Poultry Grand Champions
Growing up, I loved going to the New York State Fair and spending hours and days (literally) in the two-story poultry building. I was mesmerized by the thousands of poultry on display including rare geese, ducks, guinea fowl hens, and fancy pigeons. Champion row was always a surprise: Bantam pullets competed with colorful, showy, mature roosters, or against heavy goose breeds.
Keeping the Birds Organized
In 2023, the Ohio National Poultry Show celebrated its 150th anniversary with an overwhelming 10,000 birds on display. The judges handled the grand-champions competitors by using a sport tournament bracket system.
Those familiar with March Madness and NFL brackets will see a similarity to these poultry show brackets. The tree diagram represents different stages of what each bird has to win to make it to the final round. In the beginning, they’re competing with the same sex, age, and variety. As they progress, their competitors become more and more dissimilar.
Consider an adorable Cochin chicken. They’re under the umbrella of Asiatic breeds, and come in a handful of colors and/or patterns. To find the best white cochin, all cockerels (males under the age of 1 year old) compete. Then all pullets (females under the age of 1 year) are judged against each other. And finally cocks and hens (birds over 1 year old). To calculate the “best” of each age range and color, the American Bantam Association’s (ABA) Bantam Standard or the American Poultry Association’s (APA) Standard of Perfection is referenced. The bird’s shape, feather characteristics, comb, and other attributes are compared to the ideal description laid out in the official books.
After the best white Cochin is determined, the best of the other varieties (for example, black, blue, buff, etc.) present at the show are determined. Once the best Cochin of the entire show is announced, it then competes with the best Asiatic breeds.
Standard chickens are separated into classes based on their breed’s origin. They include the following:
- American Class
- Asiatic Class
- English Class
- Mediterranean Class
- Continental Class
- All Other Standard Breed (A.O.S.B)
Bantam chickens are separated into their class based on physical features:
- Game Bantams
- Single Lean Legged (S.C.C.L.)
- Rose Comb Clean Legged (R.C.C.L.)
- All Other Comb Clean Legged (A.O.C.C.L.)
- Feather Legged (FL)
Waterfowl classes are divided by size:
- Bantam
- Light
- Medium Heavy
Exotics and Unusual Birds
Pigeons are rarely part of the true poultry shows, which include the ABA- and APA-accepted breeds of large fowl: chickens, Bantam chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl. Pigeons, if present at a show, don’t compete with poultry. They have their classes, which include utility, fancy, and flying or homing breeds. The National Pigeon Association compiles and publishes its standard book and hosts an annual Grand National show.
Once Champions are Chosen
Once the champion turkey, standard chicken, Bantam chicken, waterfowl, and guinea fowl have been chosen as the best representatives of their breed and breed class, the winners are then usually moved to the champion row. Once all the class champions have been placed on champion row, the judge or judges then select the most perfect bird of this show in the following classes: large fowl, Bantam, waterfowl, guinea fowl hen, and turkey. The judge then selects the champion and the reserve champion (2nd place).
While a newbie might not have initial success at poultry shows (with 10,000 birds) showing and participating at local shows and fairs is an excellent way to become more involved with the backyard poultry hobby. Individuals can be disqualified for a variety of reasons, including general defects, wry tails, split wings, or twisted feathers. White birds that have a single black feather or even a splash of black, or vice versa, will also get kicked out of the competition.
If you want to get “ahead” of the game, choose varieties approved in either the Bantam Standard or the Standard of Perfection. As an eager teenager, I showed a color of runner duck that wasn’t accepted in the Standard of Perfection. So even though there are a dozen colors of runner ducks available on the market, only eight have been formally accepted. Regardless, I had fun and I hope you do, too. Good luck with your show.
