Everyone has anticipated something or some event in their life, only to find that reality and their imagination do not match up exactly.  The imagination can be a dangerous thing – it can give one expectations that are unreasonable and nearly impossible to fulfill.  I recently attended my first poultry show in the Vancouver, Washington area (this is about 15 minutes north of Portland, Oregon) and had all sorts of assumptions in my mind of how a large poultry show should be.  Today, on the Urban Chicken Podcast I share my top ten observations of attending a poultry show and discuss where reality and fantasy did not match up.

In UCP episode 027, I interviewed Sher Jennings, the current president of the Pacific Northwest Poultry Association about the group’s upcoming large poultry show.   Hearing Sher discuss the excitement of having over 1,000 chickens (not to mention all of the other types of show poultry) under one roof at the competition, lead me to decide that I needed to attend.  I drove from Boise to Portland, Oregon for the single purpose of attending this double poultry show.

The following list is the top ten things I learned, liked or found surprising at the poultry show.

Number 10:  Youth Competitors Are Very Hardworkers

Number 9: Don’t Look at Me – I’m a Show Chicken

I was surprised that so many of the show chickens did not, in fact, like being on display. Though it was not the majority of the birds, there were many chickens that would purposefully turn their backs to me as I tried to snap photos of them.  I seriously ended up with more pictures of birds’ butts than faces!  One would assume that a show chicken would be used to being shown.

Despite the singularly minded chickens that treated me as though I were an irritating paparazzi – I did get many lovely photos of the birds. Here are some chicken butt photo highlights.  I think it is the equivalent of the celebrity hand in front of the reporter’s camera lens.  (Don’t worry there are more chicken pictures further down the list that aren’t chicken butts.)

Number 8: Chicken Shows are LOUD

It turns out that when you put more than 1,000 chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys into one large room, it gets really loud in there. Chickens are not generally terribly noisy creatures, but when you stuff 1,000+ of them into cages next to one another – they have something to say about it.

 

Number 7: The Other Poultry was as Interesting as the Chickens 

I am a chicken person, ergo I host a chicken podcast.  I have little to no intention to take up the keeping of other poultry, such as ducks, geese, and turkeys.  Yet despite my apparent lack of interest in other poultry, I found these other birds to be fascinating.

Perhaps it is because of my familiarity with chickens that I found the other poultry on display more striking.  I had never seen a crested duck before.  Tom turkeys are absolutely lovely when they are displaying for a nearby hen.

I would strongly encourage any of my audience who happens to attend a poultry show to not skip out on looking at the other types of poultry on display there.  It might feel a bit like cheating on you chickens – but you won’t want to miss out on this two-timing fun!

Number 6: You Know A Lot Less Than You Think You Do About Chickens 

I would consider myself fairly chicken savvy. However, going to a chicken show and talking to breeders about their birds quickly destroyed any pretense I held of being particularly knowledgeable about chickens.  It is a considerable leap from keeping a handful of chickens in your backyard and actually breeding chickens for show quality.

My chicken ignorance became painfully clear during a conversation I was part of (though not really contributing to) with a breeder and a die-hard enthusiast of that particular breed. As these two men discussed the genetics of the birds and how the breeder was able to obtain a certain coloring in his chicken’s neck feathers, I felt pretty ignorant.  I know essentially nothing about breeding chickens and what is required to create a quality show bird.

I did not find it disagreeable being the amateur surrounded by chicken experts – quite the opposite. I found it invigorating to be learning new things about chickens at every turn and with every conversation there.  A chicken show is a great place to learn a lot more about chickens!

Number 5:  It Can Be Difficult to Meet the Breeders Displaying at the Show

Chickens at a chicken show are listed anonymously on their cage tags.  The badges worn by all of the show breeders do not reference what types of birds they are showing. The reason for the anonymity is to ensure fair and impartial judging.

If you are a member of the general public and simply viewing the show – it can prove challenging to meet the breeders.

I found that the breeders were not easily connected to their birds.  I would have loved to have had the opportunity to speak to more of the breeders while looking at their birds – but a chicken show is not organized in a manner to be conducive to that sort of easy, casual connection. Don’t misunderstand me, one could do some inquiring and hunt down a breeder – but it was often a bit of an ordeal to find them.

Number 4: Becoming a Licensed Poultry Judge is Harder Than You Think

If you have never considered what is required to become an A.P.A. (American Poultry Association) or an A.B.A. (American Bantam Association) accredited poultry judge, then you might be surprised by the rigorous licensing procedure.  All A.P.A. and A.B.A. poultry judge candidates must first pass certain prerequisites to begin the licensing process.  First, the applicant must have been a member of the licensing association for a set number of years (usually 3-5 years minimum).  Second, the applicant must have exhibited poultry prior to his application to become a judge for a certain number of years.  Then there is the application fee, which is between $200-300 dollars.

After satisfying the prerequisites, the applicant must then take and pass a lengthy written examination, which he or she must pass with a score of no less than 80%.  Once a candidate passes the written examination, he or she then enters a two year apprenticeship program working with licensed poultry judges.

The qualifications to become an accredited poultry judge are grueling and few people take on the challenge to become licensed.  It is a rare and admirable accomplishment.

Number 3:  Breed Rarity is a Marked Disadvantage At a Poultry Show

I was shocked to discover that rare or endangered breeds do not fair as well as more common breeds at poultry shows.  One breeder explained that if a bird is the only example of that breed in the show, it will likely win best of breed, but will be overlooked for consideration for the Best in Show competition. The reason for these unusual chickens being overlooked and undervalued is that the judge has nothing to compare the singular bird against.  Consequently, it is common for rare bird owners to enter more than one example of the unusual breed in the show.  This tactic gives the judge a set of birds to compare and forces the judge to slow down and really consider the breed in his/her judging.  The more time a judge spends with a particular breed, the more likely he/she might recommend one of that breed’s birds for the Best in Show competition.

Number 2:  New & Exciting Chicken Breeds 

Prior to attending this poultry show, I thought that I was familiar (at least at some level) with all of the chicken breeds out there.  I was quite mistaken.  There are still many rare breeds, heritage breeds and new hybrids that are completely unknown to me.  Discovering some rare chicken breeds on display that were new to me, was an especially delightful part of attending this chicken show.

My favorite new chicken that I found at the show was the Kentucky Speck (or also called the Kentucky Speckle).  These small bantam birds have a body shape similar to the American Game Fowl chickens.  The Kentucky Specks were mottled white with black flecks.  Their legs notable are also speckled, matching their feathers.  The roosters showed some color highlights of red, blue and green in their hackle and saddle feathers.

Here is a photo collection of some of the other handsome chickens on display – though most are not as rare of breed as the Kentucky Speck or the Shamo:

Number 1: No Show at the Chicken Show 

The most unexpected split between my assumptions of what a chicken show would be like and the reality of what a chicken show is, was the surprising fact that there really is no “show” at the chicken show.  WTH?!  That was my reaction too.

Unlike a dog show where the animals are brought out of their cages and displayed with an audience watching the creatures get judged – nobody really watches the judging at a chicken show in the open competition.  Instead, there are several different poultry judges simultaneously working through the mass of birds in their coops.  A poultry show judge (attended by a scribe and an apprentice) simply goes up to the cages of the breed he/she is judging and removes and inspects the birds one at a time.  The individual inspections are quick yet thorough.  The judge then regards all of the birds as a group, looking up and down the row of cages and ranks and rates each bird. In my observation the breeders didn’t appear to even be present during the judging of their birds.

Here is a video I took as an example of the judging that happens at a chicken show:

For the purposes of unbiased judging and efficiency, perhaps this is the best system. However, I cannot say that I was not disappointed.  I thought there would be more show to the chicken show.  Prior to attending the event, I had imagined that all of the birds would be removed from their cages and lined up together on tables by breed and the judging of the birds all together would take place with a captivated audience.

My expectations and assumptions of what a chicken show would be on this point were absolutely wrong – except for the Table Top Seramas (itty, bitty bantam chickens) that were judged out on a table top three at a time.  The Seramas were by far the most interesting to watch getting judged as the strutted around the table top.

CHICKEN NEWS:

• Farm Futures – Poultry Farmer Wins Against EPA – ARTICLE
• EPA – NPDES Info on the EPA website – LINK 
• EPA – The EPA’s Definitions of a Small, Medium, Large CAFOs – CHART
• Hog Farmer – Court Rules in Favor of Chicken Farmer – ARTICLE
• Voice of Agriculture – All the Legal Filings in Alt v. EPA – LINK
• Farm Futures – Ventilation Fans Are Possible Source of Pollution – ARTICLE

MAIN SEGMENT:

• PathFinders Farm – What to Expect At Your First Chicken Show – ARTICLE 
• Indiana Public Media -Entering Glamorous World of Chicken Shows- ARTICLE
• Pacific Northwest Poultry Association Website – LINK

SALLY’S SIDENOTES: 

• UCP’s Contest to win Lauren Scheuer’s book “Once Upon A Flock” – LINK 

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