Frequently Asked Questions About Showing
How do I prepare my bird/s for the show?
Once you have selected the birds that you are going to enter, you need to make sure they are kept clean, healthy and mite/lice free. In the days leading up to the show you will need to bath your bird/s to insure they are clean. Making extra sure you scrub the legs well to remove any dirt from under the scales. Use a towel or hair drier to dry your birds to about 3/4 dry and then let your bird preen itself dry the rest of the way.
What do I do when I get to the show on Penning night?
Penning night is the night before the judging part of the show. (If the show is Friday and Saturday, then penning night will be Thursday). When you arrive at the show the first thing you need to do is make sure you have hold of your penning sheet as it has your pen numbers on it. These pen numbers are where your birds are to be placed. If you have any problems make sure you speak to one of the host club members that will be present.
Many exhibitors use this time to do last minute touch ups on their exhibits. These touch ups include: Oiling the comb, wattles and legs, Trimming the eyebrows, using a silk cloth to gently wipe over the feathers and checking they haven't missed any mismarked feathers.
What do the Judges look for?
Judges are very experienced breeders who have spent a lot of years learning all about poultry. If you talk with any of them, they could probably tell you how they started raising & showing birds.
Part of what they have learned includes memorizing the New Zealand Poultry Standard. The New Zealand Poultry Standard binder/book includes lists of what a perfect bird from each breed should look like. Judges use their experience and what they have learned to compare birds to find which ones are the most perfect and have been well cared for.
Even if you have a 'perfect' bird but bring them dirty, with broken feathers, your 'perfect' bird may not do as well against a 'near perfect' bird who has shiny feathers from good nutrition, clean body from a bath, and is healthy because they took so much more time then you to care for their bird. the judges take all of this into consideration before they assign prizes and awards.
New Zealand Poultry Standard can be purchased at: www.poultrynz.co.nz
Once you have selected the birds that you are going to enter, you need to make sure they are kept clean, healthy and mite/lice free. In the days leading up to the show you will need to bath your bird/s to insure they are clean. Making extra sure you scrub the legs well to remove any dirt from under the scales. Use a towel or hair drier to dry your birds to about 3/4 dry and then let your bird preen itself dry the rest of the way.
What do I do when I get to the show on Penning night?
Penning night is the night before the judging part of the show. (If the show is Friday and Saturday, then penning night will be Thursday). When you arrive at the show the first thing you need to do is make sure you have hold of your penning sheet as it has your pen numbers on it. These pen numbers are where your birds are to be placed. If you have any problems make sure you speak to one of the host club members that will be present.
Many exhibitors use this time to do last minute touch ups on their exhibits. These touch ups include: Oiling the comb, wattles and legs, Trimming the eyebrows, using a silk cloth to gently wipe over the feathers and checking they haven't missed any mismarked feathers.
What do the Judges look for?
Judges are very experienced breeders who have spent a lot of years learning all about poultry. If you talk with any of them, they could probably tell you how they started raising & showing birds.
Part of what they have learned includes memorizing the New Zealand Poultry Standard. The New Zealand Poultry Standard binder/book includes lists of what a perfect bird from each breed should look like. Judges use their experience and what they have learned to compare birds to find which ones are the most perfect and have been well cared for.
Even if you have a 'perfect' bird but bring them dirty, with broken feathers, your 'perfect' bird may not do as well against a 'near perfect' bird who has shiny feathers from good nutrition, clean body from a bath, and is healthy because they took so much more time then you to care for their bird. the judges take all of this into consideration before they assign prizes and awards.
New Zealand Poultry Standard can be purchased at: www.poultrynz.co.nz