Brian's Yorkshire Canary Page
Keenan's Canary Clinic - Season 1 - Judging and exhibiting
Exhibiting our canaries is an important side of the hobby for many people.
To succeed on the show bench it is imperative to take matters seriously, both as an exhibitor and as a judge.
Judges are simply experienced fanciers who are asked to give their honest opinion of those birds in front of them, by assessing which in their opinion most closely resemble the ideal model for that particular breed.
The more competitive shows will engage champion specialist breeders as judges, whilst smaller shows may relax these rules.
Exhibitors should always remember that judging canaries is not a paying job – the judges are forgoing their right to exhibit their own birds for the common good, often without charging a fee whilst incurring out of pocket transport and possibly accommodation costs at the same time.
Judging tasks
The judge will check that each exhibit is correctly classified, and will disqualify those which are wrongly entered. He will assess each exhibit in each class before awarding class placements, and will ultimately assess all class winners against each other, before awarding Best in Section and any other prizes on offer. Good judges will set aside time to remain in the show hall after judging to meet the exhibitors, and perhaps explain certain placements.Some shows allow fanciers to oversee proceedings whilst judging is underway. Watching quietly from the wings is the best way of learning how your exhibits have performed, (other than by stewarding!) but moving about constantly, making noises or overloud comments within the judges earshot is completely unacceptable.
Exhibitors viewpoint
From the exhibitors viewpoint, many weeks of preparation precede each show. The birds need to be moulted out and trained in their show cages, which should always be presented in pristine condition. Entries need to be made in advance, and class labels obtained, affixed to each show cage. Fanciers must plan to arrive at the show hall in good time before judging commences, and contact the show secretary if they are unduly delayed. Then the waiting begins, before the show is opened to the public, when you can discuss bird topics with other fanciers, and assess your stock in comparison with other birds at the show.It all adds greatly to our hobby, and whether the show is the first you have ever attended, or merely another in the long line of exhibitions held over the years, most fanciers will admit to a feeling of anticipation, as show time draws near.
Taking wins and losses gracefully is the mark of a true fancier. Canaries are living jewels, and will change in the blink of an eye, so it is only reasonable that they will win one week and lose the next. They may even be placed in a different order two weeks out of two by the same judge, but remember, their condition may have altered, the lighting or atmospherics will have altered, and their competitors will have changed – as may their own behaviour at the crucial moment. Results cannot be taken for granted in the more competitive shows, which is one of the reasons our hobby remains such a draw for established fanciers, both at home and abroad.