Kevin Seward, an award-winning poultry breeder from Eastern Ontario, has always had a profound love of all birds, but his true passion is wild waterfowl, including ducks, geese and swans from all over the world.
No visit to an agricultural fair can be considered complete without a stroll through the poultry tent or hall, where children flock to gawk at birds of all kinds, and exhibitors display their prized stock in the hopes of an award. Here, farmers chat about their birds’ lineage and compare their stock to their neighbours, for better or for worse.
Showing livestock is a big part of Canada’s rural heritage and agricultural fairs have traditionally been the place where breeders go to show off their skills, garnering reputations as raising the best of the best. For poultry breeders, showing is about more than just tradition, it provides them with accreditation that their birds conform to the holy grail of poultry breeding, The American Standard of Perfection.
Created by the American Poultry Association (APA), the oldest livestock organization in North America, The American Standard of Perfection and the Bantam Standard are the criteria upon which all birds are judged.
Unfortunately for breeders, livestock shows appear to be on the decline, and preserving this agricultural tradition means more farmers will need to get involved. Christina Franc, Executive Director for the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (CAFE) explained the decline is definitely a concern for the association.
“What we’re seeing at some of the bigger shows is they’re still doing well for numbers,” Franc said, “Unfortunately, the smaller shows in general are really struggling to bring people in.”
Franc noted CAFE has been looking at options to slow the decline, such as changing the amounts for prizes, changing show times or participating in the points system, in which points are required for participants to advance to larger shows.
Kevin Seward, an award-winning poultry breeder from Eastern Ontario, has been breeding
Kevin Seward owns more than 150 birds of different breeds, specializing in wild breeds. “If it’s not a passion you shouldn’t be in it,” Seward said, “It should be because you enjoy raising birds.” In this photo Seward holds a wheaten ko shamo bantam hen.
heritage breeds of ducks and geese for most of his life. According to Seward, many agricultural fairs are moving to include revenue generating activities rather than shows, a move he finds disappointing.
“If you don’t do it, it dies,” Seward said simply, “A lot of fairs were built around agricultural shows. The dairy cattle show, beef cattle show . . . .it was a thing of pride.”
Seward has been doing his part to keep the tradition alive, by breeding to the standard and competing in shows whenever feasible. Encouraging young people to get involved in breeding and showing is one way to maintain the tradition, and Seward said he has already inducted his two young daughters into the show world.
4-H Canada is known for their livestock projects that teach youth about successful breeding and how it contributes to animal health and longevity, and can be one option for connecting young people with the agricultural world and furthering the showing tradition.
Although Seward noted there can be some frustrating elements to showing birds, overall the show world is dedicated to honouring the breeders who have put the time and effort into producing quality breeds. And those breeders should be recognized; successful breeding to the standard can be challenging, with no guarantee of the result.
“Sometimes if you have a pair of birds that have one grand champion grandparent, they may produce a bird that never places . . . genetics can be a funny thing; it can be very frustrating,” Seward explained.
Exotic species like these Egyptian geese can bring top dollars when they also boast award-winning lineage. According to Seward, a pair of good breeder geese can run between $200 and $500. Wild geese have sold for even higher amounts, ranging from $1,500 and a pair of swans once sold for $5,000 a pair.
Getting started showing
If you’re thinking of getting into the show world there’s no time like the present. To get started, Seward recommends first picking up the Standard of Perfection, and reading it through to learn more about the different breeds and their characteristics. Don’t ignore the first part of the Standard, which contains valuable information on breeding, and is an excellent reference for more than just breed specifics.
Next, pick a breed you are passionate about. In Seward’s case, he has always had a profound love of all birds, but his true passion is wild waterfowl, including ducks, geese and swans from all over the world. Source the best breeding stock you can find and begin your own breeding regimen, documenting everything as you go.
Identify what characteristics you’d like to improve in your flock, and keep your end goal in mind at all times. Not every chick is going to conform to the standard; don’t be afraid to cull any birds which don’t promote the characteristics you are looking for. A good rule of thumb is that for every 100 chicks that are hatched, keep 10 for breeding. For your first show, start small at a local show before moving on to bigger venues.
Seward’s final words of advice: Be patient. It can take years to produce a breed that’s true to the Standard, and has a good chance of placing in a poultry show.
“Be patient. The guy who has a bird on Champion Row didn’t put six months into it,” Seward said.
What to expect from your first show
So you’ve put the time into breeding poultry and think you have a winner to bring to a show? Your first poultry show will be an exciting event, but can also be intimidating; exhibitors treat poultry shows like the serious business it is, and forewarned is forearmed. Read on for information about what to expect from the experience.
- Be prepared for an almost deafening din — shows are notoriously noisy.
- Arrive early to find your section and have time to prepare your bird(s) for show. You’ll find birds are usually placed in rows of raised cages and are grouped by section.
- Groom your birds prior to the show so they will be looking their best. Exhibitors will clean their birds’ legs and feet well to remove any debris or manure, and will sometimes even groom their birds with toothbrushes or combs.
- Consider oiling the combs, wattles, legs and feet of your birds. Some breeders will also pluck off-colour feathers that deviate from the standard, while others consider this practice “cheating.”
- Monitor feed carefully in preparation for a show. You want your birds bright and alert, not overfull and sleepy. Some breeders alter feeding habits to keep wastes more solid, and easier to clean up.
- Review in advance the different criteria on which your bird will be evaluated to ensure you are presenting your bird to the best advantage. Judges evaluate each bird’s appearance for conformity to the standard, but also evaluate for overall condition, health, fitness and more.
- Birds can find the show room stressful; try to keep them calm and handle them gently. Judges will be hands-on with their inspection, and a calm bird is more valued.
For more information, please visit these sites www.canadian-fairs.ca/en/home/, www.poultryshowcentral.com, www.amerpoultryassn.com/
— Amy Hogue