Mostly I need to know how to get them all accustomed to being in the small cages at the shows. I have one Roo that is a very handsome fellow when he is out here running around, but I put him in a cage and he actually looks sick he droops so much! His tail goes down and he kind of hunkers over. The first time he did that at a show, I actually thought he was sick but as soon as I took him home and put him in his pasture, he was strutting around acting like a winner - totally different chicken! I wash the dirtiest ones a week before the show, but at the EOP show the one that wasn't muddy and I didn't wash and was pretty much clean on her own was the one that got reserve - beat out the ones I had washed! So, I guess I really need to know how to present them at their best to the rest of the world! How much do you take off their toenails - they freerange so they mostly keep their nails in the shape they need for foraging. Is it best to reserve double coops for the cocks and cockerels? A lot of questions I never thought I would be asking since I started out only worrying about how hardy they are and how many eggs they lay!
Thanks!
Personally, I feel that show performance speaks volumes for how well the bird is bred, especially for the buckeye breed. The breed is known for its docile yet confident nature. Age also has to be taken into consideration....anything under 6 months has no business in a show pen anyway....very few big birds are even close to being ready at 6 months.
Going back to the breeding and the buckeye; again the breed should be personable, docile yet proud. They should never fear a judge. They also should never hit a judge aggressively.
You can never really get a bird that is accustomed to running free ready for a show pen mentally. Especially a young bird, the stress is too much for it. You have to work with the birds so they know its OK to be handled. This involves handling them but with the buckeye and their docile nature....it's second nature. One of the best birds, I've ever had the privilege of owning rides shotgun in the front seat of the truck to shows..I no longer put him in a carrier...but again; that is just the buckeyes nature.
I get double coops because my buckeyes won't fit in a single coop. If the judge has to chase birds in a double coop it never looks good. My buckeyes actually come to the door and want to be picked up most of the time. .I like when they start strutting when the judge puts them back in the coops.
Health plays a huge role in how a bird acts in a coop, a healthy bird is mentally alert and active. Stress can effect a birds appearance in the coop. A cage is a cage at any rate and if the bird isn't accustomed to being around large numbers of birds and people; they are subject to act out or hump up?!?! Depends on the bird.
You can't really present them, they present themselves. As for the toenails; if you keep them in good pens; they can usually take care of themselves.
Health and genetics separate the cream from everything else. Look at the face of the bird that I'm holding in the pic....that's health!! All I did was wipe his face off with water!! Didn't use oil or peppers or anything....if the faces aren't red....you better ask yourself why?!?! I get asked at every show what I put on my birds to make them so "shiny"....nothing; it's genetics.....so the next time you see someone spraying "can-shine" on their birds.....just know that breeding can fix that
