Guest Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Im not a eggspert in showing and have had no experience but form the breeder of the hens i have he said pekins are a easy bird but because they are so common it is hard. Try pekins or something really showy with the feathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Sorry but I am going to disagree with RhysJordan. Actually some of the hardest breeds to show are the birds with more feathers/special feathers for example Pekins and their foot feathering. They need to be kept under cover, in a very dry run with a deep layer of shavings to reduce the risk of the feathers snapping. I would suggest something quite low maintance like a Wyandotte bantam, Sussex bantam or possibly an Orpington bantams. I show Wyandotte banties and all of mine are kept outside the majority of the time, then, 2 months prior to a show they go into a covered run on slabs with shavings down and are washed. They are then kept in there up until the show and this run is kept very clean. They are then washed (if nec.) a week before the show and legs scrubbed etc. Good Luck, if you need any more advice then try dropping Redwing a PM, she's the showing master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 oh gosh yes I forgot about the dirt. Sorry I agree with you. As I said no experience jsut from what i have heard around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 OK my random thoughts on showing Some breeds are more popular than others, Wyandottes, Old English Game, Belgians and Pekins are all popular and competition is fierce - if you love competition then wade right on in, if not and you want a more gentle introduction to showing consider another breed Plain colours are easier to show than patterned birds, black has to be the ultimate colour, white is another good one but takes more preparation, blue is a nice one but harder to get right when breeding so there is a higher amount of hatched birds that are unsuitable Dark birds can fade though so need shaded runs Birds with feathered legs are high maintenance for the hobby show person, the 'footings' (as they are called) need to be complete and unbroken - the thing to remember is that show people will often keep such breeds indoors on shavings and separate from each other - all this requires space and extra work Birds with crests or silkie feathers need extra protection in cold, wet and windy weather so sheltered and roofed runs are preferable for those, birds like Sultans and Polands really need 'indoor' protection in winter (such as a stable or large shed) There are some breeds where colour doesnt matter, Seramas are one of those however with them its all about the body shape so its no trade off really Broken feathers are a no no so at the very least the girls should be kept separate from their cockerel once the breeding season has ended and after they have moulted When planning to show birds you need to hatch them out earlyish in the year, most breeders will have finished hatching bantams in May so the chicks cant go out as early as in the summer - extra room and heat that needs to be found so bear that in mind Once you have chosen your breed do join the breed society (list in the back of Fancy Fowl magazine or on line on the Poultry Club of GB website) the Rare Breed Society covers the breeds that dont have their own society There are some breeds that need help - they arent as well supported as others, some of these are covered by the Rare Breeds Society, some have their own clubs but are undersubscribed - things follow fashion to some extent amongst the casual show person - the latest 'big thing' seems to be Orpingtons for example. You potentially have two decisions here - go for a breed that isnt shown much and hope to gather up the prizes or choose one that is supported but where competition isnt full on I will pm you a link to the best list of shows on the net, find out where your local ones are and go along to observe and gather info. At a show the best in class is decided then the best in group, these go in for the best in show. prizes at shows are normally limited to a prize card, very little prize money is involved but if your bird gets best in its group you may get a trophy or rosette. Sooooooo as for breeds. I'd go for a clean legged bird as my first choice.. Perhaps one of the following.. Rhode Island red New Hampshire Red Australorps Orpingtons German Langshan Plymouth Rock Marsh Daisy If you fancy more of a challenge and can provide for their needs then Polands, Silkies and Frizzles are all good fun breeds, the Silkies sont have clean legs but they dont have the tight feathers of a full on feathery legged breed! This site had pics of each - http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html Whether you decide to go on to breed your own show birds or not may be a decision for next year but whatever you do make sure you get your hands on the very best stock you can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I have no experiance what so ever. But i love Sebrights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Go for the Marsh Daisy's they are stunning birds. The browns are the best colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joza2210 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I totally agree with redwing and tom123 ... I would go for a breed that has not got too tough competition ... But if you have got the time for pekins with there covered and floored run i would have a go with them ... I also think seabrights are a good show birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I also think seabrights are a good show birds Agree totally. are they hard to hatch do you know? a friend of mine is hoping for seabright eggs next year when there a little bit older (fertilized) and she said that i am welcome to hatch some under a broody next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joza2210 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I also think seabrights are a good show birds Agree totally. are they hard to hatch do you know? a friend of mine is hoping for seabright eggs next year when there a little bit older (fertilized) and she said that i am welcome to hatch some under a broody next year! Thats Good ... But i have had mine for around 3 weeks and i haven't seen them mate once ... Dont know why i think sometimes he tries but its just not happening ... I think thats another reason why some eggs are mostly infertile with seabrights because they hardly ever breed ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I also think seabrights are a good show birds Agree totally. are they hard to hatch do you know? a friend of mine is hoping for seabright eggs next year when there a little bit older (fertilized) and she said that i am welcome to hatch some under a broody next year! Thats Good ... But i have had mine for around 3 weeks and i haven't seen them mate once ... Dont know why i think sometimes he tries but its just not happening ... I think thats another reason why some eggs are mostly infertile with seabrights because they hardly ever breed ... Ohh dear. Well i'll have to wait and see. Its two hens running with a cockerel, well there un related chicks at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 The trouble with patterned breeds such as sebrights is that to be sucessful you need to be breeding birds that have no 'smut' this is where you have black specks in the bit thats meant to be gold or silver. Choosing a patterned breed is a gamble you need to make sure yours are spot on. In saying that you will have less competitors so if you end up at a show where they arent competing then you may gather a prize, there isnt much satisfaction in that though Find out the breed standard and points weighting of your chosen breed (birds are marked out of 100) for most patterned birds the points awarded for the actual pattern will be substantial so it needs to be a well marked bird to win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickyhazel Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My friend has Rhode Island Reds and they are really friendly and easy to keep as well as being good show birds and they are a lovely clour - you can get beautiful, gleaming crimson ones and some mahogany cloured ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom123 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Yes Sebrights are very hard to hatch. I have 3 trios and have only been able to hatch 18 birds from 40 ish eggs so far this year. It isn't fertility that is the problem, it's because they are so inbred the developing chicks die for different reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Are seabrights not a flighty bird? I heard they were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 They arent overly flighty but they are small and nimble Any bird will be far easier to handle if you tame them up a bit though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 I think Redwing's advice is spot on. I would add, assuming you don't want to travel far in the early days you should also find out what classes your local poultry club has. These tend to be whatever the membership keeps, plus they sometimes also host a regional show. In other words, there won't be a class at a local show for every breed. You also need to know which colours are standard for your chosen breed because many non-standard colours will never win anything and I think I'm right in saying aren't eligible for top honours (eg BIS) either. I would also go for a plain bird without a crest or feathered legs but remember whites need to be kept out of the sun or they are likely to turn yellow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
