Showing chickens

[chicklover 1998]

I am located in Iowa, and got chickens last year with the intention of showing. All showing got shut down because of the bird flu last year and the death count on commercial birds was 31 million, needless to say I was not able to start showing my chickens last year. I wanted to start this thread with the hope of getting helpful tips on how to start showing and some precautions I should know, any paperwork I would need to have before showing. Kinda clueless here.

 

[junebuggena]

You can show unrecognized breeds, but you won't win top prizes with them. The best you could do is Best of Breed/Best of Variety.
Both Ayam Cemani and Svart Hona are very recent imports to the U.S. and they are a very long way from getting recognized by the APA.

 

[Bo Garrett]

Showing a bird begins before the chick is hatched and well into the actual show phase of the process. Start your chicks with a good balanced feed at 18 to 20 % protein, most poultry feeds will be balanced in the other areas you mentioned. Once the chicks have matured to the point they are four to five months of age they should have the balance of the adult feathering in place and the feed protein percentage can be lowered to 16% as anything over this is in my opinion, overkill. Keep your birds free of internal and external parasites, your local feed dealer will have wormers and sprays or dust for these pesky parasites. Do your best to keep your birds out of direct sunlight as this will damage the feather color by fading darker breeds and yellowing lighter colored breeds. Pen your birds on a good sized pen with plenty of room and grass or keep them in pens with deep pine shavings to keep them clean. Wash your birds 5 to 7 days before the date of the show and then all you will need to do is touch up on show day. I wash with horse shampoo that contains lanolin which adds oils back to the feathers but cleans them well. I always recommend coop training your birds well before the show, put them in pens that simulate the show conditions and have non-poultry people come and tour your birds to get them used to others and all the traffic they will be subjected to at a show, no one likes wild and crazy birds at the show especially the judge, so handle them often and they will respond in kind. Keep you some treats such as small sized soft dog food and toss them treats as you pass by the cages, this will train the birds to come to the front of the cage and show instead of running to the back for cover.
Just remember, showing poultry is not about the poultry but the lifetime friends you will make in this hobby, time spent with friends is fleeting and we should covet such time more valuable than the most precious of metal or stone.

With peace and blessings,

Bo Garrett

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well it may not be the worst thing that you had to wait.
Have you been breeding your own birds?
My best advice is to start breeding and attending shows. Enlighten yourself as to what happens there. Watch the birds as they're handled by the judges, including what the birds do when they're grabbed out of the cages and put back.
Learn as much as you can by watching and your first experience can be good.

 

[chicklover 1998]

no I haven't but i'm wanting to get two breeding trios of ayam cemani and svart hona sometime next spring

 

[chicklover 1998]

I know that they are not recognized by the APA. I also have 3 RIR hens and a roo, def. not SOP but will be working on it they are too light and not quite rounded in the chest. As well as the RIR I currently have Ameraucanas as well 1 hen and one roo, as for them they are iffy not quite sure if I want to even bother with them.

 

[junebuggena]

True Ameraucana or hatchery Easter Eggers?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I know that they are not recognized by the APA. I also have 3 RIR hens and a roo, def. not SOP but will be working on it they are too light and not quite rounded in the chest. As well as the RIR I currently have Ameraucanas as well 1 hen and one roo, as for them they are iffy not quite sure if I want to even bother with them.

Since you're starting, you may want to concentrate on one breed. Then you want to get some birds of that breed from a breeder. Starting with generic birds will take many years to get up to show quality.

 

[chicklover 1998]

True Ameraucana or hatchery Easter Eggers?

The person I got them from said ameraucana but I'm thinking they are EE so scrapping that Idea she is a good quality looking one but he is def. EE, which leads me to believe that she is too since they came from the same person.

 

[junebuggena]

Were they sold as a specific color? Ameraucana are always sold with a color variety specified. Easter Eggers have no specific colors.