Sorry Cara. I knew you were on here, but for the life of me I couldn't remember your screen name.
blaundee-You can get a lot of information online, both here and at the club sites linked in previous posts. You can also get a copy of the Standards of Perfection. Try the library if you don't want to buy one just yet. Even if your local library doesn't have one, they can maybe get one through an inter library loan. There are also some breed/class specific books also at the links. As 1997 said, you can also ask specifics here.
Sorry you can't find any shows near you, but the advice is sound. The breeders are there, the birds are there, judges are there and there is a lot of time to fill while the judges are working. I've yet to find someone who wasn't willing to talk and best of all they often can show you firsthand rather than just tell you things.
One show really can make a big difference, but you'll also learn more at each one. We went to the Sedalia, MO show in the spring, not to show, just to observe and learn. It was 9 hours round trip, but well worth it. We met with 2 amazing Silkie breeders and learned a ton of stuff. A couple months later, when a pair of my daughters birds were being evaluated and the judge was talking about their level of shredding, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I only knew because of that show and a breeder who was nice enough to take the time to actually take a bird out and show me.
At our last show, we had to miss the actual judging, but I did get to speak with the judge after. According to several people who were there during the bantam judging, the judge spent a lot of time with my DDs Silkies. Came back multiple times. Even took her pullet to another cage. She did get all the top awards for Silkies, but not the RV or GR CH Bantam. The judge told me it was a really tough call, but in the end, he prefers vaulted skulls. At Sedalia, which was a double show, there was a light blue and a dark blue. One judge proffered the light, one the dark. Thanks to the breeder, I and more importantly my DD then better understood about judges preferences and the importance of bringing as many variations as you can especially if you don't know the judges preferences.
Shows can go on for hours with lots of wait time. You can find out about selecting which birds for breeding or showing and why, how to prep them, things to bring, how to enter, how the show process itself works, what a judge liked or disliked and why, network with other breeders/exhibitors, purchase birds...... For a small cage fee you can enter some of your own and get evaluations from a judge and other breeders. It's like a crash course in your chosen breed.
Emails can be missed, go to junk mail, be lost amongst the families, jobs, livestock and other demands upon the breeders time. They might not be much for typed communication. At a one day show however, they're likely to be around and often nearby their birds. You just have to be proactive and ask. A polite question or two and you'll find people who'll talk chickens with you all day long. Be prepared to take notes.
blaundee-You can get a lot of information online, both here and at the club sites linked in previous posts. You can also get a copy of the Standards of Perfection. Try the library if you don't want to buy one just yet. Even if your local library doesn't have one, they can maybe get one through an inter library loan. There are also some breed/class specific books also at the links. As 1997 said, you can also ask specifics here.
Sorry you can't find any shows near you, but the advice is sound. The breeders are there, the birds are there, judges are there and there is a lot of time to fill while the judges are working. I've yet to find someone who wasn't willing to talk and best of all they often can show you firsthand rather than just tell you things.
One show really can make a big difference, but you'll also learn more at each one. We went to the Sedalia, MO show in the spring, not to show, just to observe and learn. It was 9 hours round trip, but well worth it. We met with 2 amazing Silkie breeders and learned a ton of stuff. A couple months later, when a pair of my daughters birds were being evaluated and the judge was talking about their level of shredding, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I only knew because of that show and a breeder who was nice enough to take the time to actually take a bird out and show me.
At our last show, we had to miss the actual judging, but I did get to speak with the judge after. According to several people who were there during the bantam judging, the judge spent a lot of time with my DDs Silkies. Came back multiple times. Even took her pullet to another cage. She did get all the top awards for Silkies, but not the RV or GR CH Bantam. The judge told me it was a really tough call, but in the end, he prefers vaulted skulls. At Sedalia, which was a double show, there was a light blue and a dark blue. One judge proffered the light, one the dark. Thanks to the breeder, I and more importantly my DD then better understood about judges preferences and the importance of bringing as many variations as you can especially if you don't know the judges preferences.
Shows can go on for hours with lots of wait time. You can find out about selecting which birds for breeding or showing and why, how to prep them, things to bring, how to enter, how the show process itself works, what a judge liked or disliked and why, network with other breeders/exhibitors, purchase birds...... For a small cage fee you can enter some of your own and get evaluations from a judge and other breeders. It's like a crash course in your chosen breed.
Emails can be missed, go to junk mail, be lost amongst the families, jobs, livestock and other demands upon the breeders time. They might not be much for typed communication. At a one day show however, they're likely to be around and often nearby their birds. You just have to be proactive and ask. A polite question or two and you'll find people who'll talk chickens with you all day long. Be prepared to take notes.
