Need help "helping' my son choose a show bird

[Pearce Pastures]

We have never shown an animal before and while we have had chickens for a long time, we have never learned much about what the breed standards are. I have ordered the 2010 APA Standard of Perfection book but it will not be here before the forms are due so I am hoping for some help in picking out 2 birds to show.

From what I do understand, there are two types of 4H showing: Exhibition (sounds like he just places the bird on display for a judge) and Showmanship (he needs to hold the bird, display its wings, and tell the judge about the bird).

1) We have several types of birds and I am lost as to which to choose for a first timer for either type of show. We have cuckoo maran, barnvelder, barred rock, araucana, black australorp, black silkie, white silkie, silver-laced polish, silver-laced wyandotte.

The silkies and polish seem to be the easiest to handle, but I am very unsure of how to tell which would best fit the bill for the standards of these breeds.

I would be so grateful if anyone who could maybe tell me what to look for in either breed that would be a bad/good quality in the bird?

2) Would anyone suggest one breed over the others as being easier to exhibit or show for a 9-year-old?

 

[4hchickmama]

How old is your son? Silkies are fantastic birds and easy to handle, BUT they do poorly in showmanship. My daughter just used one this last weekend and that bird would not move across that table for nothing. The best birds to get are clean-legged as well. Polish are clean legged, but can be flighty and a bit...special. Unless he is a bigger kid, I would suggest a small bird. Old English Bantams and Modern Game Bantams seem to be the most popular choices for children's showmanship.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Pictures would help us determine show quality. But go with your gut.

 

[4hchickmama]

d'oh! You say in the post your son is 9. I would definitely go with a smaller bird. You can also use one bird for show, but enter that bird and several others in exhibition. My daughters each only brought one bird to the show this time, but their friend brought her Modern Game for showmanship and then a wyandotte, an australorp, and a plymouth rock for exhibition. Usually in exhibition, the birds are judged in their cages. So she only used one bird for showmanship, but had 4 in exhibition.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Thanks and I am uploading pics of the flock. This is such a hard choice and we have to make it by Friday.

The polish, silkies, and wyandottes are probably the easiest to handle for showmanship, and maybe even a few of our australorps.

For exhibition though, our barnvelders seem pretty to me but I am so unsure of what would be best for such a thing and I don't want to steer my kid wrong

So let me start with the Australorps since we have more of them that the other breeds.

Bird A

Bird B

Bird C

Bird D

Bird E

 

[Pearce Pastures]

The silkies
Bird A

Bird B

Bird C



The Polish
Bird A Cockeral "Bowie"



Bird B Pullet "Lauper"

 

[Pearce Pastures]

The Marans
Bird A

Bird B

Bird C


The Barnevelder
Bird A

Bird B

Bird C

 

[Pearce Pastures]

The Araucanas
Bird A

Bird B

Bird C


Barred Rock
Bird A

Bird B

Bird C

 

[PoultryGirly]

I would say bird c of the barnevelders.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Now, if you call the Auracanas AMERACAUNAs, they look pretty good (THIS is an aracana.) Bird C is an EE. The others look pretty good. Your polish A has some torn feathers so I wouldnt use her. Your barnvelders could use some better lacing, but look alright for 4-H.

Sorry if Im wrong, this is based off the info I've gathered, but I felt bad no one answered you so thought I'd take a swing

edited by staff