Surviving Minnesota!

[Momof3plustwins]

I would say search Youtube for showmanship --maybe a 4-H video. 

Look up the SOP for each breed reviewing your birds characteristics with that detailed check list.

Then I suppose preparation of the bird.  Again a Youtube video.

Read the rules or guidelines for each fair/ or show as far as entering.

Good thing I know everyone on the fair board. I suppose i should just talk to them. I imagine all my questions would be answered there.

 

[Cluckies]

I took a nap and feel human.

My birds are safely tucked in. I bought a bunch of new cages at the show. (6 of them). the WWD was not happy with her get well gift. I think the words she used were " take em back". What kind of gratitude is that?

With my old cages I actually have open cages in the pole barn. I can bring in more birds now!

Let me tell you the secret of success at a bird show..

Be the only one showing that breed and you are bound to win best of breed!

Be to only one showing that variety and you will win Best of Variety!

It is so simple to be a winner!

The only breed I had competition in was the Speckled Sussex, but I managed to beat them out. Which was a shocker to me. There was one pullet a lot larger than mine so I thought I would lose to it. I think the reason I won was the feathers on the hackles, It did not have white spots on the tips of the feathers there. Also the back of the bird was too white. Body wise it was ok, but I thought mine was better and I cannot really tell you why, the other looked "dumpy" compared to mine, but that is my opinion and not a judges. I was happy to have beat someone else..LOL


I learned a lot from quite a few people. Mike Gilbert taught me how to tell if a pullet is laying or not, or close to laying. I was impressed as to how easy that is. He also gave me some pointers on what I should work on on my birds. BTW Wienerhead is the rooster that won. It had to be the jack butt and not the friendly one. Mike pointed out to me why it won, or why he thought it won over the other ones. The only things he said I needed to do on him was work towards a smaller comb and try to match him with a hen that is less "reddish" to remove a few red "spot" on the breast. When I say red spots I am talking about spots the size of a deer tick, NOT VERY BIG!

He did say he would breed either of my cockerels I showed, but Wienerhead was better. I wish I had more age on them though. I can see where a couple months makes a huge difference on the young birds.


Mike advised me on the white sports to register them as "white legbars" instead of Cream legbars/ white sports. He said that would get them out of being judged with CLB's. With the proposed standards and the first APA show of CLBs coming up in December they will eventually get admitted. At that point the white sports will never win unless they are registered as white legbars, The people doing the work on getting CLB's admitted have said they will work towards getting the whites admitted as a second variety after they get the cream in. I hope they do.


I think I had more interest in the CLB's than the other birds. Most people did not believe the whites and Creams were brothers and sisters. I wish they had laid a pretty blue egg while we were there. I did get one from one of my whites tonight. The cutest bluest egg but oh so tiny.


I did have a discussion with the Show secretary before we left. I told him if they were not going to issue participation ribbons they should at least sell them so I could buy some. I also told him if my birds get an inferiority complex because of some getting ribbons and them not, he would be hearing from me.

It did not seem the have the desired effect, he just laughed. I do not think he plans to get them next year either. This could require a mass action to get them for the sake of our birds.

MnChickMom and her family helped me load birds, I so appreciated that. BTW Getting her daughter to want a certain breed or chicken is not a hard feat. She just has to look at it and wants it. She is like a younger version of holms only female. BTW I think she gets it from her Mother, who seems to like every chicken there too.

Minnie's birds were fantastic. She must not like them though she left them there....

They wanted Minnesota people to help pick up afterwards. I started and did for a while but when they started dumping the chips on the floor the dust got too much for me I had to leave. Next year I will bring a mask to help cut down dust. I ended up with a couple of asthma attacks on the way home. (thank you Benezine Spill) EJB knows what that was. Yeah, I wear one around my birds whenever I kick up dust.


The size of the Plymouth rocks is unbelievable! They look a lot like my toads for size. Nice looking birds. Of course, all of them were.

There were ducks and geese there so that required disinfecting myself, my clothes, my vehicles and my birds. They should really have the ducks and geese in a different county around 1200 miles away...

Thanks for sharing Ralphie, wonderful!

 

[oakridge]

@Momof3plustwins

I have not I have chickens soley for entertainment and the eggs.

What I mean by that is my chickens are not show quality, they are healthy good looking birds but would fall short on some qualities judges would look for.

 

[I Love Layers]

I am so glad you did well and got more help for next time.


I have questions about showing open class at a county fair. Basically I need the whole list of what you need to do and if birds need to be tested for disease ect, ect, ect. I have never shown before at all and want to bring in some of each breed we have this summer just to bring the number of animals up at our really small fair in Red Lake County. It is not to be confused with Red Lake Indian reservation. We are near it but not it. Plus we have 7 different breeds and thought we show them off. I had some one look at me in disbelief the other day saying, " I didn't know there were that many different breeds of chickens!" So it is just for fun and educational for those looking.

So who wants to give me the low down on all of that?


@oakridge have you ever brought birds to the Pennington County fair in TRF?

I might have a video of what to be able to do for showmanship if not I will make one.
I can also write out directions for bathing etc if you want!
I could find little to no information when I started showing...

 

[I Love Layers]

I must've deleted the video of what the birds need to be comfortable with.. I will make one tomorrow.
I will be doing a 4H demonstration in February on Poultry so I can video that also, I can take a video of me bathing them too.

Are your breeds clean legged or feather legged? Or both.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Very generous layers to help mom3twins.

I just got a compliment on Junior on the welsummer thread. Makes me want to show but then who am I kidding. No time for it--

 

[I Love Layers]

Very generous layers to help mom3twins.

I just got a compliment on Junior on the welsummer thread. Makes me want to show but then who am I kidding. No time for it--

I'm the opposite! I've got so much time especially in the summer but no place to show!

Does anyone have any opinions on how you could get a show started?

 

[KlopKlop]

We loaded some 243 and 270s for deer hunting. Some 30-06 for fun
And target shot my 22 250 which we found out has a crappy scope

i am hunting with 300 AAC Blackout this year. since im south of the cutoff i can't rifle hunt, but i can pistol hunt. so i built an ATF classified pistol on the AR platform. I was working on sighting it on friday and was keeping groups under 2" from 100 yards. i suspect it could do better but I am just not that good. that rule is so antiquated.... so i am working around the rules as best i can.

 

[MNChickMom]

We are in shot gun zone when we hunt at my parents in Stearns County but when we hunt at home in Benton County it is rifle zone. I am a nervous Nelly this year. My daughter is hunting with my 20 Guage....her first year. Gulp. I will be borrowing my dad's 12 Guage.....gulp! My daughter is left eye dominant but shoots right handed. My brother is the only other person I know that does this crazy practice. But both my brother and daughter are sharp shooters compared to me.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

I must've deleted the video of what the birds need to be comfortable with.. I will make one tomorrow.
I will be doing a 4H demonstration in February on Poultry so I can video that also, I can take a video of me bathing them too.

Are your breeds clean legged or feather legged? Or both.

They are all clean legged. I have found all the info on getting the bird ready. I am looking more about how old/ can adult birds be shown? Do they have to be hatched after Jan 1 of that year ect ect ect. All things that the person in charge of the poultry barn can answer. I have asked who that is so just waiting on that. I know my birds are not show stoppers just hatchery birds. I want to bring them just so people have something to look at and expose to different breeds.