Is starting to show poultry as hard as getting placed in the village fete victoria sponge class?

[saltyseadog]

What do I need to know? I'm thinking about for 2011, should the chicks I've just hatched prove to be any good.

I've just joined my local poultry club, and I will start going to meetings to start to glean the 'know how', but will this be enough to get started?

I'm worried that there'll be a lot of sucking through teeth when I commit a poultry show faux pas :).

ooooooh!

I have absolutely no idea. Try asking on Omlet :)

However: do not try the high sift with a chicken. It will be loud and messy.

Honestly, it is dog eat dog and they look for feathers out of place and the width of the pelvis and everything.

Are they pure bred hens/cock?

"However: do not try the high sift with a chicken. It will be loud and messy."

Yes - they're dark brahmas woad. Although from the sounds of it I may be better placed as a visitor to shows rather than an exhibitor as I doubt my mongrelly chooks are up to much :o

:o :o @ Bramblebooks! Nor try dressing it in a gimp outfit.

I would go for it, salty. (And at Brahmas)

When it comes to the competition, the judges will note the good and bad points, comb and wattle colour, brightness of eye, tidy vent etc. some pointers here

Keep them away from the cock for a few weeks before in case he is 'spirited' and ruins their feathers and back of their neck.

Good luck.

How exciting! I've been showing my silkies for a few years and have had some success at shows.

Joining the local poultry club is a good idea - but you need to get a copy of your breed standard and join the breed club here. Get a subscription to "Fancy Fowl" too.

When I first started I just got some bog standard silkies and bred from them. It's OK but takes ages to get the birds up to standard. If you can buy the absolute best you can afford - the Brahma club will probably have a list of members who want to sell their spare birds. Do not buy any colours that your breed club do not recognise - you won't be able to show them

The standard will be your bible - you're awarded points according to the area of the bird the judge is looking at - so head may be 5% of the marks, shape 20%, colour 10% and so on. For example silkies have to have 5 separated toes, slate/black skin, short legs,ostrich wings, good "tilt", even colour etc etc. You can get disqualified for things like green soles to the feet and horned combs.

Show prep is key and they are plenty of things to think about there but fundamentally no matter how well your bird is prepared unless it is up to standard it won't win.

My DS loves showing his chickens too - they have junior classes at the shows and he was Juvenile Champion at one of the Norfolk shows last year.He loved the rosette!

I've been thinking about things I wish I'd known when I started;

Start with one colour (I didn't) and concentrate on that
Go to shows and ask the judges (when they've finished judging) to show you a good example of the breed and some common faults.
Go to a good breeder and look at their set up. Most breeders will want to talk to you about their birds and how they've achieved their results.
Buy from breeders who have won at National level. You can get the results from the breed club. DO NOT buy from people unless they actually breed the stock themselves.

Most breeders keep the hens and cocks separate except when they are breeding (because of the damage to the plumage). Most breeders breeding stock and showing stock are different. Very successful breeders keep their stock in all year. I don't but their is an impact on the feather quality.

Could go on and on. I'll shut up

Miss BH thank you! Really good advice.

I have just subscribed to Fancy Fowl, and e-mailed the Brahma Club of GB, as per your suggestions.

It sounds as though the best plan would be to sell the chicks I have got (sob) and then buy in some good showing stock. When is the best time to sell young livestock?

My concern is that keeping cockerels will not be popular with the neighbours. We live in a small village in the back of beyond, and our house backs onto fields, but I'm still not sure whether it would be viable. We do have two ginormous sheds that could be given over to breeding if I replaced the rooves with onduline (and soundproofed the cocks' shed with egg boxes :o).

Thank you woad too :) - I'm just about to start reading through the pointers.