Showing Question.

[happyhomemt]

I am thinking about entering this girl in the fair next year. I just don't know much about it. I think she looks great and am currious what others think. She loves people. She is a buff laced Polish, I'm not sure if she is a bantam or not. She is about half the size of my barred rock hen, but is a month younger. She is about 5 months old.


I would really like some feed back on showing and what everyone thinks of entering her in a few shows.

these are the only pics I have of her right now I am going to try to get some more tommorow.

 

[NYREDS]

Colour is very poor. Every feather, including the crest, should be a medium shade of buff with even white lacing. I don't like the shape of her crest either.
Can't tell much about her type from these pictures.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

She isn't of great quality, though I'm a bit baised because I show my commercial stock in my county fair.

She is from a hatchery, no? I agree with NYREDS. Generally speaking, I don't think she'd do too well at a show. My county fair was small and where I live, it's not uncommon for people to show birds from hatcheries. I'm sure she's very friendly, and I'm a believer that Polish are some of the friendliest birds out there, but if she were up against great quality birds, she'd do very poorly.

You can look for show quality fowl near you. Or buy eggs online for next year. The sad truth is that every aspect of your little Polish is nothing like a bird bred to standard. If you do want to show Polish, I'd suggest buying a solid colored bird. Of high quality, of course. Which means little or no faults. (Or buy eggs from a breeder of Polish.) I'm not sure of the standard on the Polish but perhaps someone can direct you to a helpful book. Go for either White or even White Crested Black. But lacing is very hard to work with and a pain to breed. Or so I hear.

 

[feather leg farms]

She is very pretty. She should get first place!!!!!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Only if it's for pets.

Agree with NYREDS. Her color is too light, lacing is not consistent, her crest is not fully developed (or maybe it is and it's throwing her entire look off).

She will make an excellent pet for you though!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Rodriguez, would you happen to know HOW you actually show them? Do you have to handle them, show certain parts of the bird to the judge, or do you just stand there and let the judge look them over and ask questions?

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi,

I'm gonna give you just a little different take on your question.

First of all, the fact that you have to ask for the opinions of folks on BYC whether or not you should show your birds speaks volumes. So, my advice is to forget asking whether or not she is a Show Winner or any such thing.

Take your bird or bird(s) and enter them at the Fair. And that goes for other poultry shows that may be available near you. Forget about coming home with a winner and go to the shows for the experience. Talk to other Polish Breeders. Talk to the judges. Talk with as many others as you can and learn all you can from the experience.

Also, if you decide that Polish is the breed for you, get yourself a copy of the Standard and join the Polish Club. Generally speaking, you won't find a better bunch of folks who would like to help you than those in the Poultry Fancy.

Lastly, a word about "Fairs". Unless it is an APA or ABA sanctioned show with sanctioned judges, don't be surprised to see a ton of mixed results. At last year's Evergreen State Fair the AOSB Class was won by an obvious Easter Egger. I mean it was blatantly obvious to anyone who had the most rudimentary of knowledge concerning Ameraucanas.

So, you could wind up being a winner even with a bird that does not meet the Standard. I don't say that to trash Fairs but rather to say that one must always compare the bird to the Standard and that it is not unusual for the judges at Fairs to not be the most experienced.

Bottom-Line: Take your birds, be humble, ask questions, enjoy the experience, and come away with lots of things you have learned that you can put into practice for the future.

God Bless,

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
It depends on the type of show. In 4H shows, there's a showmanship class where the exhibitors take the bird, tell you about the bird, answer questions about the bird and breed, spread the wings, show the pubic bones, etc.

Then there's APA/ABA shows. Some judges merely stand there and poke a metal rod through the cage bars and watch the natural stance of the bird. However, to me, a bird that is in the running for a show needs to be looked over WELL. Feathers looked at for wrong coloration, patterns, disqualifications. Look the bird over for anything and everything wrong. But that's just my opinion. On the 4H shows, I've gotten them doing a double-thing.

I know NONE of the people in the show, so I can show no partiality. I don't know their stories, where they got the birds, anything about them. The kids bring their birds into the ring (not my decision) and hold them. I go to each and every bird, tie on a piece of string for the "Just in case" factor and look at the bird stand on the table. Then, I look the bird over completely. From head to tail, teaching the kids as I go along as to what to look for, what to breed against, etc. Some kids are so enthralled they ask for breeder names and I am more than happy to look it up when I get home that day.

It takes hours. Much longer than it should take, but the kids learn and the parents learn a bit too. There's always the parent that will argue, but when confronted with written text by the APA/ABA, they back down and realize not only their child has "the best".

Tailfeathers, several of us on here do show. We may not be in the "big leagues" but still prefer to keep quality birds and have an understanding of the ways of the show world. Everyone has an opinion and you are more than entitled to your own, but there are some of us on here that know what to look for. NYREDS is one of those that has decided to give his opinion. I for one value his opinion and feel it should not be dispersed as an unknowing opinion on a forum.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
Just FYI, I happen to show as well. And some of my birds have made it to Champion Row. I won't be one of those who choose to toot their own horn but I will say that I have a fairly good idea of what to look for in the birds that I have chosen to breed and show. Oh, and btw, I owned a Buff Laced Polish pair at one time. As well as a WC-Black.

The point of my comments was not to disparage anyone nor was it pointed toward NYREDS or anyone else. The POINT of my comment was to ENCOURAGE the OP to get involved in just one more aspect of the Fancy rather than poo poo her interest and excitement.

Happyhomemt, you can choose to listen to the Naysayers if you want to. Personally, I would encourage you to not let them rain on your parade. If you do decide to go to the Fair or other shows, based on my experience, you'll find lots of folks who are happy to encourage you, help you, and provide a wealth of information to help you understand your breed.

 

[NYREDS]

I am thinking about entering this girl in the fair next year. I just don't know much about it. I think she looks great and am currious what others think. She loves people. She is a buff laced Polish, I'm not sure if she is a bantam or not. She is about half the size of my barred rock hen, but is a month younger. She is about 5 months old.


I would really like some feed back on showing and what everyone thinks of entering her in a few shows.

Above is the question to OP asked. I think that I & a couple of other people answered it accurately & honestly.
I don't agree at all that there's anything to be learned from entering an obviously inferior bird in a show. Too often I've seen people do that only to become discouraged & abandon the fancy. Some of Tailfeathers advice is spot on: buy a Standard & learn your breed, go to shows to look at well bred birds, talk to breeders & judges. All a good way to begin & one I've advised many times. Howevr, th OP didn't ask "how do I get started showing poultry", they asked about the merits of the bird pictured.
So, to the OP-if you think you'll enjoy having your bird ridiculed & probably disqualified at a show by all means enter away. If you don't think that sounds like a good time & you really want to show start doing your homework.​