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Self-blue Pre-Qualifying Meet at Shawnee, 12-10-16

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HarryS:
That was one reason I was not interested in showing them.  I have had them for 10 years since I have one original strain of LF unrelated to the other breeder that has another strain.  I was not a member of APA for 5 years but if you are right I waisted my money joining the APA for the last 3-4 years.  Was under the impression it had to be the 5 members that needed to show.  Thanks for the insight.

Ernie Haire:
Paul,

We just have to focus on getting all of the requirements completed before requesting a Qualifying Meet. We can take it one step at a time. We have been involved in helping gain APA acceptance of three different Marans varieties.

The Black Coppers had their Qualifying Meet at the show in Newnan, Georgia in January of 2011. Later that same year, the Wheatens were accepted after their Qualifying Meet in Crossroads, Indianna.

We were focusing on Cuckoo Marans in 2013. We had completed all of the 2-2-2-2 shows that were required and thought that we might be ready to request a Qualifying Meet. Many of us met in Newnan, Georgia to bring the Cuckoos together and see where we were. After taking one look at all of the Cuckoos there, we all knew that was going to be a wreck. All of the different Cuckoos from different parts of the country were very different in type and color. We scratched that idea and decided to focus on another variety that had met the 2-2-2-2 requirement.

Later in January or February of 2013we decided to try for a Qualifying Meet for the White Marans. We requested a Qualifying Meet be held later that year at Shawnee for the White Marans. The APA approved it and we began focusing on that show for the Whites. We had a nice line of White Marans here in East Texas so we bred and hatched that spring. We were blessed with good hatches and live rates.

As you know, Shawnee is in December. Due to the weather and not knowing about our friends' traveling conditions from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other northern states. We agreed to tote the load for the Qualifying Meet. Peggy Taylor had sickness in her family and could not go to Shawnee, but she brought her White Marans to me. When my trailer left East Texas, we had 51 White Marans in it. We had a nice mix of pullets, cockerels, hens and cocks in the trailer. Thankfully, there was an exhibitor there from Ohio that brought a trio of White Marans. She and her daughter got their birds cleaned up and helped us clean up 51 White Marans that had been overcrowded on my trailer for 6 hours. Without her and her daughter, we would have never got them all cleaned up. Due to the weather, we had breeders from Pennsylvania and Ohio that were not able to get to Shawnee. There were a few more White Marans from Texas and a pair from Oklahoma. I think that there were 63 White Marans that actually made it to the Qualifying Meet and we judge recommended them for acceptance. The APA approved them in January of 2014 just in time for us to win BV, BB, and Best Continental at the Ft Worth Exposition and Livestock Show with a White Marans pullet.

I am sharing all of this to say that if we have to car-pool to the Qualifying Meet for the Self Blue Ameraucanas, we can make that happen.

Be Blessed,
Ernie Haire

Paul:
  If I understand correctly we will only need 25 self blues at two qualifying meets shown by a minimum of 5 members of the APA. This should make it less difficult than the 50 head at one show.

  Harry, now all of our self blue are descendants of your original start.  They came from Jean Ribbeck and Cindy Aultman who purchased hatching eggs.  All of ours from John have been eliminated.  You have four years head start on us, but we have shared them with a lot of people through out the US.  The three other exhibitors of self blue at the pre-qualifying meet all had purchased self blues from Angela & I in the past.  Ernie they were all very similar in type and color but not condition, as most were removed from breeding pens/cages to be taken to the show to meet the quota.

Ernie Haire:
Paul,

The most upsetting thing about the new APA Requirements is that they did not grandfather anything in that had finished the 2-2-2-2 requirement. Regardless to where breeds and/or varieties were in the process of gaining acceptance, everything started over at step one.

Going from 2-2-2-2 to 4-4-4-4 made it a little more difficult. It will be much easier to get 25 birds to a Qualitying Meet than it was to get 50 there. Even if we have to car pool to the Qualifying Meet, it will be doable.

Be Blessed,
Ernie Haire

Paul:
  I see that as being unfair and the full refund to the breed club should be made.

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