Need 4H help w/question ?????

[HallFamilyFarm]

As a 4H leader and a long time APA lifetime member, I would say for her to go ahead and show them this time. If she is disqualified, she will have the birds for next year. In my thinking, as long as the muscovy has its red flesh developed and you can tell drake from hen, then it should be mature enough to show. But you need to check on the local show rules.

 

[Javamama]

You (or the 4-H member) should check with the 4-H extension office about it. Also, our area has a possession date, which was June 1. I'm sure it's different everywhere, but that should be checked into.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
Same here - you need to have owned the animal prior to June 1st; animals that you acquire after the June 1st deadline aren't eligible to be shown that year. It is against the spirit of 4-H - you shouldn't be showing birds that someone else has put all the time and effort into raising.

But, anyways, it could be different there. I'd go ahead and sell them to her - if she wants to show them, then she should be the one doing the research and deciding how old the birds she's buying need to be.

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

It kills me for people to credit for your raising. I used to show cars and it just run all over me to see someone showing a brand new car that still have the drive out tage on it. It took me years to build mine, but in the long run I was the one to take home the award. See you next year sucker....lol

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Ok, Thanks for the input. It's in her hands now. I sold her a nice matched pair of black barred Scovy yesterday. She's in high school, has been in 4H for quite awhile, shows horses & cows and has shown her Call ducks. I decided to let her deal w/qualifications as she wanted the Scovies anyway and has plans for them on their dairy farm. She has a few weeks to work w/the ducks and since I interact w/my Scovy alot BUT do not handle them much she still has her work cut out for her. Being juvies, these guys were easy enough to catch and carry right now but I told her a bit about them, their claws, strength esp. as adults, climbing ability, roosting habits etc. as she has only handled small ducks before.
Again, TKS!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I can't really answer the questions but I have one of my own. I thought the whole idea of 4H was to learn about farm animals by growing your own. Buying your show animal 3 weeks before the show appears to be against the spirit of 4H (I don't know the actual rules) If this is allowed the show will become a contest to see which family has the most money to be spent to buy the prize. Is this what 4H has become?

I guess the flip side of that would be that she will have some to grow some from next year. She could actually say then that she went through the entire process, and not that she bought starter animals from so-and-so.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
There was but they were allowed for meat production by that regulation. As usual AFTER the final rule was published the APA filed a protest (they slept through the normal comment period which is allowed to modify regulations before they are made final) the regulators said that the only use they knew about was meat production and ruled accordingly. The rule is in effect now to allow the destruction of feral Muscovies which are a real problem in some areas. They are unofficially holding off enforcement for now for back yard flocks. They may (guessing here) demand that Muscovies be pinioned to prevent their escape to the wild. Someone pointed out that if they tried to enforce the regulation now most backyard people would dump their birds to the wild rather than see them destroyed.