Q for people who show chickens

[Denise in Florida]

This is my first year owning chickens. (They are a hoot!) I have a black wyandotte hen that is just beautiful. I would like to enter her in our county fair (held in March).

 

Part of me thinks I just need to pack Darcy up and head to the fairgrounds but the part of me that spends way too much time and money on horse shows knows better. :lol:

 

How do I prepare Darcy? Is there special grooming to be done? Is there a chicken version of a coggins? I don't have any paperwork for her, I bought her at a feed store, the pen said 'wyandottes' and she is black. Do I need to prove her breed?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Darcy is a docile friendly hen, she can be picked up and carried around but I have never tried to bathe her or anything? Do I need to?

 

I am hoping for some btdt advice, and this is usually the place.:bigear:

 

Thanks in advance,

Denise

[LibraryLover]

She needs to have her heatlh evaluated and she needs a tag (leg band).

 

And yeah! She might need to be baby-shampoo'd, & blow dryed. She might also need her nails clipped. She should also be very comfortable with you, come to you, eat out of your hand etc.

 

I'd ask the folks at your local feed store for a number. "I want to take one of my chickens to a poultry show. Who do I call?"

 

You can also call the people who are hosting the show. They will have a boatload of info for you.

 

Boys tend to win the awards. :( They are just so much more showy.

Edited February 21, 2011 by LibraryLover

[kiana]

Consult with someone local. Procedures vary quite a bit. Best bet is someone who shows chickens or someone at the county extension office. The fair book often has some details.

 

For our shows (in Wisconsin) we had to have them pullorum tested and then leg banded.

 

You don't need to prove her breed but if she doesn't meet breed standards she will be disqualified. Chickens aren't 'registered' in the same way that mammals are.

 

We bathed ours before the shows. Be aware that:

1) You don't want to scrub her. It'll destroy her feathers.

2) Many soaps will kill the 'shine' which is necessary for a pretty hen. We used pine-sol but I understand they've changed the formulation now.

3) She'll need some time to dry out afterwards.

[Denise in Florida]

Thanks for the information.

 

Yea, I suspected there was more to it. ;)

 

I will call the number in the fair book next week and find out what the health rules are.

 

Then Darcy and I will start experimenting with hairstyles. :lol:

 

Anyone else have info to share? I am open to hear more.

[zaichiki]

Ds won a reserve breed championship for one of his chickens at a 4H show.

 

He did not immerse her in water, but wiped down her feathers with a damp cloth. He also cleaned her legs/feet (these were immersed) and trimmed her nails. She was kept off of the ground for two weeks (in a large rabbit hutch), so much of her natural (free-ranging) dirt had worked its way out and she became accustomed to being confined to a cage.

She was tame and had been handled nearly daily from the first day we had her. You can google Youtube videos of chicken shows to see how your bird will need to be handled (showmanship or just breed competition?).

 

Our state vet comes to the farm to take blood from each show bird for avian flu and salmonella pullorum testing. Each tested bird gets a leg band. Contact the fair/show itself (or read the requirements on their website) to determine what testing you'll need to have done. Here, the above tests need to be done within 12 months of the show.

 

And don't forget that you'll need to keep any bird (that has left your property) completely quarrantined for 4 weeks after the show.

 

Have fuN!

 

ETA: I forgot the q-tips/vaseline! That was fun. hee hee. she got her feet, wattles, comb, and earlobes wiped down with vaseline the morning of the show. Boy, was she a looker after her special spa treatment! Ha!