Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
have a big role overseeing progress and troubleshooting problems, but raising and show-
ing the birds should not become the parents' project.
The primary goal of a 4-H project is to provide an animal-raising opportunity for the
child to gain understanding of many aspects of animal husbandry, learn record-keeping
and communication skills, and develop a sense of responsibility. The goals of FFA pro-
jects are similar, although this organization also focuses members on the business op-
portunities involved in raising animals.
Youths gain far more from 4-H and FFA experiences if they do the work themselves.
Handling ability and body language make it obvious to judges if an exhibitor has spent
time with his or her project. An exhibitor that hesitantly opens the cage door and timidly
reaches toward the bird, obviously afraid to touch it, shows the judge that he or she has
not spent much time with that bird. If after practice, you're still afraid of the chicken or
goose or guinea hen, then you probably should be showing something else. The birds
can sense your fear when you reach toward them and they will respond accordingly. If
you show that you have handled the birds and proceed with confidence, the birds, and
the judge, usually will respond with approval.
APA Shows
If you are an adult, or a young exhibitor that has shown your 4-H birds with some suc-
cess and enjoyment, you might like to attend an APA-sanctioned show. These typically
occur at various times in the fall, winter, and early spring, though it's possible to locate
one at just about any time of year.
CALM IN THE CAGE
You'll do far better at the poultry shows if your birds seem content and are not flying
all over and beating themselves to death on their wire cage at the fair. It can be very
disheartening for a 4-H exhibitor to enter their birds at the fair the night before the
show and come back the next morning, prior to the judge's arrival, only to find blood-
ied birds that have spent most of the night beating themselves against the wire.
If they are accustomed to being in a cage and respond calmly when you reach in
to take them out, it will impress the judge and let him know that you spent some time
handling the birds.
The best way to find out about poultry shows is to regularly peruse a publication
called
The Poultry Press
. This newspaper lists the dates, locations, and contact informa-
tion of every poultry show in the country and publishes the results. If you find a show in
