Showing Chickens

[chicken19]

What would happen in a Chicken Exhibition?
How can I prepare my chickens for one and are cross-breeds allowed?

 

[curious chickee]

Simplified version

First, only standard bred and it is tough completion so you want to find the best of the breed you can afford. Exhibition poultry are judged on how close they meet the standard of their class-breed-variety according to the standard of perfection.

Once you get your birds you begin conditioning them. Feeding quality feed. Mine get 20% breeder pellets. Also trim and file nails and beak if needed. Then keeping their legs well conditioned no scaly legs. I use Vaseline and olive oil on my show birds. Also keep the coop clean. Basically good hygiene.

Week of show bathe birds, keep clean usually on deep clean shavings.

Night before or morning of: check in your birds, provide water, most do not provide food until after judging so they don't have a full crop. Judge then goes around comparing the birds to their standard (think of a dog show). Finally awards, best of variety, best of breed, best of class, best of show. Then the next day you take your birds home.

Most of the process of showing is breeding the best birds possible and only selecting those that are top quality for breeding. And then caring and conditioning those chicks.

 

[paddock36]

I agree with curios chickee. You can also check with the show you are planning to enter. They will probably require them to meet APA or ABA standards and yes that means no cross breeds, and also check the color specifics for the breeds. There are a lot of beautiful birds out there that folks have created new colors, but if the color is not correct for the breed, then it will probably be DQ in the show.

 

[curious chickee]

Yeah can show other colors of a breed, if your bird meets the "type" for their breed; however the best they can do is best of variety. Birds of unrecognized varieties can not get best of breed, class, or show.

 

[curious chickee]

I saw a beautiful LF partridge brahma and buff laced brahma. The more people show unrecognized varieties of the breed the better chance it has to becoming recognized by the APA/ ABA. I believe it has to be something like 5 different breeders showing and breeding the same variety for 5 years and the birds keeping a standard color pattern and breed type for the variety to become recognized. Color doesn't get you DQ, color is a defect unless explicitly stated in the SOP. Breed type not being meet is a DQ

 

[Fred's Hens]

Birds can really only be judged when they are an accepted breed (varieties of that breed) and an accepted written standard. Without a standard, how would the bird be judged? All chickens are chickens, but "breeds" have carefully detailed description written in their standard.

The process for getting anything accepted is stringent. The process for the APA is laid out in detail. I won't re-type it all here, but it involves member of the APA taking the steps. Important distinction. Not just any 5 breeders, breeding and exhibiting for 5 years, but those folks must be members of the association the entire time.

 

[learycow]

Birds can really only be judged when they are an accepted breed (varieties of that breed) and an accepted written standard. Without a standard, how would the bird be judged? All chickens are chickens, but "breeds" have carefully detailed description written in their standard.

The process for getting anything accepted is stringent. The process for the APA is laid out in detail. I won't re-type it all here, but it involves member of the APA taking the steps. Important distinction. Not just any 5 breeders, breeding and exhibiting for 5 years, but those folks must be members of the association the entire time.

Not entirely true.
They can be judged and place (but no higher than BV) if they are not an accepted breed. Most unrecognized breeds have some form of "suggested" standard to go by. Though I've found that it really depends on the judge.
And those breeds that people are working on to get recognized- well the first part of the process is the breeders writing up and official standard for the breed which is then accepted by the APA so they can start their breeding and showing. So that gives judges something to go by as well once they get to showing their breed

 

[Fred's Hens]

I was mainly replying to the OP's question of showing "cross-breeds".

 

[CochinLover1]

Cross breeds are hybrids, and they are not usually APA approved. Stick with pure bred and look at the APA coloring. I always wash my birds 3 days before a show. This gives them enough time ti regain their shine/oil to their feathers. The bird cannot have any body parasites or deformities. Make eye contact with the judge and do not speak until spoken to. Use ma'am or sir when addressing them. Also make sure you know how to handle your birds really well. Good luck.

 

[enola]

Cream Legbars are not accepted by APA yet. They are shown in Other Varieties.