Beginners show bird
- Thread starter Beccle08
- Start date
Caradog
New member
A huge and difficult question to answer! Choose something that is easy to breed. Some breeds require double mating, i.e. seperate pens of birds to breed males and females, there are others where the colours are so complicated that it takes years of careful breeding to get them to perfection. Breeds with feathered legs or crests for example, are very high maintainence as for show these have to be kept indoors on deep shavings with special drinkers to avoid getting their feathers wet. It must be a breed that you find attractive and that is within your capabilities to manage. I think if i was starting showing now from scratch, I wouldn't choose the breeds I now keep - which have just 'happened'! It is impossible to give a straight answer of a breed to a question like this without knowing your situation, however examples of good show birds for beginners would be Sussex, Dutch Bantams, or Orpingtons. These are hardy, easy to manage breeds (from a practical point of view), which will be readily available from numerous sources (as they are reasonably popular breeds) and are beautiful birds which are a great introduction to the joys of poultry showing! I hope this is of some help to you!
Caradog
New member
Yes I show Oxford OEG Large Hard Feather, Pekin True Bantams (Cuckoo colour) and various waterfowl breeds. I kept a number of other breeds for show until recently, but I've been doing GCSE exams this year and trying to keep track of too many breeds was just ridiculous - so I just thinned down to my few favourite breeds. It's quite a good idea not to keep a menagerie of different breeds as especially during the breeding season you can run out of space. Stick to one or two and do them well! 
Try this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exhibition-Poultry-Keeping-David-Scrivener/dp/1861267398/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377238319&sr=1-7&keywords=David+Scrivener
David Scrivener has also written some other good books about various specialist aspects of poultry keeping, which are well worth studying.
David Scrivener has also written some other good books about various specialist aspects of poultry keeping, which are well worth studying.
David Scrivener is a Poultry Show judge and really knows his stuff. If you're still wondering what breed to choose, I recommend his other books, Popular Poultry Breeds and Rare Poultry Breeds, well-written, very informative, and lots of good pictures. If you input his name to the Amazon search box you'll see the full range.
