Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[sdm111]

Ok what about timing? I suppose u get there closest to pick up times as best u can? This paperwork can I pick it up prior and have it filled out so everything is ready to go when I get there?

 

[centrarchid]

Unfortunately if I pop in the pen all the birds run for it, even the Cochins (shocker for such a docile breed) my Fibro birds I am trying to brib with daily treats and sitting though. On our old place they free range the area we had to use a net (took us two months to capture all the birds, all 30+ of them )

I am inadvertently taming some free-range birds now. They are all adults and being used to keep Coopers Hawk that comes into barn multiple times per day from going after chicks in pens. A feeding station has been setup among the chick pens and elevated so when chickens are visiting it they are standing at least as high as the hawk and pretty close to its preferred perch. System works pretty good as hawk no longer working pens and does not even come into barn when chickens are higher than it is. The feeding station is loaded with a mix of grains and the chickens are preferentially consuming the larger stuff first. Everytime I go into the barn by the feeding station they approach it, at first waiting for me to walk away, but now flying up or over to see what I bring. It took about two weeks to get to point where I have to push birds out of the way to service feeder. I can now pick several up without issue. I would not be able to do it as quickly if feeding station was on the ground. You could do similar in your coop if you have room for something like a plastic 55-gal barrel positioned at side of coop. Get birds used to come to barrel for eats and get them accustomed to you being present when they do.


You also have a flighty bird or two that stirs up even calm birds. You might consider pulling those flighty individuals to see if balance calm down.

Approach I grew up with was an indoor keep where birds to be tamed where kept singly in small 2' x 2' wooden hutches. Hutches were like cabinets about waste high so you were not looking down on them. At the time I did not understand why but lighting there is important. Ours were setup so you do not cast a shadow on birds while working around those pens. When birds where first put in and still flighty, you would walk by speaking softly as putting in a piece of grain into each pen then stepping away for a couple minutes. Then you repeat. By end of first day the birds new that food was soon to come and soon after would eat out of your hand. Goal was to get birds tame enough they would step onto your arm or at least allow you to reach in without panicking when door opened. Much of the tameness is retained even when moving to cockyard pen or flypen, especially if you keep providing stuff they like when visiting.

Lower your expectations a little for birds in molt.

 

[miss heny]

Thank you Centrarchid. Will have to see if it can be added to the list of building to make haha.

My next batch of project birdsc (4H,layers ) my mom wants me for my last year to attempt showmanship with a leghorn.... We'll see how well that'll go.

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you Centrarchid. Will have to see if it can be added to the list of building to make haha.

My next batch of project birdsc (4H,layers ) my mom wants me for my last year to attempt showmanship with a leghorn.... We'll see how well that'll go.

If you have a game, then why not use it for the showmanship side of things. I use a game to demonstrate to kids I lead in 4-H. To encourage confidence we try to get to point where kids can point out structures literally with eyes closed. That helps kids keep eye contact as needed with judge as needed as well as demonstrate confidence. Games are great because they are generally more relaxed. Birds you use ideally have intact comes not damaged by frostbite so you can show how the structures might be a function of the breed. Having birds that are super tame helps a lot as a relaxed bird is more visually appealing.

 

[miss heny]

MS 4H poultry is evil to put it easily. We are only able to raise layers or meat for 4H state show to help encourage kids to do industrial poultry, only counties (if they even do it) do open shows :/ and the open show we just got APA sanction last year so I dunno if youth will have showmanship next year.

Btw the meat breeds are supposely rock pullets (half my batch was rooster this year ) and layers are leghorm types.

 

[centrarchid]

MS 4H poultry is evil to put it easily. We are only able to raise layers or meat for 4H state show to help encourage kids to do industrial poultry, only counties (if they even do it) do open shows :/ and the open show we just got APA sanction last year so I dunno if youth will have showmanship next year.

Btw the meat breeds are supposely rock pullets (half my batch was rooster this year ) and layers are leghorm types.

Double check the rules on use of production breeds only in MS. If they got that picky then birds would all have to be white or sex-link crosses. I could see more as a an approach to standardize genetic so kids would be assessed more on factors other than those imposed by genetics of the birds.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Ok what about timing? I suppose u get there closest to pick up times as best u can? This paperwork can I pick it up prior and have it filled out so everything is ready to go when I get there?

Yeah just the regular priority express stick on labels. Just stop I the post offic and find out what time their trucks leave last in the evening and get the bird there close to that time so they ain't sitting there all night.

 

[miss heny]

Stated in the poultry chain rules sadly :/ frustating but it my last year so I'll grin and bear it, the prizes if you place in the top five is worth it

 

[centrarchid]

Stated in the poultry chain rules sadly :/ frustating but it my last year so I'll grin and bear it, the prizes if you place in the top five is worth it

Could you post a link to rules. I have dealt with interpretations to rules many times. It is far from rare to have someone misinterpret them. Sometimes even judges get it wrong, especially when they have a lot going on.

 

[rooster 2011]