Looking for breed/showing info

[NewToFarming]

I am new to chickens & the silkie world and would love to start breeding & showing silkies.
I would like to attend shows to go look and learn, but I guess my first question would be, where do you go to find out where and when are the shows?
Also, are there books or online resources on how to get started? I am not sure if there are shows near me during the winter months so I guess if there aren’t any until spring, I could spend my winter reading up on them!

I would prefer something that would show pictures or examples of a good quality silkie. I learn better by visually seeing something. For example, reading the standard on a silkie comb, I can kind of picture what it should be like but it would be better for me to actually see one, if you know what I mean. That is why I would like to start attending shows, etc.
Any ideas on where to get started?

Thanks!!!!

 

[NYREDS]

The biggest poultry show in the country is in Columbus Ohio this coming weekend. Should be close to 7,000 birds.

 

[NewToFarming]

Holy cow!
Thanks! Ya know...my hubby just said yesterday we should do something this weekend....do you think he would go for it?

Can you point me to if there are times etc or where to go find this info?
Also, is there any place to find out about upcoming shows or is the best thing to keep an eye out for someone mentioning it on this site?

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
You missed a great show this weekend! It was in Frederick, MD and the silkies were amazing! I see that the show bug has bitten you

I thought it would sooner or later. I am posting some silkies for sale soon if your interested and have some started chicks for free that I just do not want to house over winter. There are no Dq'S on any of them and are mostly blue/splash. If you can find a silkie mentor near you to help get you started would be good. Try going to the Ohio National if you can! I hope to go next year and maybe compete

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
You missed a great show this weekend! It was in Frederick, MD and the silkies were amazing! I see that the show bug has bitten you

I thought it would sooner or later. I am posting some silkies for sale soon if your interested and have some started chicks for free that I just do not want to house over winter. There are no Dq'S on any of them and are mostly blue/splash. If you can find a silkie mentor near you to help get you started would be good. Try going to the Ohio National if you can! I hope to go next year and maybe compete

LOL…Yeah, I figured I would fall in love with them and want to start showing too at some point and that is why I started with getting some from you!

Let me know about your silkies you might have available soon. I am also hatching some of my own now, but honestly, I really don’t know a lot at this point, such as genetics and who I should breed with who for the best qualities right now. I don’t know if the chicks I have any DQ;s or not, well except one. One of my little ones has only 4 toes on the one foot but this is the little one that was in a weird shaped egg and didn’t hatch until day 26 and had a really rough, long time, so I think it might have had something to do with the incubation and not a genetics issue because none of the adults or other chicks have shown this.
But I would like to learn of course about standards and what colors to breed with what for the best outcome, etc….Hannah, I don’t know of anyone but you near me!!! Would you like to be my mentor!??!

Oh, almos forgot...Congrats on your success at that show this weekend!!!

 

[Chris09]

There is a listing of shows here.
http://www.exhibitionpoultry.net/images/Issue_1-2.pdf

As NYREDS said Ohio Nationals in Columbus Ohio is the biggest show in the country.
Current number of entries registered 6,400 birds of that 1,300 are waterfowl entered (as of Oct 25, 2010)
Just to give you a idea on how big this show is here is a link to some pictures of the show.
http://www.ohionational.org/virtualshow.html

Chris

 

[NewToFarming]

Oh, this is wonderful!!!

Thank you so much Chris! I think I might give it a try to get there as along as I can find a babysitter for the chickens!!!

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
You missed a great show this weekend! It was in Frederick, MD and the silkies were amazing! I see that the show bug has bitten you

I thought it would sooner or later. I am posting some silkies for sale soon if your interested and have some started chicks for free that I just do not want to house over winter. There are no Dq'S on any of them and are mostly blue/splash. If you can find a silkie mentor near you to help get you started would be good. Try going to the Ohio National if you can! I hope to go next year and maybe compete

LOL…Yeah, I figured I would fall in love with them and want to start showing too at some point and that is why I started with getting some from you!

Let me know about your silkies you might have available soon. I am also hatching some of my own now, but honestly, I really don’t know a lot at this point, such as genetics and who I should breed with who for the best qualities right now. I don’t know if the chicks I have any DQ;s or not, well except one. One of my little ones has only 4 toes on the one foot but this is the little one that was in a weird shaped egg and didn’t hatch until day 26 and had a really rough, long time, so I think it might have had something to do with the incubation and not a genetics issue because none of the adults or other chicks have shown this.
But I would like to learn of course about standards and what colors to breed with what for the best outcome, etc….Hannah, I don’t know of anyone but you near me!!! Would you like to be my mentor!??!

Oh, almos forgot...Congrats on your success at that show this weekend!!!

Thankyou on the congratulations! All my mentors that have helped me with the breeds I show either live in MD or WV. I'd be glad to give you advice on what I know, but there's always new info for me to learn as well! Your going to want to have breeding pens of each variety of silkie. I'd recommend starting with one or two colors of great stock to get started in. Partridge and buff (hardest is cuckoo because of the tendency to have white skin and red comb/wattles) are the most difficult variety to breed to the standard. Easiest colors are white and blacks since the type has been perfected on these two the most by breeders. One con of white is that they get dirtier easier and may get sunbleached. If you'd like 3 varieties a blue, black, and splash pen might be right for you. That's what I started out with and am working on partridge currently. Even though I have a couple odd buff and porcelain pullets for pleasure. I'll get photos posted as soon as I can and make a listing under the BYC auctions for my sale birds.

 

[NewToFarming]

Thanks Hannah! I appreciate it!
I am gonna send you a PM.
Right now, I have the 2 partridge hens, 2 buff roos, the gray & black splash roo. Plus a few chicks I am uncertain what they will be, a black chick & primarily black chick with some orange lacing in it. I will have to see how that one turns out.
I have an incubator full right now and a broody silkie hen that is stealing everyones eggs and I lost count what she has under her now!

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
Posting pictures on here will be helpful. If you can get body shots that will show the "type" of your bird. Check for any obvious DQ's on your birds such as more or less than five toes (one I should, think it was one buff boy has four toes on one foot), or any comb besides walnut... That's the first thing I check for in chicks. Another DQ is other color that are not allowed on a bird. An example is a blue or black silkie with gold or silver in the hackle feathers, normally occurs in males. If they hatch with DQ's they are sold to people wanting pets and not SQ birds. I do not keep any PQ birds unless they really catch my eye because of their personality.