AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hello I have just started show training by bantam oeg and would like to get hold of a judge’s stick if anyone knows were to buy one can you let me know please. Also how many hours do they need each day in the training pen?

Have a look at bellsouth web site www.bellsouth.com.au

Thanks for that I will have a look

I use a portable radio aerial you can by them from dick smiths and they are perfect and when you finish just collapse it down

What a good idea BoonahBantams I will try that

Mine came from Bellsouth

JUDGING STICK HEAVY DUTY - 900 mm $24.20

I have that one

By all means buy a specific judging stick or use as suggested a radio aerial, just as effective and cheap or free if salvaged from an old portable radio or indoor TV antenna.
However do not train your fowls exclusively to a stick, some judges only move a fowl around with the use of a stick, others by using thier hands while others use both.
It is always helpfull to have your fowls trained to both so they remain calm and showing to advantage whichever method a judge uses.
I have seen fowls trained to hand freak out when a stick is poked at them, or fowls trained to a stick run around the show pen franticly when a judge puts thier hand in.
I myself use a stick to mark the end of the class under consideration by placing it in the last pen in that class, I then handle every fowl, so my hands come into play, I then use my hand to move fowls to lower a wing, raise it's tail or head,turn to face me or to view it side on for final consideration and placement.
When it comes to major awards I again use the stick to move and make final comparisons of birds under consideration for the awards as I have already handled the fowls and formed an opinion of it's overall quality and breed type.
If you have good fowls used to both methods that remain calm and show to advantage you have a far greater chance of success.
It does not matter how good a fowl is if it will not show itself off.
I've heard comments like "mine is the best bird in the class but the judge stuck his hand in the pen and freaked my fowl out", that is not the judges mistake it is the exhibitors for not conditioning the fowl to all possibilities.
There is one final advantage to using an aerial, no one wants to pinch it like they may be tempted to if using an expensive judging stick, and if they do it is cheap and easy to replace.

That is dam good advice oaklands

I just ordered the HD judging stick thanks Attkinson