We just got back from the Florida State Fair and were so excited to see all the ducks being shown! To our disappointment there was only 1 small row of ducks but the chickens had several rows and some stacked two high. I only saw a couple calls. A couple pair of Rouens (holy moly those are big ducks never seen them before!). A Pekin, Buff, Cayuga. I think that was it like maybe 15 ducks in total? Maybe that would be a good place to start my boys in 4H instead of with a chicken or rabbit?
That doesn't sounds too bad. I went to a poultry show last spring and there was only 1 duck entered. Guess what it got 1st place I think your boys would love showing at the State fair.good place to start.
It was so interesting reading all the judges comments man they do not hold back! Quite brutal and sooooo many DQ's. One note actually said you shouldnt enter if you dont read the requirements - DQ! I just hope there isnt a heart broken kid raising that bird! I am sure my Swedish do make the standard they are just good pets so would have to send away for a show quality duck!
You would need to know the standard to know whether or not they make the standard. If showing, one should know what is being looked for, and I have heard that quite a few 4Hs are trying to educate to that effect. Many shows are rated and judged according to the standards of a club or breed organization, and so the classes have to be organized according to what is being looked for in certain breeds. Nothing wrong with having pets...but if you're going to show them, look into knowing whether or not they meet the criteria. If not, purchasing standard-bred poultry or entering the pets in a show that caters to a pet division is a good idea...otherwise, you may be disappointed, as the judge is being paid to give an opinion on how close an animal comes to the standard of perfection for that breed.
Unfortunately this same show, if you walked the chicken rows had comments saying "remove and treat for lice" and "dirty birds, needs a bath"
Duck showing is pretty popular at the PA Farm Show. There aren't as many ducks as chickens entered, but there is a decent amount of ducks entered. And, to my surprise, there were a few rarer breeds, like Saxony and Welsh Harlequin.
I went to a little show for a walkthru here in the south last year, and there was two muscovies and about 10 call ducks. That was all. Now I kind of decided at the last minute (due to family stuff) to enter the Chattahoochee Valley show in Newnan, Ga. I have some nice birds from Holderreads, so I am taking a few runners and my Saxonys down. I don't expect to win, cause I don't know all the little tips for showing ducks. All I can find is to give them clean water the night before and let them bathe and try to keep them clean. (Now we are talking Georgia mud season, in their winter pens).(we have mud season or fly season here). They probably should have been handled more, but , oh, well,I was too busy building pens, runs and caring for my grandson and the farm..... I will try and make them look nice. I have a really nice Saxony Drake that was huge from birth, and grew like a rocket, very pretty. Course the warm winter has a few of my ducks losing some feathers and my mini-overbergs are starting to molt around the head.... I read somewhere about someone trimming toenails....seriously....?
Dirty birds are sure a NO NO at a show. We actually had a judge last year look at every bird when the kids brought them up for showing and if they were dirty he would send them back. The parents were not very happy, but he said that people need to understand that a dirty bird is NOT what you want to bring to a show. This was a 4-H show.
The entries for ducks will be fewer, but competition tends to be pretty intense. Usually if a judge is tough on the open class, he will be more gentle with the youth classes. Still, it does the kids no good to praise their substandard birds. They need to learn and it is a competition, not a popularity contest.
