show quality birds?

[omahalostpunk]

I'm just wondering what a show quality pullet or cockrel would cost? Also what factors contribute to the price. There are several breeds I want to raise and try breeding.

Campines
Sebrights
Sumatras
Nankin
Lakenvelders
Araucanas
Egyptian Fayumis
BC Marans
And White Faced Spanish

Are the breeds I'm strongly considering. There are a few others, but I don't want to try and breed more than maybe 4 or 5 breeds until I get a good grasp of what all goes into breeding good birds.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

'Show quality' is a VERY over-used term. Firstly, beware what others may tell you. There are plenty of dishonest people in the world that will sell you a much-less-than perfect bird labeled 'show quality' if you don't know what to look for. So first, I'd suggest that you get your hands on a recent copy of The Standard of Perfection and know what type and coloring should look like for all of the breeds you are interested in and so you can be your own judge of what you wish to buy. Because quality birds can be super pricey.

Prices of quality birds may vary depending on breed, color, and even age. Therefore it's hard to give you any estimates in the general. And I've never purchased quality birds of the breeds you listed so I honestly have no clue how much they're going for on the poultry market. You can find a vast amount of breeders on BYC, and quite a few will sell eggs at certain times of the year (although you say you're only looking for live birds). Be aware that the quality of a bird cannot be fully assessed until the bird is fully mature. So by getting a youngin', you'd be taking a risk anyway. Take it from me: I spent alot of $ on a young bird from great lines and now she has two major disqualifications.

Sorry I didn't give you the main answer you were looking for. Just a heads up!

 

[omahalostpunk]

Thank you for the advice, I had no idea about the age of the bird making that big of a difference. I think I will look for grown birds then. I have a copy of the SOP for 2001 which I believe is the most recent. I've also notice there are a lot of breeds that aren't in there such as BCM's and several others that I see talked about on here quite often. My only guess for those breeds was to try and find something like the SOP from another country or the country of orgin for the breed.

I don't like the SOP having drawings of the birds. It makes it hard to, for lack of a better word translate it into a real bird. I have definately noticed that "show quality" is thrown around a lot. I've also noticed that I need to have a better attention to detail with looking for good birds. Like looking closer at things like lacing, or completness of feathering patterns.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Ahh..well, I'm under the impression that the Marans is not a recognized breed yet.

As well as a few other popular breeds that many are taking interest in. Good that you have a standard though. As for the coloring detail..well...let's just say this is why I stick to solid-colored birds.

Even then, sometimes solids can have random smutt pop up out of nowhere.

 

[omahalostpunk]

I hear you. I read about solid white in the SOP and it was enough make me want to stay away from it. It just sounded to easy to be flawed. I have thought about starting with mostly solid colored birds, but decided if I'm going to try and learn this I might as well try a little bit of eveything and figure out what I have an eye for.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Good plan. Don't go for anything unless your absolutely happy about it. I happen to like solid white birds if they are cared for properly. The hardest part about them is making sure they don't get too dirty or sunbleached, because any staining that doesn't come out will ruin them in the show ring until they molt it out beforehand. Blues can get red feather-leakage and blacks can carry unwanted irridescent (sp?) coloring. Point being: there is no perfect breed or color. Only invest in what you want. Those impulsive purchases can come back to haunt you later on.

For the sake of adding, I have one Sumatra (hatchery stock, though) and she is my smartest bird. They're supposed to be a very intelligent, active breed. I'm pretty sure 'Rare Feather Farms' on here breeds them. Her pictures are beautiful.

 

[omahalostpunk]

I have wanted Sumatras since I first saw a picture of them on Mcmurrys website. I think I've found a breeder I want to get them from. A small farm about an hour from where I will be living in Iowa, they won at the Iowa state fair. From what I understand it is either the largest or one of the largest livestock shows in the world. I figure that's a pretty solid acheivment, and it's close enough that I can go pick up.

 

[muddyhorse]

You have been getting some good advice, go to some shows and see the birds in person and talk to some breeders. most serious breeders want to see this hobby grow. See how their birds do in the show, how much competition they have My daughters buff laced polish has won 3 BV and Two BB She was also the ONLY POLISH. it makes a big difference of course I can advertise her eggs as "Show Quality " but .....

Good luck

 

[Lofty Dreams]

check out the Standered Of Perfection
I think Murray Mc. Murray is kind of crappy no offence to people that have good luck.
Dwain Urch sends me the wrong breeds

 

[omahalostpunk]

I really don't want to go through a hatchery to get my first gen birds. It was just the first place I had ever seen a sumatra. I'm just really trying to find out how big of an investment it will be to get off on the right foot to breed.

Another thing is how many birds should I try to start with for breeding? I know two would get it done but shouldn't it start with a bigger gene pool?