There are quite a few Marans being shown in Texas. Most of the shows that we have been to this season have had close to 100 Marans and over. There are usually quite a few Black Coppers, Wheatens, Blacks, Copper Blues, and Whites at the shows here. There are usually some Blue Wheatens, Blues, and Cuckoos. Once in a while, there are a few Splashes, Black Tailed Buffs, and some of the other varieties at the shows here. We will be showing at the South Texas State Fair later this month. The man who is in charge of that show called and said that they already have over 120 Marans entered there. When we started showing Marans, there were usually 25-35 Marans entered representing different varieties. It is great to see our breed represented by so many birds at the shows. Showing where there is competition allows us to evaluate our birds compared to other breeders' birds.
There were 200+ Marans entered in the Newnan show. Not all of them showed up, but most of them did. I saw the numbers on the Marans USA group's site, but cannot remember exactly how many were exhibited. We were there and as with any show, there were some Marans that were not as nice as others. We have shown Marans for the last three years and I am really pleased with the improvements that the breed has made in those three years. The judges always comment on the improvements that have been made within the breed in the short time that they have been showing. We are not perfect, but we are so much better than we were three years ago.
There were some varieties that were a little scattered in type. Most of those were in the varieties that are being worked with. The Newnan show was the Pre-Qualifying Meet for the Cuckoos. The idea was to get as many Cuckoos together in one place to see where we were.There was 38 or 39 Cuckoos there. The Cuckoos that were there were pretty scattered in color and type. It was decided there that we would keep working with the Cuckoos instead of trying to have a Qualifying Meet this year for them.
The Black Coppers, Wheatens, Blacks, and Whites were pretty uniform in type. The competition ran deep in those varieties. We have nice White Marans, but they were a little on the dirty side at the show. They had spent 30+ hours in the coops on our trailer when we unloaded them. Due to the weather and the facilities there, we decided not to try to wash them there. The Best of Variety Wheaten and the Best of Variety Black Copper both moved on to be Best and Reserve Best of Breed. After that, they both moved on to be Best Continental and Reserve Best Coninental.
There weren't as many Blues, Copper Blues, Black Birchens, and Blue Wheatens there but the ones that were there were nice for the most part. As with any show, there were birds there that did not meet the Standards.
Shows are a learning experience for new exhibitors. The first poultry show that we ever showed in was the first poultry show that we had ever attended. Maybe not the best game-plan, but it is the way we chose to learn about showing poultry. We had shown cattle, rabbits, and goats for years. We knew how to read Standards. We selected our birds for the show based on what we had read. We were fortunate to have good Marans and had a great show. Our chickens placed well at that show and we learned more than we could have ever learned reading Standards.
There were other people there who are on this forum. Maybe they can give you a better number as to how many Marans were there and which varieties were represted.
Regards,
Ernie Haire
Marans2XL
