General Rules – Poultry Show
Number Of Entries Per Exhibitor – A 4-H member may enter 4 entries per DIVISION. The exception would be the Pen of Three (the three birds count as one entry)
Identification and Pre-Entry – All poultry exhibits, including showmanship, must be pre-entered on a Poultry Pre-Entry/ID form due at the Extension Office by June 15 to be eligible to exhibit at the County Fair. List on the Pre-Entry form what the breed is and whether the bird is a cockerel, cock, pullet or hen.
A. Health Requirements – Health certificate not required. No additional testing required for Nebraska origin poultry. All poultry for exhibition shall be free of parasites and show no signs of disease during the exhibition. Be prepared for random testing by the State of Nebraska Veterinarian. See General Animal Requirements.
B. Showmanship – Include Showmanship on the Pre- Entry form. Participants may use any bird they choose, so long as it was raised and trained by the 4-H member. Judging showmanship is based on grooming and training of the bird and the appearance and behaviour of the exhibitor. Exhibitors must vocally explain the steps in their routines and the merit of the bird. Showmanship is the skill of the exhibitor in presenting and explaining the bird before the judge. The excellence of the bird is not considered in scoring. The maximum length of showmanship presentations is five minutes. Exhibitors will be timed. One point will be deducted for showmanship presentations when exceeding five minutes. The judge may ask questions of the exhibitor at the close of the routine. Information on Poultry Showmanship (EC 282 Exhibiting 4-H Poultry) is found on our website under the Livestock and Small Animals tab. There also is a list of videos available on the web page. Refer to General Animal Showmanship Rules for more information.
C. Dress Code – Official 4-H attire, suggest a white long sleeve shirt with the chevron or a white long sleeve worn under the green t-shirt to protect your arms. Refer to General Livestock Rules and Regulations.
D. Livestock Quality Assurance (YQCA) It is required that all exhibitors receive YQCA. See General Livestock Rules and Regulations.
E. Breeds – To be eligible for breed exhibition, cockerel, pullet, cock or hen chicken entries must be fair representatives of one of the breeds listed in the American Standards of Perfection or the American Bantam Assoc. Standard of Perfection.
F. Care – All poultry require food and water at all times. The 4-H member or a member of their club is responsible for their care. Clean-up during and after the fair is also the exhibitor’s responsibility. If this rule is neglected, the superintendent has the right to release the 4-H member’s exhibit.
G. Minimum Weights – The minimum weights for exhibition birds will be as stated in The American Standard of Perfection and the Bantam Standard. (This is 3lbs. for females and 4 lbs. for males of light breeds and 4 lbs. for females and 5 lbs. for males in the heavy breed).
H. Broilers & Production Pen – A pen of broilers shall consist of three males or three female birds 6-9 weeks of age. A pen of hybrids, crossbred or purebred birds shall consist of 3 sexually mature females. Egg production females will be judged for production qualities only and need not necessary conform to breed standards. Birds in a pen of three may not be shown individually in other classes.
I. Rules for Bantam & Other Poultry – The rules for standard size chickens apply equally to bantams, waterfowl and turkey where applicable.
J. Presence During Judging – Each 4-H exhibitor MUST be present at the exhibit area during judging. If the participant or a substitute showman approved by the superintendent is not present, the exhibit will not be judged.
Poultry Showmanship
C) G070910 Senior Division – 14 years and older
C) G070920 Intermediate Division – 11 to 13
C) G070930 Junior Division – 8 to 10
Chickens
Purebred/Standard
Large Fowl Classes
C) G071901 American (Jersey Giant; New Hampshire Red; Plymouth Rock; Rhode Island Red; Wyandotte)
C) G071902 Asiatic (Brahmas; Cochin; Langshan)
C) G071903 English (Australorps; Cornish; Dorkings; Orpington; Sussex)
C) G071904 Mediterranean (Buttercup; Leghorn; Minorca)
C) G071905 Continental (Campines; Faverolles; Hamburg; Houdan; Polish)
C) G071906 All Other Breeds (Naked Neck; Game; Sumatra; Araucanas; Ameracanas)
C) G071907 Breeding Trio (1 male and 2 females of the same breed)
Bantams Classes
C) G072901 Game (Modern; Old English)
C) G072902 Single Comb Clean Legged (Andalusian; Dutch; Japanese; Leghorn; New Hampshire; Plymouth Rock; Orpington; Rhode Island Red)
C) G072903 Rose Comb Clean Legged (Leghorn; Rosecomb; Sebright; Wyandotte; Belgian Bearded D’Anver)
C) G072904 All Other Comb Clean Legged (Cornish; Houdan: Polish; Sumatra)
C) G072905 Feather Legged Class (Brahma; Cochin; Frizzle; Silkie; Belgian Bearded D’Uccle; Langshan)
C) G072906 Breeding Trio (1 male and 2 females of the same breed)
Commercial/Production/Hatchery
(Non- standard, production type birds purchased from commercial hatcheries or from Bomgaars, TSC, or other farm stores. Examples of breeds and varieties that would fit into this category-Black or Red Sexlink, Amberlink, Cinnamon Queen, Sapphire Gem, Ameraucana, Easter Egger, Marans, Biefelder, Buff Orpington, Black Australorp, Rhode Island Red, Silver Laced Wyandotte, White and Brown Leghorn, Barred Rock)
C) G070901 Single pullet
C) G070902 Single cockerel
C) G070903 Single hen
C) G070904 Single cock
Pen Of Three – Production Trio
C) G073901 Egg Production Trio – It is recommended that all 3 birds be of the same breed, all layers and uniform in size, currently laying.
Broilers
SF) G078910 Broiler, Individual
SF) G078920 Broilers, Pen of 3 (3 birds of the same sex)
Waterfowl and Turkeys
Duck Classes
C) G074901 Heavy Weight (Muscovy, Pekin, Rouen, Aylesbury)
C) G074902 Medium Weight (Buff, Cayuga, Crested, Swedish)
C) G074903 Light Weight (Campbell, Khaki, Runner, Magpie)
C) G074904 Bantam Duck (Call, East Indie, Mallard, Wood Ducks and Mandarins)
Goose
C) G075901 Geese (all weights) Heavy weight (African, Emden-White, Toulouse): Medium Weight (American Buff, Pilgrim, Saddleback Pomeranian, Sebastopol) Light Weight (Canada, Chinese, Egyptian, Tufted Roman)
Other Poultry Classes
C) G077901 Other Poultry – Turkeys all weights, Pigeons, Guineas, Pheasants, etc.
Eggs
Eggs will be judged on shape, color, and weight uniformity. Please do not refrigerate eggs prior to checking in the eggs.
4-H exhibitors are limited to exhibiting one dozen of either brown, white, or other colored eggs. Clean eggs should be displayed in a standard egg carton. Eggs will be checked in at the same time as poultry and brought home after the public poultry show.
SF) G070015 One dozen white eggs
SF) G070016 One dozen brown eggs
SF) G070017 One dozen other colored eggs