Showing Silkies and Cochins Help please

I am looking for information regards to showing silkies and Standard cochins, My sone(6) wants to enter the shows but I am scared that I enter him with a bird that may be disqualified. Im not sure what they are looking for, but any information would be great, I would feel aweful if he got disqualified
Thanks

Poultry get disqualified for physical reasons occasionally-stubs, wrong comb, wrong colours. Sometimes poultry are disqualified for reasons that are under the control of the owner- diseases, lice, mites. One of the important things is to make sure your poultry is healthy. A chicken moulting may be in good health, but not going to do well at a show. There are some local shows you may want to check out this fall.

Well I don't know a lot about silkies but I did learn today that you will get disqualified if you have clipped their wing(s)! Who knew ... I am such a newbie at times ... makes sense but it truly never occurred to me! BUT you know even if your son's bird did get disqualified, it is always a good learning experience. I saw birds getting disqualified for the following reasons (maybe it will help you/your son)

-legs too short
-duck toes (on a chicken)
-lice
-wrong comb
-genetic defects in the comb (telescoping comb)
-really crooked toes
-vent infections

Now I may get corrected, because as I think of it, I'm not sure if they were totally disqualified or if those were just notes on the tags, but for sure they didn't get any ribbons!
Also it helps to read up on the standard of perfection for what the judges are looking for. I hope this helps a bit!

XOX Monika

Some of my birds get D.Qed every time I show. I know it is different for a 6 year old than a 48 year old women (my age) to be D.Qed. If any of his birds are D.Qed he needs to know that he did a good job of getting his birds ready to show,that his birds are great layers,great pets, and that they get to go home with you when the show is over. If he has fun showing maybe it might be time to look for a better quality bird to add to his flock. If he is entered as a Junior the judge will often be more gentle with their judging.It is important to talk to the judge after about your birds after judging, which will help your son stay excited about showing. As Monika says a standard is very important, I still have my $14 black and white 1998 edition that I look at weekly. If we make a big deal of being D. Qed than it will be a big deal instead of a learning tool. I hope your son shows lots and has a great time. Keep asking questions,we have to judges that are this forum daily and they will help with any questions and I will thrown in my 2 cents

Island Girl wrote:Well I don't know a lot about silkies but I did learn today that you will get disqualified if you have clipped their wing(s)! Who knew ... I am such a newbie at times ... makes sense but it truly never occurred to me! BUT you know even if your son's bird did get disqualified, it is always a good learning experience. I saw birds getting disqualified for the following reasons (maybe it will help you/your son)

-legs too short
-duck toes (on a chicken)
-lice
-wrong comb
-genetic defects in the comb (telescoping comb)
-really crooked toes
-vent infections

Now I may get corrected, because as I think of it, I'm not sure if they were totally disqualified or if those were just notes on the tags, but for sure they didn't get any ribbons!
XOX Monika

You have got to be kidding us. Some people actually brought birds to the show with lice, really crooked toes and vent infections. I am totally shocked. Well, not overly shocked about the crooked toes, maybe the birds had other nice qualities.

But what the dickens, lice and vent infections. Anyone that brings a bird to a show like that should seriously have their hands physically slapped. That is just to be a horrifying thought and totally unacceptable human behaviour. I can't believe that someone would not notice a vent infection, or lice, things that could bring illness to other birds at the show. Humans behaving badly and I take a very hard nose on this kind of stuff.

Sorry for the rant, but I just CANNOT stand this kind of stuff, sigh. That is a side of me that rears its ugly head now and then, smiling.

Rosie C, it is wonderful that you want to eventually go to shows with your Son, so cool. That day will come, you will help him to bring his birds to show the world and you will be armed with knowledge of how to make that little lad do well and feel happy and satisfied. As was mentioned before, there are shows coming up in Armstrong this fall, come to them. There will be ACE members there, and you will get to meet some of us. I still think we need to wear something that signifies who we are, like a purple ribbon in our hair or something, smiling.

I love to hear the comments from my forum friends about how their children have gone to the shows with their critters to show them off, that makes me smile. Children are such a gift, and anything we can do to make them happy, so be it, and so let it be done. Have a beautiful and wonderful day, CynthiaM.

I wish that I could get my youngest Grandson (13) to get into 4H, but he is more into other stuff, but he does love my chickens, smiling, so does his big Brother. Maybe one day they will have an interest in the chicken stuff, when they grow up with children of their own, they will remember me and the antics we have all done with chickens!!

RosieC, I just wanted to add that the judge was awesome. She let me follow her around and listen to what she was saying to her clerk (who kept it all on paper) and then there was another fellow there with her, he is a very experienced judge who explained it all to me. He was not actually doing the judging but a helper. They were so good to me!! There were some other very experienced chicken people there and they let me pick their brains, pulling out the SOP and showing me stuff etc. I wish that everyone could do this. The only rule was that I could not in any way be in her way or ask her any questions etc while she was working. BUT afterwards she was having a question and answer time (I was too tired to stay and I was on information overload.) I did get the opportunity to sit with her as a fair volunteer at lunch and she answered another zillion or so questions I had. lol she was so patient with me. BTW I am going to be 50 next month, think of the advantage your son will have, in his confidence alone, starting so young. Way to go, what a great thing you are doing with him !!

XOX

We had someone show a rooster with lice here. Our chickens from the show were kept in the garden for three weeks after the show. The roosters probably thought it was great to clean up the garden.