Save your coop cards

[Beth C]

At my first show, someone suggested I save my coop cards, which I do, although I mostly thought of them as souvenirs until I ran into a discrepancy at a recent show. According to the coop card, my bird placed BB but the show report listed a different bird. Have you guys ever had this happen?

[bantamhill]

I always save mine and normally type my own little report for posterity. I have not personally had show report issues, but I experience them all the time as secretary. Most of the time it is because the judge\'s recorder got off a line. :stare:

Michael

[Beth C]

I was glad I kept my cards, and that I also had a picture of my bird taken after judging, with the card still on her cage.

Most of the time it is because the judge\'s recorder got off a line. :stare:

Michael

It\'s easy to see how that could happen, since this is an itty-bitty club putting on a great big (proportionately, anyway) show. It was really impressive to see what a group of 45 people (if their website is accurate) can accomplish!

[Jean]

I have kept all of mine; but how did you get to see the show report?  I have never seen one, except the ABC reports and I think my APA points are off.

I do know that if your name is spelled incorrectly or your business name is used at a show, the computer program that calculates the points won\'t recognize you.

[Beth C]

I didn\'t see it, and wouldn\'t have known if the results hadn\'t been published in our bulletin, showing another bird as the winner. I contacted their club secretary and she checked the clerks tickets and confirmed that they matched what had been reported to the club. I sent her a copy of my coop card, and she\'s going to check into it. There were only 4 Ameraucanas in open, so it doesn\'t hurt me, but it\'s a bit unsettling that, had it not been in the bulletin, I probably wouldn\'t have ever known...

[dixieland]

We spent some time with Mr. Wulff (the father of the woman who is now running poultry press, I want to say his name was Bill, David says that is incorrect) at the Chatahoochee Show last month. He suggested that we take dated pictures of all wins with the bird still in coop, and the coop take easily visable in the pictures.
He said that it was not uncommon for clerks and/or secretaries to make recording errors which could cost points in the long run...So he suggested being very thorough in documentation for every award, and hanging on to the photo and coop tag as well..

That makes sense to us, we followed a similar practice in our years showing dogs..

[Mike Gilbert]

We spent some time with Mr. Wulff (the father of the woman who is now running poultry press, I want to say his name was Bill, David says that is incorrect) at the Chatahoochee Show last month.

His name is Bill, and he is still involved with producing Poultry Press, but it is now in his daughter Jennifer\'s name.   He and his son Dave were the driving forces behind the Indianapolis show last October, and the one four or five years before that.

[Beth C]

He suggested that we take dated pictures of all wins with the bird still in coop, and the coop take easily visable in the pictures.

I actually did, although I wasn\'t thinking about this when I did it, so I sent that photo along with a copy of my card. I\'m going to make a point of doing that in the future, and perhaps snapping a picture of each placing (digital photos have made life so much easier).

But Jean brings up a good point - in this case I knew a mistake was made and where, verifying points are right when you aren\'t sure where a mistake might have happened doesn\'t sound so simple... :stare:

[dixieland]

We spent some time with Mr. Wulff (the father of the woman who is now running poultry press, I want to say his name was Bill, David says that is incorrect) at the Chatahoochee Show last month.

His name is Bill, and he is still involved with producing Poultry Press, but it is now in his daughter Jennifer\'s name.   He and his son Dave were the driving forces behind the Indianapolis show last October, and the one four or five years before that.

He is a consummate Gentleman, and was super helpful and kind to us...We have found so many of you to be that way, and it is SUCH a Blessing!!!!

[grisaboy]

Another reason to save coop cards is to document that you have been showing new varieties like lavender or splash.  If you have five years worth of coop cards that would be pretty good evidence that you have been raising the variety for five years.

Curtis

[Jean]

I\'ve decided that from now on when I go to a show when I check in I will:

1.  Get my entry packet
2.  Ask what kind of APA/ABA Meet it is
3.  Ask how many total entries there are and how many
  a. LF
  b. bantams
  c. geese
  d. turkeys

All this info can easily be jotted down on your entry packet and you can put your coop cards in it when you leave.