Any comments about CHB 2012?

Last year's poultry show in Red Deer, the forum had many posts, comments and pictures of the show.
This year's CHB show seems to have come & gone and forgotten???
Noticed there is nothing being said or pictures being posted from those who went.

So??? Does anyone care to comment on how they thought the show went?

I thought the show was good but it wasn't last year's show. That "BUZZ" that surrounded CHB 2011 seemed missing from the 2012 edition.

From the floor, there didn't seem to be as many poultry entries either. It was said that the number of pigeon entries were down due to another show that was held close to this one. It was said that the number of poultry entries was up BUT honestly, it didn't seem like it.

I found the people looking after the feeding and watering of the birds to be much better. Certainly finding a CHB Director or volunteer for help was really good. Especially the Directors on the floor were very helpful in answering questions, especially in regards to judging overall. Still have some confusion.

The quality of birds were better. Breeders, like myself, who started showing hatchery birds are now showing their own bred birds and their efforts show. Bird quality is improved and getting better all the time.

No Bedazzled class this year.

Heard more than few who thought it was strange that Peavy Mart had such a great display set up BUT if you wanted to buy something you couldn't as nothing they brought was for sale at the show.

The driving force that moved last year's show felt missing and it was noticed by many we talked to.

i have to agree TB..i thought the show was not as fun as last year..i couldnt find anyone in the sellers booths..was gonna buy a couple birds but no one was back there,  less birds and less venders and the "hype"wasnt there... a friend of mine went said it was dead on friday when i went sat it wasnt all that busy either... i think the 3 day show it to long personally and wont show birds at a 3 day show, as i cant commit to thursday/friday drop off times with kid, hubby working full time.. anyhow also if i was not on the forums i wouldnt have heard about the show.... my IMO  but i did see some nice birds there! There is my honest opinion

edit to add dont get me wrong the show was good i just didnt get the "fun"feeling it was last year with the bedazzle class, kid show ect, i liked the sheep, pig display that was great and the urban chickens

I have to agree the 3 days becomes a bit long. By Sunday evening I was ready to just put up my feet and veg for the evening. Even for those of us not on the show committee there is alot of preparation and it starts a week or 2 before the show with getting birds separated, washed & ready and coops cleaned. For those that did the organizing and set up on top of all that, it must be a bit gruelling. I was also driving back and forth each day in order to keep up with the chores at home, and then back to the regular job on monday. I think the directors are taking a much needed rest for a day or 2 before being able to post a lot of updates and pictures. I did get a few photos put on the POPWA site, and hope to load up a few here too in the near future.

Overall, I think the show was a big success. It is still only the second year for this, so there is always an opportunity to learn, grow and improve. But I was very impressed with how well-organized this was and the great sponsorship made it that much nicer. Its a real bonus for exhibitors to know that their birds are well cared for and well fed if they couldnt be there each day. We may be getting a bit spoiled with the CHB show because feed is not always supplied at shows! As well, the extra attractions like the petting zoo, rare cattle, sheep, pigs etc and bale maze made it fun for the kids. The Urban hen area was a great new idea. There were some excellent vendors including Northstar Doves, Clayton Botkin, Artists, crafters and Country Thyme with such a beautiful booth. I'm not sure what else could be added to a poultry/rabbit/pigeon show to make it any more fun or appealing for the public or exhibitors.

If I wore a hat, I certainly would tip it to everyone who puts their hard work in into getting everything ready for us exhibitors. No arguement there. They are a fantastic bunch.

I heard talk on the floor about a 3 day show vs. a 2 day show. Just my opinion, I think more people would be in favor of making this a 2 day show. The big issue is having to take the time off work. Not everyone can get the Friday off or knows people who can take their birds in for them. If they have kids, then it's juggling them with school. It's not too bad if you live near the show but if you are far away, the Friday makes it tough as the kids are in school.

I wasnt at this show but I can only imagine the work that went into it and a hats off to everyone that was involved. I heard it was a good show by a few that attended, although they had their concerns as well.
I agree that a 2 day show would be much better, maybe limit the birds people can bring so they are trying to bring their best and not just bringing birds to bring birds. That way the judge would not be so overwhelmed with too many birds to judge, maybe making more time available to discuss the birds with the people showing them so we all have an idea of what the good and bad points of them are and what to work towards.
I think a late Friday or early Saturday check in would be better for people out of town, we would still need to pull our kids from school for one day but less days needed in a hotel, or just get up early and get them there early Saturday morning...

First i want to reiterate I had a good time at the show and I know it was a huge amount of work to put together, that a lot of though went into it and all by volunteers so I have no complaints.

My suggestion would be :

Reduce the show to 2 days. Friday night or very early Saturday morning coop in. Also I think letting out-of-province entries leave early is a bit of an artificial line to draw as if you are from the far south or north of Alberta you have just as far to drive as those from just accross the SK or BC boarder. Maybe officially end Sunday a bit earlier, say 1 or 2 pm, but have that apply to all.

The rabbits not being there Friday were a disappointment to some people as it wasn't communicated. I realize the rabbit show was organized separately but still, the public did not understand that.

I think the judge chosen had a tough time getting through all the birds which meant he had less time to comment or spend any time with individuals after the judging. With Rico and Heather there judges to provide advice were still accessible which was appreciated.

Public traffic through the show was minimal on Friday, somewhat better on Saturday and Sunday. I know some types of advertising are costly but it would be worth evaluating how to get word of the show out to the public.

Last year I think there was a BIG coop card explaining to the public what all the stuff on the cards meant, I think that's a great idea worth having at each show.

Just a few suggestions...no complaints.

I would like everyone to know that the Bedazzled Class and Junior Showmanship both had to be cancelled as there was no entries in either classes.

Also unfortunately the Judge was having some health issues that slowed the judging down. It made it tight for him to get through all the birds in the show.

CHB board is having a meeting to review the show. Feel free to email or pm me any suggestions or comments.

I would like to give a big thank you to the Volunteers who helped out at the show from donating silent auction items or sponsoring a breed award to pushing brooms or feeding and watering birds.

We (CHB) are still struggling in getting more volunteers... It is a lot of work to put on a show of this size and their are tons of costs.
Most of the board and volunteers work full time jobs and have other commitments so we put in a lot of late night hours to try to make an event like this a success...

I know even though it may have been a slightly quieter show than last year, I had more fun this year!

I have a suggestion that I put forth to the CHB board in the past. I still believe it is a good idea.

As there are those who want a 3 day show, and there are those who are unable to do a three day show, I reccomend that the show changes format, especially with the significant cash, advertising and product sponsorship donated by Peavey Mart.

The show should e changed to TWO shows.
Friday would be the first show, with two judges. The one judge would do waterfowl, turkeys etc and some chickens, the other judge would do the remaining Chickens.

Saturday would then have a second show with the judges trading duties.

This way those wishing to show on Friday could show on Friday, and there would be two sets of Masters points available. Those who cannot take the time off work could coop in late friday or early saturday. People could enter one show or the other, or both. One weekend and the opinion of two judges. The building is paid for anyway. Everyone gets what they want. More people can play.

Just a thought.

Very interesting comments and viewpoints. As one of the persons who works in setting up the show and running it, I thank you for the comments. Yes, it is lots of work but with all the volunteers and good board it makes the job easier ever year. I want to thank all the volunteers and the CHB board who hard to make this show happen.

Now as to the suggestion and comments. As to a two day show vs a three day . There are advantages and disadvantages for both. A two day show will be cheaper for the exhibitors who stay in hotels and not having to take a day off work. A two show will probably increase the entries because more exhibitors will show up and can afford it better. The disadvantage is that everything needs to be done on Saturday which means that we will need two judges. The judges will not have time to talk as much to exhibitors. Will like to leave this for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. A judge will normally handle 500 birds in one day for a maximum. I know we had them do more but it is not fair to a judge to more than 500.With entries over 700 would mean two judges. That is an extra cost to CHB, but one less day of hall rental, so that would be about even. The CHB board will considered it and will listen to all the comments and suggestions.

The rabbit show is also something that we will be looking at next year also. I would like to the rabbits put in cages on display like the poultry and pigeons.
As to letting people from out of the province go early Sunday morning is something that is early appreciated by the exhibitors. I certainly like it when I show out of province and can leave early.

As the board gains experiences in putting show on it should get easier for everyone. And soon it will run like clock work.

Again i was fully impressed with CHB efforts and it was another impressive show. I feel guilty for not being able to have helped at all due to time restrictions. Rico's suggestion about cooping the rabbits is the best thing i have heard in a while and have thought about this myself many times.

Piet, what size of coop do your rabbits take?

Arcticsun wrote:
The show should e changed to TWO shows.
Friday would be the first show, with two judges. The one judge would do waterfowl, turkeys etc and some chickens, the other judge would do the remaining Chickens.

Saturday would then have a second show with the judges trading duties.

What a great suggestion, Arctic.
I have read on other forums about double shows and never really saw the point of it. But hearing it explained like this, it does make sense. I'd love hear more opinions - pros and cons - of double shows.

The carriers i use are 12widex12highx 24"long, but is not high enough for them to stand up with ears erect.60cmx60cmx60cm would be good. I am finding out the showcoop sizes for the different rabbit catagories that are standard used in Europe as each and every rabbit show there Is a cooped show and almost always is shared with chickens and other poultry.

I have to agree about cooping the Rabbits
When I judged the 4H rabbit shows years ago
the rabbits were all in there cages the day before the judging and the rabbits were brought to the judging table in order of classes and breed/variety They also had a coop out time just like the poultry
I have to ask how were the rabbits judged there?

You leave them in their carriers and bring them to the judging table when your breed is called.

Schipperkesue wrote:You leave them in their carriers and bring them to the judging table when your breed is called.

Dont know if the question was to me or piet
but if to me it worked this way
The exhibitor would bring the Rabbits to the judges table to be judged and a Stewart would write down what the judge said and the placings in a notebook
Then depending on the entry amount in a breed the top 4 would come back and the judge would tell the steward what the final placements were
when all the rabbits were judged the judge and steward will walk together and place the ribbons and placements on the cages.
Thats how we always did it
Unless it was a oral placement show and then we would have to tell our reasons for the placements
Of course the exhibitor is always allowed to ask why the placements were made as they were and will be able to hear the reasons Hope it is understandable.

Piet as for the Show cages for your breed would a full size poultry show cage be big enough? if they are not split to make 2 cages?
Joe

CHICKENS:
The format I suggest would not see the judges with less time. They would be judging the same number of birds. They would have the same time at the end. The difference would be that people who have to work for a living, or those who do not want to pull thier kids from school to go to a show, or those who need someone at home to take care of kids, would all be able to show on Saturday then.
2 shows in 2 days with 2 judges, 1 show per day.

RABBITS:
Cooping the rabbits in chicken cages sound very atractive. I would be interested in seeing people get the rabbits in and out of the chicken cage doors, unless CHB has cages that were specificly for rabbits of course. From the photos I have seen of Peit's rabbits, I would have thought one would have needed a garage door to pass them through!

Having shown rabbits a few times now, maybe a trial run of the rabbit cooping suggestion would be in order. The rabbit people could lend some rabbits, then Rico and someone could show us how it would work. How to get the big rabbits in and out of the cages, how to catch the little rabbits, how the chicken cages would be attached to the tables so the buns dont push them off, how we keep the buns from peeing on each other etc. I absolutely agree that cooped rabbits would be a very attractive way to present them. It would certainly help fill space too. That is a lot of holes that would be filled! It would be really attractive.
Would rabbits be cooped by breed or by rabbitry?

Hmm, interesting point. I would not want my rabbits cooped beside another Rabbitries for two days. The chances of disease spreading is too great.

Anyway, the show giving club makes that decision, so it would be up to EARS how their show is run.

There could be a rabbit DISPLAY, however, like we had at the Three Old Hens show.

appway wrote:

Schipperkesue wrote:You leave them in their carriers and bring them to the judging table when your breed is called.

Joe

This is how the rabbits were judged this weekend, Joe.

Answering the question about caging rabbits. We did it at Northlands for 25 years that way and it worked well. We had the rabbit bottoms made off of the 1/2 inch by 1 inch welded wire. All the waste would fall thorough into plastic which was wrapped around around the rabbit bottoms to catch all the waste. The public liked it much better because the rabbits were visible to the public. Shannon, getting the rabbits in and out of the cages did not seem to a problem, at least I never was aware of it. The large poultry cages are big enough for even the Flemish Giants. As far as decease spreading from rabbit to rabbit, I can't really comment on that, but it should not be any worse than for the poultry. I really think it would nicer for the public to see rabbits in cages instead of the carrying cages they use.

How would disease spreading be a greater risk then it is now using own carrier?
The rabbits live in the same close proximity and once they are on the table, the judge will juggle them directly together anyway. Once you show you tae a risk, no matter how you look at it. The cooping is far better for promoting the rabbits, because you can actually see what is out there. They can do it at the Europa show in Leipzig with 40.000 rabbits and no health issues there.

I like the idea of the rabbits being cooped. The public would be able to view them better that way. I would think the disease issue would be the same as for cooped poultry.
If there are concerns, I imagine someone could look into it and get information. Best place to start would be the rabbit club themselves to get their view on the matter.

Sebas49 wrote:Answering the question about caging rabbits. We did it at Northlands for 25 years that way and it worked well. We had the rabbit bottoms made off of the 1/2 inch by 1 inch welded wire. All the waste would fall thorough into plastic which was wrapped around around the rabbit bottoms to catch all the waste. The public liked it much better because the rabbits were visible to the public. Shannon, getting the rabbits in and out of the cages did not seem to a problem, at least I never was aware of it. The large poultry cages are big enough for even the Flemish Giants. As far as decease spreading from rabbit to rabbit, I can't really comment on that, but it should not be any worse than for the poultry. I really think it would nicer for the public to see rabbits in cages instead of the carrying cages they use.

Yes Rico That is how the cages were and always have been Guess I should have been clearer on the cages.
also under the cages there was shavings
the bottom of the row of cages was wrapped with black/green Plastic so nobody had to look at the mess.
As for taking them out of the cages it is the responsibility of the exhibitor to get them in and out of the cages as they are taking them to the judging table to be judged.
as for being next to each other I again agree with Rico it is no different than the Poultry next to each other. Have seen some people purchase a extra cages in their row so there are cages between the other peoples rabbits.
SHowing the Rabbits this way is alot more work for club members as they would have to build or purchase Rabbit type cages they would also have to have something that the cages set up on (have seen saw horses Used. plus clean up could be harder.
If it is run right showing rabbits is alot of fun people even take full grooming boxes and grooming tables with them to the shows but that is another subject
Joe

This is a list of all breeds of rabbits and also poultry with in front the minimum amount of centimeters the coops are cubic. Yes the large fowl cages are fine for the Giant breeds.http://www.kleindierplaza.nl/fk/kooienlijst.pdf

The cages, bottoms and sawhorse would all be provided by the CHB club. the rabbit club would rent them from us. We had many of these bottoms build and were in our trailer for years but we removed them lately because they were never used. We could sell them to the rabbit club.