state fair help

[crazychicken]

hi i wanted to enter one of my birds in the state fair this year but i missed the deadline by a few days.looking in hindsight my mixed i mean designer chickens
probably would not have won any way. so i will probably try to enter next year
what breed should i get
thanks in advance for any help.

oh yeah i was going to try to get hatching eggs i have gotten pretty good at it my parents say that i should start a chick business but i kinda already have my last hatch was number seven i think. and i am overrun with babies but still have not gotten the coveted 100% hatch rate the highest i have gotten was 90%

 

[debilorrah]

You should contact the fairgrounds. They may still have openings for the current year. Never hurts to try. On the breed topic, I am crazy about silkies. I want some so badly.

 

[crazychicken]

i already contacted the fair grounds and they are all filled up and the sign up stopped on the 15th. i called and they said i would have to wait until next year.

as for silkies i heard that feather footed breeds where harder to show because of the extra feathers but still i might be able to do silkies.

 

[Kanchii]

Yes unless you have shavings for them to be on, don't count on your silkies placing very high (if there's good competion). I recommend bantam barred rocks, they're great to show and not all that common. You can get hatching eggs from Dick Horstman (sp?) he's one of the top breeders and actually sells eggs (thats rare)

 

[crazychicken]

thanks Kanchii i have a barred rock now that i think might be a bantam but it is not very good it has some things that a judge is bound to notice so i would probably be docked a good bit of points. and i was kind of thinking of getting something that was different.i like blues and buffs i might get one of those colors but i don't know what breed tho.i was hoping for a smaller bird nothing huge like a orpington or a jersey giant.and it has to lay moderately well my mom loves the eggs and right now we are getting three a day for a family of six.so a good layer would be nice.

 

[crazychicken]

i might consider buying chicks from mcmurray or somewhere if i could only order two or three and be guaranteed hens

 

[Kanchii]

Quote:
Those probably wouldn't be worthy of showing, though, just so you know.

 

[crazychicken]

yeah i know but they would be better of than my mixes probably not by much.

 

[StPaulieGirls]

I love our state fair! Good luck getting some birds in, but...

...just as a note of caution, please note that any fair runs a risk of your bringing something home with your birds, in the way of bugs, viruses or bacteria. We brought some birds home from the fair and they had lice, mites and a respiratory infection. They say birds are checked thoroughly, but I'm not sure how thorough they mean...

Maybe worth the first prize ribbon, maybe not...

 

[crazychicken]

i read the rules and they seem to be very strict and closely monitored.
here are some of the rules

1.Birds will not be accepted which are infected with or showing any clinical
signs of an infectious or communicable disease, or are infested with lice
and/or mites.

2.All poultry exhibited at the North Carolina State Fair shall have been in the
possession of the exhibitor for sixty days or more prior to the date of the Fair.

3.All chickens and turkeys for exhibition at the Fair will originate from U.S.
Pullorum-Typhoid Clean or equivalent flocks or have a negative pullorum-typhoid test
within 90 days of admission to the Fair. The test requirements may be satisfied by a
negative test conducted by an official state tester at the time the birds are brought to
the Fair.

just so you know these all have to be met in order to compete but still i few mites or lice could slip in.