Please Educate me! How to show!

[fuzz]

Hey everyone! I am not completely out of the loop. I have some idea on what goes on. I show rabbits and I know that all rabbits are based on a standard for their breed and they are judged like that. I have written articles for this but I want to know about chickens. How are they judged? What parts? Here is an article I wrote on showing rabbits. Just to give you an idea of what I know about showing and you can explain similataries, differences, etc. Also is there a chicken showmanship? I do this with rabbits as well and have another article

The beginners guide to showing rabbits
Written By: Megan Dale

It’s very exciting to go to your first rabbit show, competing or not. It’s always best to go to a few rabbit shows before actually entering some of your rabbits. Just so you can get the feel of the shows and get the experience you can’t get from reading an article.
Preparing for the show, this should be done 1-2 days in advance of the show. You should pack a small portable grooming table, brushes, pens(for writing your entries), some hay to help calm the rabbit, triple antibiotic ointment for any accidental bites or cuts, some small water bottles and your rabbits of course. Try to make the trip as stress-free as you can get it, if you put some foam pads between the rabbit carriers it absorbs road vibrations and helps to lessen the stress on the rabbits.
Preparing your rabbits for the show, a week before the show you need to trim the rabbits nails and clean any stains off of them. Make sure they are in good condition with no disqualifications. Brush them the day before the show, and make sure they have no mats or molting. Do not brush or handle your rabbit(s) too much at the show because it will stress them too much.
Your first rabbit show you enter is very hectic; you don’t know where to go, what to do, or who to ask. Once you get to the show you should immediately find a place to set up camp for a few hours you can bring chairs but some shows don’t allow you to have chairs in smaller showrooms so you should bring an old blanket to sit on.
Once you have everyone settled in, go to the sign up desk where you will get your entry forms and pay for your entries. The sign up desk is not hard to find, there will be a lot of other breeders by the table. For each show you will need one of the smaller entry forms for each rabbit and one large entry form for all of them. If you still have questions the people behind the sign up desk will answer your questions regarding the specific show or details. Remember to put open or youth at the top.
Now when you hear your class called and you bring your rabbit(s) up to the show table make sure you are carrying them properly and the person competing with the rabbit must put them on the table themselves. If your rabbit is in an open coop, (meaning that there are only 3 sides and they have freedom to hop away), you should keep an eye on them and if you see them trying to take a run for it just gently push them back into the coop but try not to mess with them while on the table.
All rabbits get judged on their general type, which is their body, head, ears, feet, and legs. When the judge evaluates your rabbit’s body they move their hand down the body to see if they have good hindquarters, shoulders, and midsection. If the judge decides to take your rabbit off the table he will tell the secretary who will write down what he says on the rabbit entry form you filled out for the rabbit at the beginning of the show. Do not object to what the judge says if you do not agree.
If you get 1st in a class you can stay to see who gets Best opposite sex of variety, Best of Variety, Best Opposite Sex of Breed, and Best of Breed. If your rabbit gets 1st in a class with 5 or more rabbits and 3 or more exhibitors, they get a leg. Meaning they are closer to becoming a Grand Champion. In order to have a Grand Champion rabbit they must have at least 3 ARBA legs.
The people showing their rabbits are members of a rabbit club called American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and other clubs for their specific rabbit breeds too. This enables them to get points and win money, ribbons, and trophies. There can be hundreds of rabbits at a single rabbit show.
Shows are not all about winning, they are also a great way to meet new people and make new friends and talk with all your rabbit-loving friends. It’s so fun to just walk around and look at all the different breeds of rabbits and talk to people.

 

[fuzz]

Anyone?

 

[danielbrown]

I used to show chickens.
The shows where on Saturday.
Earlier in the week we would call in our entry's.
Friday we would bath the birds and make sure they were ready.
early sat morning at the show we check the birds in and have them tested. Then we get our entry number. The cages are already setup. Tags with the entry numbers, breed, and verity are already placed on the cages. We find the cages with our entry number on them and place the bird that matches the tag in the cage. They are arranged by breed and verity. At this time we do final check/prep on the birds. When it's time the judging begins. The judges do one breed at a time and marks the best of the breed and best of each verity. He then moves on to the next breed. When all breeds are judged the best of breeds are judged against each other. The top 10 or so are moved to champions row then are judged for the winner and runners up.

The most fun show was when my "free rare chick" buff laced polish hen from McMurray made champions row and placed 7th over all.

It wasn't a huge show, 400-500 birds. I won Junior Champion a few times before I showed in the open.

 

[M@M@2four]

As far as showing goes, your birds, you first need to determine if your birds are, "show quality." A good idea is to have a copy of the APA Standards (for large fowl) or ABA Standards(for bantams). These are the books that all poultry are judged against and what the judges use as reference when judging. Here's a link to some good info about showing: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS037 Also, your birds need to be tested within, I believe 90 days prior to showing and test results back and all clear and proper papers to bring to show. What kind of birds do you think you want to show?

 

[sred98]

I have a question that goes along with this. How old do the birds need to be?

Thanks for posting this Fuzz!

Shelly

 

[M@M@2four]

Quote:
Good question! I actually meant to say this in my last post, but forgot!

I was told about 5-6 months atleast. Where they are basically full grown--can be a tad smaller than a hen or cock, but not so young that you still can't sex them either or can't determine for sure if they are show quality.

 

[LilPeeps]

Showing chickens is somewhat similar, but different. There is showmanship where junior exhibitors are judged, as opposed to the birds, on their general poultry knowledge and more specific knowledge regarding their chosen breed. Before you show your birds, you should be sure your birds actually are show quality, in that they conform to the SOP (standard of perfection) and have no DQs. Show entries are submitted and payed for beforehand. Clubs hosting a show will mail out showbooks to people who have shown at that particular show or shows in the surrounding areas. Most states require that you be AI and pullorum/typhoid tested and clean before you can sell or show birds. Pigeons and waterfowl do not need to be tested. You would enclose a copy of your test certificate with the show entry. A lot of breeds will need to be washed days or up to a few weeks prior to the show in order to give their feathers time to recover. Some hard feathered breeds don't need to be washed if they're clean enough as it will damage the feathers. Most exhibitors bring a show bag to carry anything they may need at the show (vetrx, qtips, nail clippers, wire brush, zip ties, showbook, pens, etc.). The birds are judged to the SOP. If you plan on showing, I'd suggest you pick one up. You can get one through the APA for $14 shipped here. For chickens, the birds are picked up and examined by the judges on body carriage, type, color, and an overall appearance of health. In judging, your card may be left blank (if it's a large class and your bird didn't place within the top 5 or so), you could get 1-5, which would be the placing within the class (cock, hen, cockerel, pullet within a variety). You could get BV which is best variety (color), BB, which is best of breed. Beyond that, you can get on champion row by having the best or reserve bird in that class of breeds (e.g. AOCCL, RCCL, SCCL, AOSB, featherleg, modern, old english, continental, mediterranean, english, asiatic, american, bantam duck, light duck, medium duck, heavy duck, turkey (also BB), light goose, medium goose, heavy goose). From there, the judges choose a best and reserve bantam, LF, and WF. Then they choose the reserve and super grand champion. There is not specific age that a bird must be to be shown, but usually it's around 5-7 months for most breeds.

 

[LilPeeps]

M@M@2four :

As far as showing goes, your birds, you first need to determine if your birds are, "show quality." A good idea is to have a copy of the APA Standards (for large fowl) or ABA Standards(for bantams). These are the books that all poultry are judged against and what the judges use as reference when judging. Here's a link to some good info about showing: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS037 Also, your birds need to be tested within, I believe 90 days prior to showing and test results back and all clear and proper papers to bring to show. What kind of birds do you think you want to show?

The APA standard lists the standard for both LF and bantams. The ABA standard only lists bantams. In most states, it's required that you've been tested within one year of the show, not 90 days.​

 

[fuzz]

Okay so its very similar to rabbits except rabbits dont need to be tested.

So where do you test them? How much $$?

I am not looking into breeding chickens but maybe go to a few shows just for fun and I will take them to fair. I only want to show my bantams which are the sultans and silkies for now.

For type, thats my main question. I know how to judge a rabbit, what is the point system for sultans and silkies?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Chickens are mostly judged accordingly to the breed standard. It is best to own the book "The Standard of Perfection". It will list the breed standards, their class and their disqualifications. This is something you should know, along with parts of the bird, comb types and sometimes judges ask about poultry diseases. You should bathe your bird at least two days in advance. This gives the bird a chance to get back their natural oil. We have always used Woolite on them, it's not as harsh on the feathers. Make sure their nails are done. A dremal tool works great. A tip my DD uses is a little baby oil on the comb and wattles make them look nice and bright. Oh, and the proper way to take a bird in and out of a cage is always head first. When displaying a birds wing to a judge, the bird is crandled in your hand (head facing you), you gently pull the wing out with your left hand, assuming you are right handed and that the bird is in your right hand. Now, if the judge ask you to display the left wing of the bird, you DO NOT reach over the birds back and pull out the wing. You are suppose to slid your left hand in front of the bird and over top your right hand and grasp the wing with your thumb and first finger and gently pull it out to display all the wing feathers for the judge to see. He even might ask you to tell him which feathers are which. If you don't get what I am trying to discribe, I will get a pic. Now all of this is for showing at 4-H and State level. Adult showing may not be as picking and judge mostly on the bird.
I hope this helps get you started. Good Luck!