Handling question for our judges (or anyone else who has had experience)

My only experience showing has been with dogs and for sure, if the judge couldn't put hands on your dog (shy, or aggressive) you weren't winning nothin'.

I was curious as to the poultry. I am assuming a judge handles the bird and if the bird is all flighty and really not handable, does that 'disqualify' the bird as to a good placement?

And even if it didn't I am assuming judges appreciate having birds that have been handled before and aren't going to flap all over the place as soon as the cage door is opened.

And do all the birds entered have to have a 'band'--where would I get bands to put on the birds?

Cathy

Cathy a wild animal never shows itself well, no matter if it is a dog or a rooster. It depends on the judge and the amount of birds they have to handle in the day. If every second bird is flapping and hard to catch it slows the judging process down and annoys the judge.

So a wild bird can be dq'ed for being wild. But there is a really easy fix to that. Cage train your bird a week or so before the show. Beening in a small cage for a few days works wonders on even the wildest birds. If cage space is an issue, place them in a cage and in a few minutes feed them a treat and then pick them up and let them out. Positive experince = well behaved birds.

Bands on Poultry aren't required. Maybe in a very large show. Bands are a must for pigeons to show as each pigeon is taken out of it's cage to a different area to be judged.

Hope this helps.

Excellent. I was thinking about entering the Vernon show but I haven't 'handled' any of the birds and I figured it wouldn't be good to just show up with the wild bunch.

You helped a bunch, thanks.