Question for my duck loving friends!

[DUCKGIRL89]

Say I have a WH drake that I put in a 4H show, and he won. Would that make he good enough to be put in a REAL show? Thanks!

 

[ChickInDelight]

Congratulations! Go for it!

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
Lol. No he didnt really win. Im curious if I could put him in a real show if he won a 4H one without being laughed at. Lol.

 

[jbourget]

If the judge likes him and he is clean???!!!

do it

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
What do you mean by "clean" like good coloring? So far he does. So does one of the hens. Gotta triple check though

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Lots of ppl start out with 4H shows. Go for it and good luck.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
What do you mean by "clean" like good coloring? So far he does. So does one of the hens. Gotta triple check though

I think he meant dirt free. Most Showmen allow ducks to wash themselves but do wipe the feet, leg, bill and sometimes the butt if he tends to be dirty in that area. Black ducks are often wiped with a special cloth to bring out the green shean of the feathers. s bit of dirt will keep your bird from winning.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Winning at 4-H could mean anything. My local 4-H kids show some outrageously good ducks that could easily be shown at approved shows. In another 4-H, that might not be true. Perhaps the kids there just buy their ducks from a hatchery.

However, 4-H is a good place to start, then progress to the fairs, then the approved shows.

The fairs are a lot of fun. Quality of both birds and judging can vary greatly. Sometimes a local person gets pressed into the job who doesn't know much about birds, or only knows a few breeds, so judging might be good , it might not. Sometimes a fair will have a real licensed APA judge.

The only real way to know is to take them to 2-3 APA shows and see what the judges think. Even then, you don't really know until you get the opinion of more than one judge. Not every judge knows absolutely every fine point of every breed at the entire show. So it is possible to get a judge who doesn't know your breed well.

The very best way to know the quality of your birds is to learn the SOP for your breed, study everything you can get your hands on, and go to shows and look at a lot of winning birds. If you look at enough birds, you will develop your "eye" and be able to see quality.