POULTRY GUIDEBOOK Kent County Youth Fair
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Kent County Youth Fair
POULTRY GUIDEBOOK
Name: _________________________________________
Showmanship Class: Intermediate_____ Senior_____
Years in Poultry Project: _____ Club Name: _____________________________________
Place photo of exhibitor with project here.
Exhibition birds, turkeys and waterfowl are divided into many breeds and varieties. The
American Poultry Association (APA) publishes a book called the American Standard of
Perfection. It breaks down the breeds and varieties and gives important information about
each breed.
Select what you are showing: hen___ pullet___ cock___ cockerel___
What breed do you show? _____________________________________________________________
What does it weigh? ______________
What variety do you have? _____________________________________________________________
What is your breed used for? Meat___ Egg Layer___ Fancy___ Other_________________
Birds are divided into classes. Select your class.
Standard birds are divided by where they originated.
American___ Asiatic___ English___ Mediterranean___
Continental___ All other Standard Breeds___
Bantam breeds are divided by type.
Game Bantams___ Single Comb Clean Legged___ Rose Comb Clean Legged___
All other Comb Clean Legged___ Feather Legged___
Each breed has different traits that are described in the Standard of Perfection.
Can you list some traits that describe your breed?
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The Standard of Perfection also lists disqualifications and defects. A defect is described as anything
short of perfection. Disqualifications are more serious. They disqualify the bird from receiving an
award.
Can you list defects specific to your breed? Do you know some disqualifications for your breed?
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List three egg laying breeds. List three fancy breeds.
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List two duck breeds. List two turkey breeds.
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Ducks are divided into heavy, medium, light and bantam classes. Geese are divided into heavy,
medium, and light classes. There are eight turkey breeds and three guinea fowl breeds.
Find your favorite duck, geese, turkey or guinea breed and do some research on them. List some of
what you have learned.
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Care and maintenance of your flock is essential for healthy birds. How many birds do you have? __________________ What do you feed your birds? __________________________________________________________ How do you house your birds? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ All birds should be treated for parasites several times prior to fair. Please explain the following. What are lice? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Where do you find lice? ____________________________________________________________________________________ How do you treat lice? ____________________________________________________________________________________ What are mites? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Where do you most often find mites on your birds? ____________________________________________________________________________________ How do you treat mites? ____________________________________________________________________________________ It is important to watch for disease. What are some of the signs of a sick bird? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ What are the symptoms of Pullorum? ____________________________________________________________________________________ What is Marek’s disease and how do you treat it? ____________________________________________________________________________________ What would you do if your flock has coccidiosis? ____________________________________________________________________________________
There are a variety of combs unique to different breeds. Single Rose Pea Cushion Strawberry V-shape Walnut Buttercup What comb does your bird have? _________________ There are several types of feather patterns. Select the feather pattern of your showmanship bird. Penciled___ Spangled___ Barred___ Mottled ___ Single Lace___ Solid____ What is molting? ____________________________________________________________________ How can you tell when your bird is molting? ___________________________________________________________________________________ It is important to bring clean birds to fair. How do you clean your birds? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Egg production is an important industry in our area. How many days does it take for eggs to hatch for each species? Chicken: _____ Duck: _____ Turkey: _____ Quail: _____ Muscovy: _____ Guinea Hen: _____ At what percentage level of humidity should an incubator for chicken eggs be? _______ What should the temperature be? ______ How do you tell how many eggs your hen has laid in her life? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Raising meat birds to show at fair is a fun rewarding project however it takes a lot of work.
What should you feed your market birds?
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How many weeks does it take to raise market birds to be ready for market? _________________
How old is a turkey when it is ready for market? ________________________
Name three important things in caring for a market bird project.
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What are the hardest things about owning poultry?
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Summarize your showmanship bird’s good qualities?
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What would you change about your bird to make it better?
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What are your favorite things about poultry?
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What did you learn?
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Thank you for your participation in the Kent County Youth Fair Poultry Department!You can also read
