Which Clubs should I be a member of so I can show my chickens?

[AmanaHenHouse]

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When growing up we never had any birds tested, usually ordered ckicks for meat/eggs and bought/traded from Amish and local farmers. Now that I'm getting back into birds I can see the importance, especially wanting to set up a sustained breeding program . What is typical for cost in having a flock tested for NPIP? Is it by the bird?

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

I agree that you do not have to be a member of any club to show your poultry. National clubs typically have a lot of good information and contacts. If you can afford it, join them all is my motto.
Local clubs can be good as well, but they vary widely in terms of the benefits offered to members and the level of activity of the club. Some clubs are a modern, tightly-run ship, while others are struggling to keep it together. One thing that local clubs are usually good for is letting their members know about upcoming shows, as well as where and how to get the required blood testing done. In PA, a Certified Poultry Technician is the one who does the test, and the PA Dept. of Agriculture's website lists the area CPT's. If WA has something similar you can locate a testing official that way, but sometimes local clubs have more contacts. For example, my fellow UPA members know I just got my CPT license but I am unwilling to join the state's optional listing until I have my supplies & am ready. And I took the required training class to become a CPT because it was set up by the local club. Your local organization can also put you in touch with veterinarians who treat chickens, show grooming tips & other handy information. Just my 2 cents.

 

[k0r1nag]

Quote:
When growing up we never had any birds tested, usually ordered ckicks for meat/eggs and bought/traded from Amish and local farmers. Now that I'm getting back into birds I can see the importance, especially wanting to set up a sustained breeding program . What is typical for cost in having a flock tested for NPIP? Is it by the bird?

I went online to the WA State Dept of Agriculture and emailed the listed contact person for NPIP who put me in touch with the Avian Vet for the state. In our state, several of the tests (AI) for instance have some funding and so my understanding is that I won't have to pay for travel time and mileage to have my birds tested. I plan to keep approx 35 breeders and will pay between $50-100 depending on if I have both AI & P-T test run - even though the vet will be coming from across the state.

Every state is different so you will want to contact someone in your State's Dept of Agriculture.

 

[k0r1nag]

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Thank you for the insight on clubs at the varying levels.

As my husband and I are very new to the world of showing poultry, we thought we should start with the broadest possible membership while we decide on breeds to keep. In my opinion that seems to be the APA, since we plan to show both standards and banties.

As a person who will most likely never fly to any huge shows and will probably only participate in 3-4 regional shows a year, are there any additional benefits to being participants in the breed clubs beyond having access to other breeders of exhibition birds?