Information For Visitors and New Exhibitors
If you are interested in attending the Northeastern Poultry Congress Show here are some things you should know:
The Show is a two day event. It is held yearly on Saturday and Sunday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday weekend in January. The location is the Mallory Building on the Big E Fairgrounds in West Springfield Ma.
Visitors to the Show are Welcome ! The admission is free, mention the fact that you are attending the Chicken Show at the gate and the parking may be free as well. There is a food vendor and picnic tables right inside the building. There is a bird raffle on both Saturday and Sunday, and a Chinese raffle offering donated items ranging from poultry related collectables and supplies, to fresh baked goods. Rafle tickets can be purchased throughout the weekend. Donations are appreciated and can be dropped off at the show.
Day visitors will not require a show book to attend the show. The information that follows is intended to give the visitor all the knowledge that is necessary to attend the show. Show Booklets, or Show Catalogs as we call them are for people who intend to exhibit birds and include an entry form. They cost a good deal to print and mail, so we ask that people who do not wish to exhibit their poultry please use the on-line catalog for viewing and printing.
First time exhibitors are encouraged to bring their birds to the Northeastern Poultry Congress. If you think you would like to exhibit, then by all means request a show catalog, or print it from the website. Your entry must be received before the stated deadline. You can not enter the day of the show. You must have your birds tested by your State Veterinarian’s Office. You will need to make the appointment to have your birds tested well before the show, as your state inspectors are busy. Once tested you will receive a Pullorum Clean Certificate by mail which is good for one year. Make photo copies of this paperwork and attach them to your entry form. You will need to have your entries in on time (consult your show booklet for the date) this is generally the end of December. Late entry’s will be returned. No one without an entry will be allowed to show birds.
A two day show generally boils down to a day and a half of fun for the visitor. Saturday morning between 8:00 am and 9:00 am is “coop in”. This is the hour before the judging starts when exhibitors put the final polishing touches on their birds. Judging begins around 9:30 and runs until about 4:00p.m. on Saturday. Sunday Morning the doors are open to the public at 8:00. The judges will be busy choosing the Show Champions. After that (around 10:00 am) the final calculations are run in the office. Winners are generally announced at noon. Coop out is the time directly after this in which exhibitors are allowed to remove their birds from the Show Hall and travel back home. All exhibitors are required to leave their birds cooped until they are released by show personnel after the awards presentation. All exhibitors should remove their feed and water cups from cages and pull coop tags when cooping out. The remainder of the day on Sunday is dedicated to clean up. Help is always needed for tear down.
The best day to attend the show is Saturday. In fact Saturday Morning promises the most action with the most exhibitors on hand. If you are looking to make contacts, browse the show, or buy sale birds Saturday is by far the best day. These birds are sold by exhibitors. No outside sales are permitted. That means that only exhibitors will be allowed to sell their birds. All these sale birds have been tested by a State Veterinarian and inspected by a MA. State inspector before entering the show hall.
Northeastern Poultry Congress Show is fortunate to host an all single tiered show which presents the poultry to their best advantage. We have the space to offer wide isles that accommodate large number of visitors and exhibitors. The Mallory building is New England’s premiere exhibitor livestock show hall. It is well lit, and well heated.
The Northeastern Poultry Congress has Classes for Large Fowl, Bantams, Waterfowl, and Turkeys. We generally have around 1500-2000 fowl at the show. Making the Northeastern Poultry Congress Show the biggest show in New England. All our birds are all judged by licensed Judges.
We also have a very nice Junior program. Kids 18 and under can compete with their birds in a special Junior show. Also we offer a Junior Showmanship competition, a Junior Judging contest, and a skill-a-thon contest. In 2006 we had the biggest Junior show ever in New England. We attract lots of families to the Northeastern Poultry Congress, a fact that we are quite proud of. The keeping of exhibition fowl is a great family pass time.
One question we get asked is “can I watch the judging”? The answer is yes; but: We ask that you watch the judging from one isle over or with a respectful distance of about 12 -15 feet away. Questions are not allowed of the judge until his or her work is done. That means after the judges have picked Champions on Sunday. If you have questions about how the judging is working ask the person next to you who is watching to explain it to you. If you are just browsing the aisles, please be aware of where a judge may be working and keep a respectful distance.
Beginners to exhibition Poultry frequently come to the show to learn more about the hobby. A prudent newcomer will walk up and down the isles and look the birds over. They will note which breeds interest them. Then, it’s question time. A beginner needs to know facts about the breed he or she is interested in. All breeds of fowl have good points and bad points.
Before choosing a breed you need to find out what your local zoning laws require. If you are fortunate to have the necessary land, then you should start asking yourself these questions: What type of housing does the breed I like need? For example white birds are going to require very clean conditions. Can you keep them on fresh grass? Breeds with feathers on their feet require a lot of clean shavings. Are you able to afford buying shavings, do you have the time to frequently change them?
Another important point is the personality of the birds. Some breeds are vigorous, strong, and sometimes flighty. Others are sweet, gentle and perhaps demanding. Different people like different type birds. Find out what personality the birds you like have.
Exhibition birds will need to be tame to some degree. They must be comfortable in a show cage for the weekend. All birds in the show hall who act calm in a show cage have been “cage trained”. This means some exhibitor has spent time teaching that bird that cages are not bad or scary. If a bird flaps wildly to escape when the judge reaches in to remove it, that bird most likely will not show well.
Another very important question to ask yourself is how much space do I really have? If you only have a small amount of space you will behoove yourself by raising Bantams. Sticking with one breed will also help in maximizing your space.
If you’re considering Waterfowl you must be conscience of their specific needs. Ducks are very specific needs. How are you going to handle that in the Winter?
Cleanliness is of utmost importance if you are going to win with exhibition poultry. You and your birds will be miserable if your initial choices are not well thought out.
If you think that exhibition poultry is for you than you will need to acquire show quality breeding stock. “Show quality breeding stock” are birds that come with as few faults as possible. It’s much easier to make a good start with birds purchased from a reputable breeder/exhibitor.
Both the American Bantam Association and the American Poultry Association have books called the Standard of Perfection. These books include a detailed standard for each breed. Every aspect of the chicken is assigned points. The bird with the best features will have the largest number of points. These books are an important reference to all exhibitors of poultry, new and old alike.
A new exhibitor should consider purchasing one of these books to use as a guide when acquiring new stock. You will need to know, for example, that lack of a spur on a Modern Game Cock is a default. A trait such as this is carried on in a line and is very undesirable.
Now you have done your reading, and you have figured out which breed is for you, how do you find “good quality stock”? The best way to start with good birds is to find a reputable breeder. This is a person who wants to see you do well and will not send you home with birds that are of pet quality. They are men and woman who are dedicated to the breed or breeds they work with. Ask around. If you are looking for good Brahmas, ask at the show who has the best of the breeds you are interested in.
When you arrive at the show go to the office and ask for an exhibitors list. The numbers on the show coops correspond with the name of the exhibitor on the list. This is a guide that will help you find a breeder you may be looking for. In general everyone is very friendly and happy to help you find the person you are looking for.
Acquiring show quality breeding stock takes time patience, and research. It is unlikely that you will simply attend your first show and come home with a trio of birds that will give you winning results for years to come. You need to know that the birds you purchased to breed from contain as few faults as possible. Then you will need to raise your young to see what that breeding produced. The best advice is simply to purchase the best quality birds that you can to start with. You may have to wait a bit to get those birds.
It is also very helpful to have a mentor. A person who can help you see the nuances of the breed. This person will help you to see things you never saw even though you have been looking. They will help you with your other poultry related questions. A good mentor is a great thing.
There will be many pet quality birds as well as show quality birds for sale. The best birds usually sell out first. Birds generally sell between 5.00 dollars and 50.00 dollars each. Avoid buying birds that may be dirty, or over crowded. All sale birds should have food and water available.
What about rare breeds? Buttercups, Lakenvelders, White Faced Black Spanish, and Delaware are considered rare breeds just to name a few. Similar to breeds of dogs, breeds of chickens go in and out of fashion. When was the last time you saw a Gordon Setter for example. There are both good reasons and bad reasons for getting involved in a breed that is considered Rare. If you are planning on showing you will probably not have any competition if your breed is Dorkings. You may be the only lonely exhibitor of Dorkings. If you’re a good salesman you can attract others to the breed and get a following. Then you would have a group to compete with. However in reality it is quite difficult to do so. Just ask the Dominque people. Loneliness aside, it is nice to work with a breed that may be threatened with extinction. You could be one of the few people in the country working with this breed. In essence being a savior of that breed.
On the other hand a beginner may want to avoid choosing a breed where the competition is fierce. Choosing Black Old English as your first breed would be quite difficult for example, with perhaps 50 to 100 being shown in that variety. A new person may want to consider a breed that has just a medium amount of competition. Breeds such as Hamburgs, Cornish, Japanese, Polish, and Sumatra’s are good examples of a less difficult breed to compete in.
Well, we hope that we have answered your questions and helped you with your future in chickens. If you have any additional questions please feel free to email us
