Registered Chickens?

[hhouck514]

Does the APA register chickens in a similar fashion as the AKC with dogs? I asked around today at the county Fair, but couldn't get a consistent response. If I wanted to buy a registered bird, how would I go about doing that? And could I register the offspring? Thanks in advance!

 

[gtaus]

Interesting question. I never heard of a registered chicken. I'd suggest contacting some of the hatcheries with this question. Their business is breeding birds and selling them as close to the standards as possible.

 

[ShannonR]

No. Chickens aren't registerable, unless it is through a specific breed association. They are like rabbits, the very high end ones may have a pedigree, but no registration that I know of.

 

[getaclue]

There is no registration for the birds themselves. The breeder is registered to show them.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe there otta be. The All-Flock Chicken and Poultry Assn or some such. Why not? BYC could sponsor it ... I think we probably have the best minds right here to judge shows, after all. Whattaya say?

 

[BantyChooks]

There is no registration for the birds themselves. The breeder is registered to show them.

Interesting question. I never heard of a registered chicken. I'd suggest contacting some of the hatcheries with this question. Their business is breeding birds and selling them as close to the standards as possible.

As a whole, hatcheries are not reliable sources for show quality birds, and have different selection criteria than breeders. Private sellers are by far the best way to locate quality birds.

 

[getaclue]

Being an APA Poultry Judge is no easy feat. It takes years for them to become judges.

 

[BantyChooks]

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe there otta be. The All-Flock Chicken and Poultry Assn or some such. Why not? BYC could sponsor it ... I think we probably have the best minds right here to judge shows, after all. Whattaya say?

Most of the serious show people have left BYC or were never on it. Breed clubs and licensed judges (if you can get ahold of one) are fantastic sources of information on breeding to the Standard. The deepest and oldest poultry breeding circles haven't really made the jump over to the Internet, at least not fully. You'll get your best information from legwork and books.

Part of the difficulty in implementing a registry would be the rather informal tone of many breeding operations. These aren't people with lush barns, a corporation to run them, and big name sponsors, like those present in, say, the horse racing industry; these are backyarders, down to earth men and women doing what they do because they have passion for preserving and improving these genetic lines. I'm sure you could find some purists that would be all for the idea, but by and large, that's not what I have seen.

 

[getaclue]

There are several reasons why registering the birds is a bad idea. Showing, and judging should be left exactly the way it is.

 

[ShannonR]

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe there otta be. The All-Flock Chicken and Poultry Assn or some such. Why not? BYC could sponsor it ... I think we probably have the best minds right here to judge shows, after all. Whattaya say?

Yeah, no thanks, sounds like a waste of money to me. If you are that into high end birds, use pedigrees.