New Jersey

[mame1616]

Well, despite the rain here, it's supposed to be beautiful at the show tomorrow!! Hope to see people there - ask around for me, although later in the afternoon I'll be in ensconced with the show secretary tallying winners.

Hope to see all the newbies and first-timers at the Info Session at 10am!

So excited!!

-Mary Hussey

(Off to pack up birds in the rain - ugh)

 

[dpresk01]

In South Jersey myself, Ventnor (right next to Atlantic City) if anyone is in the area and wants to meet up. I'm almost completely new to chickens and would more than welcome the advice!

 

[mame1616]

What an amazing show!! I hope I didn't miss anyone who visited - what a crazy two days! Over 900 birds, and exhibitors from as far away as South Dakota and Minnesota! 80 Jersey Giants at the National Meet, which won't happen again, unless we can convince them to come back in ten years for the 100th Anniversary. I really do feel bad for everyone who missed such a fabulous event.

Having said that, there is another show in May, although without the special excitement of a national meet. Still, that will be chick season.

 

[jazzy6110]

hey mary, this is justin. probably the only one who broke down his cages today...teeheee. great show and had an awesome time. had a a question. my buff orp roo got a 2nd place red ribbon..where does that exactly place him? 2nd place as an orp or 2nd in his entire class

 

[mame1616]

hey mary, this is justin. probably the only one who broke down his cages today...teeheee. great show and had an awesome time. had a a question. my buff orp roo got a 2nd place red ribbon..where does that exactly place him? 2nd place as an orp or 2nd in his entire class

Justin, thanks for the cage help! Like I said, those were three cages I didn't have to break down, so that was a help to me! It was really great to meet you!

I answered you through PM, but I'll repeat here for others so they know when they next attend a show:

- A 2 in a circle means your bird was the second best cock.
- The next marks you would have seen would have been BB or RB - Best of Breed or Reserve Breed
- If he won a place in the class, there would have been Best Eng or Res Eng on the card, meaning Best or Reserve English, which is the class the Orpingtons are in.
- The birds with those remarks make it to Champion Row, where they are judged again against all of the other winners from the other classes. By this time, they are judged four times, so you can see what a great accomplishment it is to become Grand Champion of the show.

There can also be BV or RV - Best or Reserve Variety. That is a slightly higher placing because it judges all birds of that variety, no matter the age or the sex. I get those frequently because I have unusual varieties. (Don't be impressed - I'm often the only one.) Also, some varieties are not accepted into the standard, so although they can be BB, they can never go higher than that until that variety is accepted.

So, for example, my cochin pullet had these marks: 1 in a circle, with BV-RB. That means she was the best pullet, the best variety (black mottled - the only one, but not an accepted variety in the LF) and the reserve for her breed, which I was pretty happy with, as there were several birds in the breed. She did not place in the class - only two birds ever do that in any class. In the Asiatic Class are Cochins, Brahmas, and Langshans. The American Class is the largest with thirteen breeds. It is a big deal to win that class!

There are always other marks left by the judge that only have meaning to them - little check marks and other comments. Sometimes they are there to remind the judge that he has already judged that bird - a big help in a large class - or to remind him why he did or did not choose one bird over another, so he doesn't need to keep taking the bird from the cage. Sometimes defaults can only be seen once the bird is handled. The only way to know is to ask them - respectfully! Never confront a judge about their decision. Tell them you are still learning and would like to know what to look for in the future, and to explain why he would choose one bird over another. When asked this way, many judges are happy to give instruction. I have learned a great deal from them over the years - take advantage of their learning. Just keep an eye on your aisle when they are judging so you know who to look for when they are finished for the day. Don't ask them until then, because they are very busy going from one class to another. (If you miss the judge, you can ask in the show office, but at the end of the day they will be frantically trying to tally scores, so try and identify him yourself.)

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Hello Everyone,
If anyone is looking for some birds, I have three that need homes.
-Red Polish Cockerel
-2 Easter Egger bantams

The Polish cockerel and one of the bantams get along, and would go great as a pair, but the other one is lonely, yet scared of any other chickens. I don't know what to do with her. She might make a good house pet. She is friendly. All are about 5 months old. They have not started crowing or laying. I could give them all away as a trio, but you would have to interogate one of the bantams. All are free. If you are close enough, I will deliver.

 

[Sallysec]

Hi All, I wanted to repost this link for someone trying to get chickens allowed in keyport NJ...Feel free to sign your name to his petition or join him on his facebook page. He is a fellow BYCer and newly joined trying to get support for his family to keep their chickens.

http://www.change.org/petitions/key...nce-allowing-the-keeping-of-chickens-as-pets?

I am a NYer and signed but figured it might pack more punch from NJers

 

[mame1616]

Hi All, I wanted to repost this link for someone trying to get chickens allowed in keyport NJ...Feel free to sign your name to his petition or join him on his facebook page. He is a fellow BYCer and newly joined trying to get support for his family to keep their chickens.

http://www.change.org/petitions/key...nce-allowing-the-keeping-of-chickens-as-pets?

I am a NYer and signed but figured it might pack more punch from NJers

That's so nice of you! Thanks - I'll spread it to other threads I'm on. Keyport is about ten minutes from me!

 

[NJchixs]

Just want to wish everyone good luck riding out the impending storm. I think my big girls will be fine out in the coop and run, it's secure. The trees are what I'm worried about. I also have 25 five day old chicks I'm caring for now. I have a generator so the heat lamp should be a go. Anyone else with baby chicks on heat lamp still? If your in a bind with them, I'm in Jackson and can help you out if you can't get them heat. Today will be spent cleaning up the yard, ugh. I'll give my girls plenty of outside time since it looks like the will be coop bound for a couple days.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Just want to wish everyone good luck riding out the impending storm. I think my big girls will be fine out in the coop and run, it's secure. The trees are what I'm worried about. I also have 25 five day old chicks I'm caring for now. I have a generator so the heat lamp should be a go. Anyone else with baby chicks on heat lamp still? If your in a bind with them, I'm in Jackson and can help you out if you can't get them heat. Today will be spent cleaning up the yard, ugh. I'll give my girls plenty of outside time since it looks like the will be coop bound for a couple days.

We are bringing our rabbits inside our house in their travel cages. My chicken coop is pretty heavy, so the birds should be fine. I'm not sure if they should be let out into the run though, it is a simple structure of a lumber skeleton covered in chicken wire and a plexi-glass roof. Lucky for me, I live a town away from the coast. :/ the only thing protecting us is Point Pleasant Beach. However, my house is one of the very few in the neighborhood that has a bit of elevation against floods, however, the canal is a few streets behind me...My house is also very old, so it's made of cinder blocks. I don't think the wind will be blowing it down. You are all lucky to be inland! I wish everyone else best of luck dealing with the storm.