Showing chickens?

[rodriguezpoultry]

Personally I love to get adults because you can see their full potential.

Chicks are a gamble, because you don't know their quality until they are grown and eggs are a larger game because a. you don't know if they're fertile or not and b. you don't know if there is anything even worth your time in the eggs.

Shipping for the adults is ridiculously expensive and even for chicks it can be high. For eggs, it's a bit more reasonable, but then you have to deal with the PO (post office) and their awful ideals of how hatching eggs should be handled.

Most breeders charge $50.00/ bird or pair...depending on how many birds they are "needing" to get rid of in order to keep their stock growing.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
You will pay slightly more for a chicken from a breeder that shows their birds vice a hatchery. Notice I did not say a "SQ Chick". As there is no such thing. The best any breeder can guarantee with a chick is "Potential SQ". There is always a chance that a recessive gene will show up that winds up giving the bird a fault or DQ when it gets older.

I charge $6 for straight-run chicks from 1 day old to 2 weeks. Sexed chicks are $8 for the same. My SQ adults go for $25-30 and I haven't had a "Best of Show" with any of those yet. My juveniles and adolescents go for somewhere in between.

As for which is best to get, that is up to you. Personally, I get no satisfaction from buying a show winning bird from someone else that I didn't put any work into. I would much rather show a bird that I raised myself and therefore receive the reward for my own efforts vice someone elses.

You will have to decide for yourself what your own goals are and what you want to do in order to obtain those goals.

I hope that helps.

God Bless,

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

There are a couple of poultry clubs in Utah, as well as at least one rather good-sized show per year. A subscription to Poultry Press will help you get your feet wet and also locate breeders nearby.

Try to put together a list of what you are looking for in your birds--everyone has their own set of priorities and likes/dislikes. Once you have an idea of what YOU want, go to http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html and find hte breeds that most closely match your desires. Then go to feathersite and see what they have to say. Contact the associated breed clubs (Feathersite should have links) and check them out there.

Enjoy!

 

[pipermark]

First , check with your 4-h. Around here they do a thing where you get 25 ISA browns. They kids raise them , then they bring the best 3 to the local fair. A great way to find out if you will enjoy not only showing them but raising them as well and with little cost.

Raising birds to that meet the standard of perfections for the breed, is a lot more work, and can be expensive and frustrating. If its possible I would go the 4-h route first.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

It may be expensive and frustrating...but seeing your bird place ahead of the "old-timers" is SOOOO exhilarating!

Then again...I get an adrenaline rush when the judge picks up my birds...go figure! lol

 

[scooby]

well thank you guys so much for all the help. i guess i'll have to check into all the tips you guys gave me. so is it just pretty much the luck of the draw that you get a good quality show chicken?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Well...it's a bit more than luck...

if you start out with good breeding stock..you have a MUCH better shot at getting that good show bird than if you were breeding from hatchery stock.