn everything you can about how to best present your stock and you will have fun and will enjoy yourself as well.

 

[wclawrence]

Quote:
And if you talk to some good breeders. tell em your getting started and are sure on the breed they may even slide you some free GOOD birds.. all of my OEGBs came to me that way. the sayings true-You'll receive better birds through friendship then you will buying

Not that I have any show birds, but if I am going to get rid of an extraordinary bird, I would rather give it to someone I know than sell it to someone I do not know. Especially if they are young or just getting started.

 

[wclawrence]

Quote:
But whatever you do, go to the show(s)
You will learn a lot, meet cool people, have an opportunity to find new birds, and you will have a good time even if you do not take a bird.

 

[CovenantCreek]

If you just want to have fun and not worry about whether or not your birds are truly SQ, enter the junior showmanship classes. In those, you're the one being judged, not the birds. I don't know all the things that get judged, but it basically boils down to how well you present the bird you have entered. There are several books you can find on showing in the showmanship classes.

 

[pipermark]

I would go to fairs , heck several years ago the bird that took best in show at our fair was a big beautiful barnyard roo.

I would still go to an APA show , for all the reasons people have posted. You may be able to find culls at reasonable prices. Culls still carry the genetic code of the breeders that are SQ, you just need to work with them more. The main thing is the education you can get about the care and the birds themselves.

 

[Black Feather]

I will also give an honest opinion as well. Showing for fun would be just showing for your own fun, not your birds. Showing puts the birds under undue stress and exposes them to potential disease, and parasites from other birds. It's not unusual for me to leave my absolute best birds or favorite birds at home for just the reasons mentioned above. I don't want to risk loosing them or having them pick something up at a show.

I show and do quite well, but I show with a purpose and that is to win. I also do it to help promote the breeds that I show and to help encourage other people to show competitively.

I've clerked a quite a few shows and when judges see birds of extreme poor quality, or production quality they usually shake their heads and mention something along the lines of 'shouldn't be in a show'. A lot of times they just give them a quick cursory look and then pass on to the real competitive birds. I will add this though....when people show the poor quality birds, they are usually poorly conditioned, not washed and it's not unusual for them to have mites etc. The judge does not want to handle them as he has to handle other birds next and does not wish to pass anything between birds.

Ok, that's the negative....onto the positive aspects. If you prepare your birds, they are healthy, you treat them for parasites before and after the show then you will be seen in a much better light than if you did not prepare them properly. Showmanship is an excellent way to participate in the competitive level of showing without needing show quality birds....but conditioning counts big time, as well as having a good understanding of the breed you are showing. I would much much rather see a well conditioned cross breed being shown than the highest quality show bird that looks like it just jumped in a mud puddle and rolled around while having it's tail plucked.

One last point. If you win or loose conduct yourself with the utmost dignity. No one likes a gossip, someone who trashes others behind their back, or is either a poor looser or a poor winner.

All the best in your adventures!
Urban Coyote

 

[greathorse]

Wish I could have said it as well as you did Coyote. The point I was trying to make is just dont be one of those that shows up with poorly conditioned poorly cleaned birds and says oh well just here for the fun. Give the best you have with what you have and learn from those that have success.