Showing chickens for 4-H, 1st time, help?

[CascadiaRiver]

Sorry double image, meant to show this one, which shows the blue and black.
Also these are my Amerecaunas



It's a shame because he's a really good looking guy, but the color leakage is so unfavorable for so many people (me included).

I have no idea what colour you boy is... He looks blue but with the red on his back? Gorgeous nonetheless, but such an odd colour~

For the lady, the beak does seem a tad dark, I cant see the eye colour but they should be a reddish bay. Feet bottoms supposed to be white, and earlobes (if you can find them XD) should be skin colour not red like the rest of the face C:

 

[likkatron]

I have no idea what colour you boy is... He looks blue but with the red on his back? Gorgeous nonetheless, but such an odd colour~

For the lady, the beak does seem a tad dark, I cant see the eye colour but they should be a reddish bay. Feet bottoms supposed to be white, and earlobes (if you can find them XD) should be skin colour not red like the rest of the face C:

Yeah my Amerecuana boy has some color leakage on his feathers, otherwise he's got that Amerecuana feel.
I got all my birds from Northwoods Poultry, they're located at the tippy top of Wisconsin, and have a website.
They just added some new breeds this year so I'm hoping to sneak in a few more birds (pullets this time, no more boys please!)
http://northwoodspoultry.com
Which do you think would have the best shot at a show? I know that all of them are not done growing/feathering. Even my big maran boy, who's neck is supposed to be all creamy brown, with some on the back.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Sadly neither Splash Marans and your Blue Double Laced and Splash Barnevelder are not recognized by the APA so they will automatically be disqualified from the running. Your Blue Ameraucana cockerel will also be disqualified because of the large amounts red leakage on it's wings. Your Salmon Faverolles has a split wing which is also a disqualification. Your Blue Ameraucana pullet appears to not be feeling well. Is she on a regular worming schedule? Once she feels better her tail may start to be carried better so she might do decent for you. Your Buff Brahma cockerel is very young, but he appears to have split wing and if it stays, it is a disqualification. Since he is so young, it is hard to tell, but his head shape looks a bit off. Sorry to be so negative.

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Sadly neither Splash Marans and your Blue Double Laced and Splash Barnevelder are not recognized by the APA so they will automatically be disqualified from the running. Your Blue Ameraucana cockerel will also be disqualified because of the large amounts red leakage on it's wings. Your Salmon Faverolles has a split wing which is also a disqualification. Your Blue Ameraucana pullet appears to not be feeling well. Is she on a regular worming schedule? Once she feels better her tail may start to be carried better so she might do decent for you. Your Buff Brahma cockerel is very young, but he appears to have split wing and if it stays, it is a disqualification. Since he is so young, it is hard to tell, but his head shape looks a bit off. Sorry to be so negative.

I actually show my Blue Double Laced Barneveler and she does fine, has never been disqualified, I also show my Regular Blue barnevelder...

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I actually show my Blue Double Laced Barneveler and she does fine, has never been disqualified, I also show my Regular Blue barnevelder... 

In 4-H they make you have APA recognized breeds and varieties. If you show outside of 4-H, at least in my fair, you can show any breed or variety.

 

[likkatron]

I actually show my Blue Double Laced Barneveler and she does fine, has never been disqualified, I also show my Regular Blue barnevelder... 

I know that splash are not recognized colors, but blue and black should be recognized colors I'm sure of it.
I checked my brahma and salmon by spreading their wings and sure enough they're missing the axal feather. Would I be docked major points for split wing on my brahma? I'm only planning on going to a loc county fair show, nothing big.
If you search barnevelder recognized colors blue double laced is on the list.
Also my blue Amerecuana girl has always been on the small side but recently has been gaining weight, and I plan on adding more protein to her diet. And I know that my Amerecuana boy has heavy leakage so I know I'm not using him. And because brahmas are known for being one of the most slow to mature breeds I'm hoping the split wing is not permanent, and that his head shape isn't off?

 

[likkatron]

I know that splash are not recognized colors, but blue and black should be recognized colors I'm sure of it.
I checked my brahma and salmon by spreading their wings and sure enough they're missing the axal feather. Would I be docked major points for split wing on my brahma? I'm only planning on going to a loc county fair show, nothing big.
If you search barnevelder recognized colors blue double laced is on the list.
Also my blue Amerecuana girl has always been on the small side but recently has been gaining weight, and I plan on adding more protein to her diet. And I know that my Amerecuana boy has heavy leakage so I know I'm not using him. And because brahmas are known for being one of the most slow to mature breeds I'm hoping the split wing is not permanent, and that his head shape isn't off?

In fact my brahma is so young that his eye color still hasn't changed.
Here is a video of my splash maran and barnevelder, which chicken(s) should I enter at this point?
https://vid.me/6BDf
If it's only minor points that will be taken off of some of my chickens I'm ok with that.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Here are my comments. I hope they do not sound too critical; they are merely an honest evaluation, by a single person:


The only color variety of Barnavelder recognized by the American Poultry Association is the Double Laced Partridge. Only that color variety is eligible to compete for Best of Breed or further awards. Other varieties can be shown, but they can only receive Best of Variety, since they can't be compared to color varieties that actually have a Standard. If the judge is not familiar with the unrecognized variety, it could be disqualified especially if entered under the wrong name. True, some 4-H shows (though none in my area) focus more on the condition of birds/youth's knowledge and may not be judged by APA-licensed judges, so they might accept your Barnavelder color varieties that aren't recognized. But, even local fairs could be judged by licensed judges and your Barnavelders could be restricted from receiving certain awards or possibly disqualified.

I would personally avoid showing your Ameraucana that has the leakage. It is not desirable at all and he could be disqualified. Judges might consider him to be an "Easter Egger" (impure Ameraucana or colored-egg layer of an unrecognized variety).

Your Blue Ameraucana could have potential, but it is very hard to judge chickens in photos. I'm not seeing any disqualifications just from the photo. She appears as though she might be too small, however. She is still young though and could fill out with age.

Unfortunately, your Marans is not a showable variety. Only White, Black Copper, and Wheaten Maran varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association. As with the blue laced Barnavelder, he could not compete for many awards and might be disqualified.

Your Brahma could be shown, but I would not recommend it. He appears to be hatchery quality (not bred to the Standard of Perfection, lacks size). I don't believe he will make the correct weight for a Brahma though he will certainly fill out more as he ages. His wing does look possible split or slipped. This can change as a bird grows or may not change at all.

The Salmon Faverolles probably has the most potential. I'm not seeing any disqualfiications but watch the wings carefully since they could be split or slipped. Size could be an issue, if she has not been bred to the Standard of Perfection (looking on the Northwoods Poultry website, they appear to be a kind of a small hatchery instead of breeders specifically aiming for Standard-bred birds).

All the birds are young and can change significantly. Depending on the seriousness of your local shows, you could show all of your birds though perhaps not with satisfactory results.

Have fun raising your birds! 4-H is a great learning opportunity and the poultry project is especially enjoyable.

 

[LehighCounty4-H]

i am the founder and president for Lehigh County Pennsylvania's 4-H Poultry club. showing is amazing and you need some skills to master it, you need to be able to talk in front of a crowd, know everything there is to know about the bird your showing. Also your bird needs to meet all the standards for that breed to be show quality

 

[likkatron]

Here are my comments. I hope they do not sound too critical; they are merely an honest evaluation, by a single person:


The only color variety of Barnavelder recognized by the American Poultry Association is the Double Laced Partridge. Only that color variety is eligible to compete for Best of Breed or further awards. Other varieties can be shown, but they can only receive Best of Variety, since they can't be compared to color varieties that actually have a Standard. If the judge is not familiar with the unrecognized variety, it could be disqualified especially if entered under the wrong name. True, some 4-H shows (though none in my area) focus more on the condition of birds/youth's knowledge and may not be judged by APA-licensed judges, so they might accept your Barnavelder color varieties that aren't recognized. But, even local fairs could be judged by licensed judges and your Barnavelders could be restricted from receiving certain awards or possibly disqualified.

I would personally avoid showing your Ameraucana that has the leakage. It is not desirable at all and he could be disqualified. Judges might consider him to be an "Easter Egger" (impure Ameraucana or colored-egg layer of an unrecognized variety).

Your Blue Ameraucana could have potential, but it is very hard to judge chickens in photos. I'm not seeing any disqualifications just from the photo. She appears as though she might be too small, however. She is still young though and could fill out with age. 

Unfortunately, your Marans is not a showable variety. Only White, Black Copper, and Wheaten Maran varieties are recognized by the American Poultry Association. As with the blue laced Barnavelder, he could not compete for many awards and might be disqualified.

Your Brahma could be shown, but I would not recommend it. He appears to be hatchery quality (not bred to the Standard of Perfection, lacks size). I don't believe he will make the correct weight for a Brahma though he will certainly fill out more as he ages. His wing does look possible split or slipped. This can change as a bird grows or may not change at all.

The Salmon Faverolles probably has the most potential. I'm not seeing any disqualfiications but watch the wings carefully since they could be split or slipped. Size could be an issue, if she has not been bred to the Standard of Perfection (looking on the Northwoods Poultry website, they appear to be a kind of a small hatchery instead of breeders specifically aiming for Standard-bred birds).

All the birds are young and can change significantly. Depending on the seriousness of your local shows, you could show all of your birds though perhaps not with satisfactory results.

Have fun raising your birds! 4-H is a great learning opportunity and the poultry project is especially enjoyable.

Thanks for the insight, it's exactly what I need!
I was successful in checking for split wing in my Brahma, and he certainly has it. Couldn't feel any feather nubs, hoping that his axial feathers come in with age.
Personally my Brahma is defiently a heavy one, though his size might trick you. I know that roosters should be 10-12 pounds, and that his breed is slow to mature so I'm hoping he wiill fill out.
If the split wing stays will it be an immediate disqualification?
Also I googled multiple times with different word usage and could not find a double laced partridge, I just got mix of black blue and silver. If you could provide an image that would be amazing since apparently the variety is not as common as the others?

I wasn't able to open up my salmon faverolles wings to tell for sure if she has split wing, but would the colors and her tail be a problem?
I don't think it's preferred that hens have black feathers or black flecks in the face, and her tail is very weird at this point, the inner feathers are smaller than the outer ones, will she grow out of them?
I'll have to ask my teacher about what kind of judges will be judging, and if unrecognized colors will be disqualified.
I wish I lived in England, since I could happily show my barnie.