Friday, November 4, 2011
I attended my first large poultry show this past weekend - the Crossroads Poultry Show in the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. It was a great experience! There were over 10,000 poultry from 40+ states and Canada. Each bird is judged using the Breed Standard for that particular breed - feather coloring, structural correctness, style and balance.
This is how many birds were entered:
1747 Ducks
395 Geese
68 Guineas
42 Turkeys
8024 Chickens
10,276 Total Poultry - with about 20% being Junior exhibitors
This is how many birds were entered:
1747 Ducks
395 Geese
68 Guineas
42 Turkeys
8024 Chickens
10,276 Total Poultry - with about 20% being Junior exhibitors
Half of the Champions Pavilion with Large Dewlap Toulouse in the front.
In the back is the sales area where exhibitors can bring birds they are not showing and sell them during the show.
In the back is the sales area where exhibitors can bring birds they are not showing and sell them during the show.
The Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion.
The cages were double high in the far half of the building because of the number of birds - as each bird gets its own cage.
The cages were double high in the far half of the building because of the number of birds - as each bird gets its own cage.
Along with their volunteers, these are the people that dreamed up and brought this show to fruition - twice! Bill Wulff, daughter Jennifer Wulff-Frank, granddaughter Samantha and son David.
I tried throughout the show to get the whole family together for a picture. I finally had to go with these four as Bill's wife, Joyce, was taking someone to the airport! Always working! This show took a tremendous amount of planning, organization and management and all net proceeds go for youth awards and scholarships. 10,000+ poultry and their caretakers owe the Wulff's a big Thank You. A show edition will be printed up in the January issue of the Wulff's Poultry Press.
I tried throughout the show to get the whole family together for a picture. I finally had to go with these four as Bill's wife, Joyce, was taking someone to the airport! Always working! This show took a tremendous amount of planning, organization and management and all net proceeds go for youth awards and scholarships. 10,000+ poultry and their caretakers owe the Wulff's a big Thank You. A show edition will be printed up in the January issue of the Wulff's Poultry Press.
We had a booth at the show and handed out literature and answered waterfowl questions. We also brought our Waterfowl Sexing video and played that throughout the show. There always seemed to be someone watching it! It was very rewarding meeting many of our customers at the show.
P. Allen Smith and Kathy Hopkins
The Super Grand Champion Bird was Danny Padgett's Male Black Muscovy.
This was judged to be the best bird over all the chickens, geese, turkeys and guineas. It is rare for a waterfowl to be judged the best bird in the show. Congratulations to Danny!
For those of you not familiar with the judging process, if a bird wins in its class (young female Pekin duck for example), it then competes against all other Pekin winners (male and female) to determine the Best of Breed. The Best of Breed then competes against all other Breeds in its Class (Heavy Duck). The Best of Class then competes against all other ducks for Champion Duck. The Champion Duck then competes against the Champion Goose for Champion Waterfowl. The Champion Waterfowl then competes against the best chicken, turkey and guineas for Super Grand Champion Bird.
If you have an interest in showing birds, check with your local county fair and see what they have to offer. Talk to the person in charge of poultry as they usually know of all shows in your area. We also post an extensive list of poultry shows on our website. We have another blog that gives instructions on how to prepare and handle your birds for a poultry show. Time to start a new hobby!
This was judged to be the best bird over all the chickens, geese, turkeys and guineas. It is rare for a waterfowl to be judged the best bird in the show. Congratulations to Danny!
For those of you not familiar with the judging process, if a bird wins in its class (young female Pekin duck for example), it then competes against all other Pekin winners (male and female) to determine the Best of Breed. The Best of Breed then competes against all other Breeds in its Class (Heavy Duck). The Best of Class then competes against all other ducks for Champion Duck. The Champion Duck then competes against the Champion Goose for Champion Waterfowl. The Champion Waterfowl then competes against the best chicken, turkey and guineas for Super Grand Champion Bird.
If you have an interest in showing birds, check with your local county fair and see what they have to offer. Talk to the person in charge of poultry as they usually know of all shows in your area. We also post an extensive list of poultry shows on our website. We have another blog that gives instructions on how to prepare and handle your birds for a poultry show. Time to start a new hobby!
Comments
The American Buff pictured is Madeleine, one of the goslings I ordered from Metzer Farms ordered that spring. She was Best of Breed out of 37. That Crossroads was my first major, and second show ever. She is still with her mate, Edward, and actively breeding, although they've slowed down. It's hard to believe they're 13 this year! They are old and much beloved friends now, enjoying a leisurely retirement. Thank you, Metzer Farms!
Kathy Hopkins, Monday, February 12, 2024