Hello! I am a 4H and FFA member in Iowa! I was in fifth grade when I first started showing poultry. And while I did some research I was mostly clueless about what I was walking into! I didn't know what to do when the judge approached me in Showmanship. What was the judge looking for in in a production poultry class? So, will explain a little bit about what my county fair poultry show looked like and what other county fair shows might look like so you are more familiar with the terms and classes at the show. Hopefully you won't be as clueless as I was after you read this article!
Part of my research was learning how to prepare my chicken for show. Here are some tips for washing and preparing your bird that I definitely didn't do!
* Don't be rough when you're washing your chicken. Feathers can be damaged and will have your bird a mess when show time arrives. I like to use a cup and a toothbrush, and maybe a sponge if there's a really tough spot on a white or light colored chicken.
* Always go with the feathers if using a sponge (I don't like using sponges though they're very rough on a bird's feathers.)
* Have all the supplies you need at the washing station or you will have to bring your wet chicken with you to get them!
* Multiples dry towels are good to have on hand.
* Unless you have a really calm chicken, you will get wet.
* It's okay to have a bit of fun! Give you're bird a treat and let her chill after the bath. Some chickens love baths, while others are not so keen on them!
* When you are done look over the bird and make sure you don't forget anything!* Trimming nails might be a process as chickens are very fidgety! So definitely have some corn starch or yarrow on hand( yarrow is a pain-relieving and blood stanching herb.)
My first year in 4H was very hectic because we were trying to have multiple animals there and were completely clueless to how it worked. Luckily with some good help from the fair authorities and a mama who had been through the program once or twice we made it through the process. When we got to the fair with the poultry, they wanted to do Pullorum-Typhoid testing (they stopped this practice a year ago but some other bigger fairs might practice a bigger or different kind of test.) The next day was the show. I have to say that I still was very unsure of how to complete last minute preparations. Especially since there was a lot of older intimidating people who usually, I eventually came to find, dominated the show. These people knew what they were doing! Don't worry about these people. In 4H and FFA you're more than likely going to find someone who wants to help you with your birds and help you learn. And later I found out that these people were very nice and willing to help me with my chickens.
When the show started I was very confused about what class I was in because my mom had ended up registering me. I would go into further detail but some states/counties are different registering and ID'ing animals. This is something to talk to your 4H leader about. He/She should know where to go when registering and ID'ing animals. Anyways, I found out I was in the bantam class. I honestly was so new I had no idea what a bantam even was! Eventually, the judge examined my chicken and I received a blue ribbon. I can't remember much about showmanship except that he asked a few questions about my bird and moved on. I received champion because I was the only person in my class. In a bigger show that won't fly so do you're research before you sign up for Showmanship! Underneath the article is a link about fitting and showing a bird a little bit more in depth.
Here are some tips for Showmaship:
* The atmosphere around you might affect how you're acting. Nerves are good but the judge is looking for a confident Showman who knows how to effectively handle your bird and knows a lot about their bird. If you have shown an animal before than you know that any kind of showmanship will require a confident showman.
* Think clearly. Most judges are very nice, but in just about anything or class that gets judged their's always going to be a judge that might be a little harsh.
* Small details are very important. Check your bird before it's your turn to be judged.
* Have fun! It's really fun to show poultry! A lot of people start showing poultry because it's just a good time with your chickens!
So my first year went by, and it was a good environment for me to learn how to show. The 4H slogan is to learn by doing. If you go to an APA/ABA hosted show you will still most likely be able to find someone who will help you with you're bird, but 4H is always going to have smaller less competitive shows so that's a good place to start.
Some terms to know when you get to the show:
* Coop in and coop out: The process of transporting poultry in and out of the show barn.
* Class: the age and variety group your bird should be placed in. Example: A Black Silkie should be placed in feather legged bantam class.
* Judge: Someone licensed by the American Poultry Association/ American Bantam Association to judge birds by a point system. There are different types of scoring systems.
* Show prep: Fitting and prepping your bird for show. See link.
* There are several abbreviations for the different types of breeds at a show This should help you learn some of them. Also this website in general is a good place to go when looking for shows. https://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Abbreviations.html
* Exhibition Bird: A bird primarily bred for aesthetics, and used only at shows.
* Champion Row: Where the winner of each class compete against each other to see who has the best bird.
Note: Some county fair poultry show's will have a coop in and out time along with the rest of the animals at the fair. At my fair it was just bring your bird in in between this time and this time, and after the fair is over all animals were released at the same time on the last day. Depends on the fair.
* Production poultry: A bird raised primarily for meat or eggs. Judged on it's ability to produce the products.
Here are some other links to articles on BYC that cover show prep:
Part of my research was learning how to prepare my chicken for show. Here are some tips for washing and preparing your bird that I definitely didn't do!
* Don't be rough when you're washing your chicken. Feathers can be damaged and will have your bird a mess when show time arrives. I like to use a cup and a toothbrush, and maybe a sponge if there's a really tough spot on a white or light colored chicken.
* Always go with the feathers if using a sponge (I don't like using sponges though they're very rough on a bird's feathers.)
* Have all the supplies you need at the washing station or you will have to bring your wet chicken with you to get them!
* Multiples dry towels are good to have on hand.
* Unless you have a really calm chicken, you will get wet.
* It's okay to have a bit of fun! Give you're bird a treat and let her chill after the bath. Some chickens love baths, while others are not so keen on them!
* When you are done look over the bird and make sure you don't forget anything!* Trimming nails might be a process as chickens are very fidgety! So definitely have some corn starch or yarrow on hand( yarrow is a pain-relieving and blood stanching herb.)
My first year in 4H was very hectic because we were trying to have multiple animals there and were completely clueless to how it worked. Luckily with some good help from the fair authorities and a mama who had been through the program once or twice we made it through the process. When we got to the fair with the poultry, they wanted to do Pullorum-Typhoid testing (they stopped this practice a year ago but some other bigger fairs might practice a bigger or different kind of test.) The next day was the show. I have to say that I still was very unsure of how to complete last minute preparations. Especially since there was a lot of older intimidating people who usually, I eventually came to find, dominated the show. These people knew what they were doing! Don't worry about these people. In 4H and FFA you're more than likely going to find someone who wants to help you with your birds and help you learn. And later I found out that these people were very nice and willing to help me with my chickens.
When the show started I was very confused about what class I was in because my mom had ended up registering me. I would go into further detail but some states/counties are different registering and ID'ing animals. This is something to talk to your 4H leader about. He/She should know where to go when registering and ID'ing animals. Anyways, I found out I was in the bantam class. I honestly was so new I had no idea what a bantam even was! Eventually, the judge examined my chicken and I received a blue ribbon. I can't remember much about showmanship except that he asked a few questions about my bird and moved on. I received champion because I was the only person in my class. In a bigger show that won't fly so do you're research before you sign up for Showmanship! Underneath the article is a link about fitting and showing a bird a little bit more in depth.
Here are some tips for Showmaship:
* The atmosphere around you might affect how you're acting. Nerves are good but the judge is looking for a confident Showman who knows how to effectively handle your bird and knows a lot about their bird. If you have shown an animal before than you know that any kind of showmanship will require a confident showman.
* Think clearly. Most judges are very nice, but in just about anything or class that gets judged their's always going to be a judge that might be a little harsh.
* Small details are very important. Check your bird before it's your turn to be judged.
* Have fun! It's really fun to show poultry! A lot of people start showing poultry because it's just a good time with your chickens!
So my first year went by, and it was a good environment for me to learn how to show. The 4H slogan is to learn by doing. If you go to an APA/ABA hosted show you will still most likely be able to find someone who will help you with you're bird, but 4H is always going to have smaller less competitive shows so that's a good place to start.
Some terms to know when you get to the show:
* Coop in and coop out: The process of transporting poultry in and out of the show barn.
* Class: the age and variety group your bird should be placed in. Example: A Black Silkie should be placed in feather legged bantam class.
* Judge: Someone licensed by the American Poultry Association/ American Bantam Association to judge birds by a point system. There are different types of scoring systems.
* Show prep: Fitting and prepping your bird for show. See link.
* There are several abbreviations for the different types of breeds at a show This should help you learn some of them. Also this website in general is a good place to go when looking for shows. https://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Abbreviations.html
* Exhibition Bird: A bird primarily bred for aesthetics, and used only at shows.
* Champion Row: Where the winner of each class compete against each other to see who has the best bird.
Note: Some county fair poultry show's will have a coop in and out time along with the rest of the animals at the fair. At my fair it was just bring your bird in in between this time and this time, and after the fair is over all animals were released at the same time on the last day. Depends on the fair.
* Production poultry: A bird raised primarily for meat or eggs. Judged on it's ability to produce the products.
Here are some other links to articles on BYC that cover show prep:
