Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - Don

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5
16
News and Information / ABC National - New Member drawing
« on: December 03, 2019, 08:06:38 AM »
We have a few days before the show date where the "new member drawing" will be held. So join now to be included in that drawing for the $100 gift card.

We will have a few club items for sale at the show as well as materials/information for your review.  So even if you aren't showing, please stop by the club table and introduce yourself.  We will be happy to answer questions or talk with you about the club and breed.  And feel free to bid on the auction items and have a chance for the raffle items. 

Come on out and enjoy the show.  Look forward to meeting you there......

17
Exhibiting & Promoting / Auction birds for the National
« on: October 26, 2019, 03:21:10 PM »
We have asked for show coops to keep birds near the club tables for the club auction.
These funds will be used to support the 2020 National in the South Central District

Please let us know numbers of bantam or LF so we can set up the cages prior to the show.
Thanks in advance!

18
It's the Nationals / Judges for the Dixie Classic
« on: October 26, 2019, 03:13:23 PM »
Jeff Halbach - WI
Terry Britt - IL
Brian Knox - NH
Tim Clanton - AL
Anthony Ashley - SC
Donald Barger - CA
Dan Castle - CT

We are able to choose a judge for the national meet. 
Anyone have preferences/ thoughts of these listed?

19
Auction items may be bid by email until several days prior to the Show.  And auction will continue up until ABC awards time at the show.

A raffle will also be included during the show which will include items as listed for 1st place thru the number of items.  Raffle items will only be available at and during the show. 

Feel free to bring items for the Auction if you are attending. Items donated and not at the show should include shipping to the winning bidder.  Feel free to contact me if you have questions or want to arrange for someone carry items to the show.   drccash@yahoo.com 

20
Housing, Health & Hatching / Conditioning article - by Ari Katz - PRFC
« on: August 24, 2019, 05:56:29 PM »
This article was published in the Plymouth Rock newsletter and is allowed here by permission by Ari Katz.
Hopefully some may find it useful and it might spur discussions for this topic also.  Sorry, pics did not convert over in this version. ( And I also found an article that Ari did for Martha Stewart earlier this season. )         

A Beginner’s Guide on Conditioning Plymouth Rocks for the Show Season
Ari Katz for the Plymouth Rock Fanciers Association
Summer 2019
Fellow breeders and exhibitors, this time of year it is important to start looking through the birds you hatched in the late winter/early spring to start determining who looks promising and who you want to show. With that being said, I figured I would share some of my practices that have worked well for conditioning birds. Feel free to reach out to me for any specifics or further ideas, questions, etc. I am always open to suggestions and ideas.
June: I like going into June with all of my incubators sterilized, turned off, and put into storage for the summer and fall. I typically hatch about 100-150/year, although every year I tell myself I only want to hatch around 75 – but that is a struggle. I like to have two main hatches: Hatch One (typically hatched in February) and Hatch Two (typically hatched between mid-March and the first week in April). Hatch One serves as my first round of show birds, getting me through the earlier shows (Bath, the October Ohio and Pennsylvania shows, Columbus, and Virginia) whereas Hatch Two serves as my second round of show birds, getting shown from Knoxville to Congress (if I can maintain their condition that long).
In June, I begin looking through Hatch One. Unlike some of my fellow breeders, Brian Lewis comes to mind immediately, I do not separate males and females. Instead, I house them all together where they are given free-range throughout the day in a five-acre field. Although I do not start separating my birds until end of July/beginning of August, I like to start looking at what I have in June.
Middle of July I begin culling extra males. As I said, I do not separate sexes, so it is important that I do not leave males and females together for too long, otherwise females from both hatches will not be viable show birds. After I have auctioned off all cull males, I begin separating Hatch One females. I place females of like breeds and varieties in two pen designs (shown below), depending on what space is available. I house anywhere from two-four females in these pens where I can begin getting them used to being handled. It bothers me when Rocks, or any breed of a docile nature, are shown and are wild or difficult to catch for examination in the show hall, so I like to make sure mine are easy to grab and will not peck while being handled.
Conditioning birds is fairly easy if they are given the right feed and taken care of properly. I am constantly getting calls asking how I remove stains from white birds, the truth is: I don’t. Once white birds have been stained, they typically remain that way until they molt, or you pluck the stained feathers – so always clean white show birds’ pens frequently and be sure to put enough shavings to last until your next cleaning date. If you are like me and house multiple birds together, accidents will inevitably happen, and when they do, I just pluck the feather(s) affected – hopefully these accidents happen 4-8 weeks prior to a show.
 
This is my washroom. I keep Hatch One birds in here until December and Hatch Two birds until end of February. Typically, I only like to house males in this room until the weather prohibits females from being outside, and thus, the room is then used for both males and females. All birds are given sprouted oats as treats that improve feather quality. Birds in here are also get let out three-four times a week, depending on the weather outside. In my opinion, letting your birds out on grass makes a difference in their overall quality. If you can safely let your show birds out to scratch around in some grass and get some sun on their feathers, I recommend it. I either use Keiper Coop’s ‘Goose Cage’ or a Petco brand X-Pen made for dogs to let my birds out.  This is another one of my conditioning pens, although shown here as a breeding pen, this is where I house groups the groups of pullets until the weather prohibits them from being outside.
End of August/Early September the last remaining culls are taken to auction. Now all that remains are about seven or eight Hatch One birds and five or six Hatch Two birds. Now the fun begins. By this time, my Hatch One birds are in condition and ready for their first show. The first show I like to go or send birds to is Bath, NY, the second weekend in September. I wash my birds one week prior to being shown with a Dawn, Tide, and OxiClean Stain Remover concoction, rinse them off, and let them air-dry. After 16 hours, the birds are dry and ready to eat. I feed them a mixture of oats, wheat, cracked corn, and shelled sunflowers from a local feedstore. Any scratch grain will do but avoid feeding your regular feed as it may result in a messy pen and a messy bird. I also clip toenails and beaks at home to avoid any last-minute bleeding or messes in the show hall. One of my biggest mistakes was cutting a White Wyandotte’s toenail two hours before getting judged. I was not paying attention and cut it too short, which resulted in her getting bloody and limping for the weekend – needless to say she did not get looked at.
November: Beginning of November I pull my five or six Hatch Two birds and place them in my remaining available conditioning pens. I repeat the same process with these birds as I did with my Hatch Ones, although these birds go directly into the washroom. As for my Hatch One birds, they have about two or three shows remaining. I will wash them once, the last weekend in October or the first weekend of November and try to keep them clean until the last weekend in November, which is usually the last show for my Hatch One birds. If you need to wash a bird a few days before a show, try to give some flaxseed or other another oily seed to replenish the bird’s feather oil.
December: Although I do not go to many December shows which results in my birds getting December “off,” they still are in conditioning pens and getting handled. Any Hatch One birds that might get shown in the latter half of the show season, get any broken feathers plucked and begin getting reconditioned. Hatch Two birds are treated normally and inspected regularly to catch any broken feathers, “dirty feathers,” or oddly shaped or bent feathers. As a rule of thumb, I pluck all unwanted feathers no later than six weeks before a show. Sometimes they grow in sooner than this, but I like to be safe rather than sorry.
January: The birds know it’s time for them to do their thing one last time. One of my favorite shows is Northeastern Poultry Congress, which falls the second week in January. For those of you who have not been, I urge you to go at least once – even if you do not show any birds. I wash my birds the first weekend in January and feed them scratch grain, as usual. By this time, my Hatch Two birds are looking better than my Hatch Ones, but I usually show a few anyway. Although Maryland’s weather is incredibly capricious, generally, it is bitterly cold in January. The birds are not let out on grass which means they are not getting to scratch around. To supplement this, I keep them under lights for ten hours a day and give them dried mealworms, which can be purchased in a two-pound bags at Home Depot for $7, and week-old sprouted oats – both of which improve feather quality. Two days before I leave for Springfield, Massachusetts, I inspect all the birds to make sure they look healthy and good enough for the show hall. While my show birds are in a heated room two weeks prior to the show, I have occasionally had frostbite issues along with upper respiratory issues. If you are unable to keep your birds in a heated room, I suggest putting bag balm on your birds’ combs to prevent frostbite. Bag balm also can prevent upper respiratory issues.
The Friday I get to a two-day show, I pull my birds out of their carriers and put them in their show cages with an extra handful of shavings I bring from home. I do not bother cleaning my birds as I know they will get dirty overnight. If judging is set to begin at 9:00 A.M. on Saturday, I get to the show hall at 7:30 A.M. and begin the cleanup process. I start by cleaning their legs with baby wipes or a damp cloth followed by putting VetRx on both legs, their comb, and waddles. After I finish cleaning the birds, I put two handfuls of shavings in their show cages and replace their water from the previous day. I bring water from home, to prevent any internal upset, that has been mixed with Vitamin B and C. I will throw some grain to the birds prior to judging, but just enough to prevent them from being lethargic. Once judging has finished, the birds are fed their normal amount and are content. Sunday, we pack-up, go home, and do it all over again.
I hope some of this information was useful or possibly gave one or two of you an idea on how you might want to improve your conditioning process. I am always happy to answer questions or listen to feedback. Afterall, it is only a hobby!

21
It's the Nationals / 2019 National - Dixie Classic, Knoxville TN
« on: August 24, 2019, 02:05:36 PM »
The dates is set and things are coming together for the show in early December. 

We will have space for auction birds hopefully adjacent to the club tables.  Anyone wishing to show birds from the show cages.  We do ask that birds not be removed from the show until the host club releases birds.
Auction items will be grown stock, chicks and eggs for the spring as well as all types of poultry related items. Please drop one of us a note so items may be advertised in advance of the show.  Auction will be email/and on site. Email bids will stop a few days before the show. 
 
Updates will be posted here and please feel free to ask questions or send an email directly.  drccash@yahoo.com

Thanks!  Don

22
There has been discussion about moving forward with this variety in both versions, Large Fowl and Bantam.  It can be a long process with the ABA but especially with the APA. However it is possible if ABA/APA member breeders are interested in getting behind the effort.   

Who is interested in stepping up to take part in this effort for the Breed???  I am sure there will be others that will be along for the fun.  And it will take more than a half dozen folks working and showing together thru the process.  You will not be responsible for the entire effort. There are others out there who will help along with the process as they've learned thru the process with other varieties.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.     

23
Acceptance of new varieties was discussed at the Greenville Oh National meet.
Gordon and Paul mentioned Self Blue Bantams and the Splash variety in both LF and Bantam were discussed.
 "One more thing that was left behind.  A search to see if at least 5 ABC members have bred self blue bantams for at least 5 years and maintained an APA membership, so the recognition process could begin for them.  If the requirements could not be filled, then the vote was to start the recognition process with the large fowl splash."

I will get with Temple, she was doing research on the Bantam SB breeders, when they started, showing and 

My guess is that we will be shy on the SB bantam breeders who have been APA members for five years. At least we can document the start date on APA memberships so we will know how long we will need to wait to start the process for the Application.... and then the Qualifying meets.  It might be advantageous to get the bantams accepted by the ABA at least. They do not currently have the 5yr membership requirement. 

The Splash in both LF and bantam have not been tracked as of yet as far as I know. 

If we can have some good turnouts of larger numbers for All the targeted color classes that meet the APA/ABA number requirements then we can skip the Pre-qualifying meets which Paul had to do for the SB LF. So please get those colors out to the show halls. And it would help if we can coordinate a large showing at the National or one of the other meets.  Paul Smith is coordinating the Final SB Qualifying meet at Columbus this fall. It would be great to have a full showing of the SB bantams there at that show too.

It would be great to have a "champion" for each color to research, prepare the documents and to coordinate/encourage people to show each color.  I know Sarah Meaders has been working on the Splash Wheaten for some time. They were in the waiting game for 5yr breeders/APA members. Maybe someone could provide an update on that variety as well.

24
News and Information / Poultry Place Ad for the club
« on: March 23, 2019, 01:03:36 PM »
I am getting questions about the Ad that we voted to restart at the National.   Can anyone say when this is going to start again?

25
Exhibiting & Promoting / Ameraucana Breeders Club 2019 National Meet
« on: February 23, 2019, 03:25:03 PM »
I hope everyone has noted this show for their calendars for this fall.  I think this could be a great show with a great location in Knoxville TN, the first saturday in Dec.  There is plenty for the family to do near the show hall including a great Zoo, plenty of shopping and other tourist attractions around as well. 

Please feel free to let me or Jeff Vance know if you want to donate items for the auctions or if you have questions in advance or for preparation for the show.      Thanks!    drc

26
Exhibiting & Promoting / South East Meets 2019
« on: February 23, 2019, 03:20:36 PM »
We have a few meets that have been requested and set thus far this year. 

FFF Winston-Salem NC last saturday in March, Dixie Classic Fair Grounds -Dbl show

Forsyth Fowl Fanciers, always Saturday after Thanksgiving, Winston-Salem NC -Dbl show

And don't forget the ABC National, Dixie Classic in Knoxville TN First saturday in December.

27
Exhibiting & Promoting / Regional Meets to augment the National region
« on: December 10, 2018, 04:40:22 PM »
I'm going to try this one more time to try to generate discussion.  I hope we can stay on topic.

"Any chance of holding a National near us folks in the western part of the country? lol"

Cesar asked a question, and it was answered regarding the National rotation.  But it raises a question that has been on my mind for some time. It does seem to feel like some areas are isolated for several years because the rotation takes 5 years to come around to each district.

One of the other Breed clubs has a system where they also have Regional Meets each year. So as example, when the National meet is in the East, they have a Regional Meet in the Western and Middle portions of the country. These meets are not as attended as the National and the awards are much more along the lind of the District type meets. But the point is to give the breeders in those areas a place to gather and promote the breed while they wait for the National to return.  Anyone else have examples from other clubs that they think works well? 

28
Exhibiting & Promoting / National Rotation - Alternate Regions
« on: December 01, 2018, 06:58:28 AM »
"Any chance of holding a National near us folks in the western part of the country? lol"

Cesar asked this question, and it was answered regarding the National rotation.  But it raises a question that has been on my mind for some time. It does seem to feel like some areas are isolated because the rotation takes 5 years to come around to each district.

One of the other Breed clubs has a system where they also have Regional Meets each year. So as example, when the National meet is in the East, they have a Regional Meet in the Western and Middle portions of the country. These meets are not as attended as the National and the awards are much more along the lind of the District type meets. But the point is to give the breeders in those areas a place to gather and promote the breed while they wait for the National to return.  Anyone else have examples from other clubs? 



29
Exhibiting & Promoting / 2019 Ameraucana National
« on: November 14, 2018, 10:10:06 AM »
The South East District has the honor of hosting the National this next year.  Normally we plan to announce this location as early as possible so folks can time their hatches accordingly.  We are also in the process of having the Qualifying meet for the Self Blue LF next year.  This has to take place at an APA District Meet.  We are waiting for those APA directors to place the meets in APA Districts 4 and 12 to see if we can locate the National and combine the two efforts. 

My best guess is hopefully the date will be between mid Nov and mid Dec
We appreciate your patience and will announce this location and date as soon as possible.     

30
Exhibiting & Promoting / Congratulations to all the winners this weekend
« on: November 04, 2018, 08:17:37 AM »
It appears from several messages and postings that several of our members did very well with their AMs in both LF and bantams.  There were at Least 4 shows this weekend, maybe more.  And it seems that the AM numbers were up all around. I hope many had a great time felllowshiping and talking about the breed.  Congrats to all those that had Nice wins, and Thanks to all of those who were able to get out and promote the Breed. 

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5