I ' m a newb to the exhibition poultry world too but I ' ll throw my 2 cents in . By newb I mean I ' ve had an interest in and studied the subject for three or four years give me another decade or two and I might stop calling myself a beginner . I ' ve attended several poultry shows , I ' ve only properly shown a bird in one small show due to personal issues , however I ' m hoping to show more in the future . I think the first big one I ever went to was the 2014 PPBA show , which was an absolute blast and what really got me where I am today . I ' ve still got a lovely Cochin Bantam cockerel I purchased there , among other birds . I find shows on the website poultryshowcentral and then find out which ones are worth going to by word of mouth . Sadly here in California there ' s really only a few big shows , the PPBA being the main event . One of these days I ' m gonna be flying out to Ohio and such to see what the big poultry shows in that part of the country are like . There ' s literally never a bad reason to go to a poultry show . It ' s the only way to get an eye for what a bird should look like and speak to real breeders in person . It ' s not hard just wander the isles , watch for breeders tending to their birds . Try catching their attention maybe ask them something about their birds . Strike up a conversation . Be humble and attentive to their answers . Many breeders are very happy to speak to beginners in the hobby who are eager to learn . If you ' re completely serious about this , you need to purchase a copy of the APA Standard of Perfection . I ' m assuming you live in the US if not find out what your country ' s poultry club is and purchase their Standard . You need to study the first 30 some pages extensively , and the standard of the breeds you ' re interested in extensively . Print out a black silhouette of the breed you ' re interested in and tape it to your fridge . Type the shape and outline is key . Color is important but it does come second . Many people see a bird with nice color and go ooh that ' s a nice bird . You need to kill that mindset , which can be very hard . It can be very difficult to finding true , exhibition quality birds . This is because most breeders who have gotten to the point of having birds who can place in a reasonably large show are going to be very invested in their stock and the breed they work with . They ' re not likely to sell quality birds who are a credit to the breed to anyone but a friend or wellknown poultryperson , lest they be wasted in the hands of someone who isn ' t committed or hasn ' t got a clue what they ' re doing and has no interest in learning . This is another reason why attending poultry shows and respectfully and politely engaging breeders is important . You can slowly work your way into the community and if you are lucky you will be able to find a breeder who has an interest in helping a beginner who seems sincerely and seriously interested in the hobby , and they may help give you a start by selling you a quality pair or trio of birds . I dislike egg too , you ' re not alone . Cochins are a good starting point for learning the husbandry . Shamo are a fantastic breed who require a lot of space and effort to keep . Quality numbers of them are at horrific lows . Keep them to your dreams for now at least regarding exhibition . A few of the backyard style Shamo are fun to have as pets only , but they still require a lot of space and . patience to work with . Seramas , on the other hand , could be a good choice . I ' ve worked closely with them for several years and they are pleasant to keep . They require very little space and feed . The only accepted APA color is White , and it is always recommended that you start with a black or white bird . This is because there are no easy birds to breed or show , only difficult and very difficult . White birds are therefore good because they allow you to focus on type , learn how to judge a bird based largely on type and with color coming secondary , as it should it is nonetheless important even white birds can have color flaws , in the form of foreign color , brassiness due to sun exposure , and of course keeping them clean is a nightmare . Not to mention Seramas are a very popular breed as of late , meaning that it would be just a tiny bit easier to locate a breeder of quality birds willing to sell to a beginner .