Youth Royalty Contest 2008 - American Cavy Breeders Association

ACBA YOUTH ROYALTY
ACBA Youth Royalty Winners
KING
Richard Vaerewyck, Dist 9
QUEEN
Megan Weis, District 1
PRINCE
Jace Fox, District 1
PRINCESS
Devon Bean, District 1
DUCHESS
Hannah Mowry, District 1
COUNTESS
Brynn Price, District 1
YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT
AGE UNDER 9
Noelle Adams, 1st, District 1
Brynn Price, 2nd, District 1
Kelly Rudder, 1st, District 8
Top: Jace Fox, Richard Vaerewyck, Megan Weis, Devon Bean.
Bottom: Hannah Mowry, and Brynn Price.
Overall Youth Achievement Winners
AGE 9-11
Hannah Mowry, 1st, District 1
Courtney Ballard, 2nd, District 1
Cassy Stasik, 1st, District 5
Megan Rudder, 1st, District 8
Hunter McGrath, 2nd, District 8
AGE 12-14
Lydia Weyand, 1st, District 1
Wayne Heath, 2nd, District 1
Devon Bean, District 2
Joanna Thomason, 2nd, Dist 2
AGE 15-18
Jayme Vincent, 1st, District 1
Megan Weis, 2nd, District 1
Amanda Thomason, 1st, Dist 2
Tara McParland, 1st, District 6
Erin McGrath, 1st, District 8
Richard Vaerewyck, 1st, Dist 9
Richard Vaerewyck for age 15-18, Lydia Weyand for Age 12-14, Hannah Mowry for Age 9-11,
and Noelle Adams for Age Under 9.
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 34
YOUTH MANAGEMENT
Youth Management Winners
AGE UNDER 9
Noelle Adams, 1st, District 1
Brynn Price, 2nd, District 1
Kelly Rudder, 1st, District 8
AGE 9-11
Carrie Noland, 1st, District 1
Hannah Mowry,2nd, District 1
Cassy Stasik, 1st, District 5
Megan Rudder, 1st, District 8
Meagan McLaughlin, 2nd, Dist 8
AGE 12-14
Wayne Heath, 1st, District 1
Lydia Weyand, 2nd, District 1
Devon Bean, District 2
Joanna Thomason, 2nd, Dist 2
AGE 15-18
Megan Weis, 1st, District 1
Megan Buxton, 2nd, District 1
Amanda Thomason, 1st, Dist 2
Tara McParland, 1st, District 6
Erin McGrath, 1st, District 8
Richard Vaerewyck, 1st, Dist 9
Top: Lydia Weyand, Wayne Heath, Megan Buxton, Megan Weis, Sheryl Newland (standing on a chair
due to height-challenged). Bottom: Brynn Price, Noelle Adams, Hannah Mowry, and Carrie Noland.
Overall Management Winners
A
C
B
A
ACBA Youth Responses
Youth Achievement and Management responses were published in
the Summer 2006 JACBA issue. It was such a big hit that we are
doing it again. So, what do the 2008 youth members of the ACBA
have to say this? Adults, take notice! These kids are pretty sharp.
Achievement
4. List any cavy related office, committee positions, or
volunteer work you have participated in.
My 4-H club goes to a local nursing home to share our
animals with the elderly and disabled. I like to bring my
cavies. I help our 4-H club set up and take down cages
for our local fair. This past year, I helped to paint the
rabbit and cavy barn for the fair.
– Carrie Nolan, age 11
5. Explain what you do to make others aware of cavies.
Above: Carrie Nolan for Age 912, Devon Bean for age 12-14,
Amanda Thomason for Age 14-18.
Right: Kelly Rudder, Age Under
9.
I make others aware of cavies by helping teach other 4H members how to wrap the coats. I did a presentation
for my Girl Scout troop about cavies. I took cavies to a
meeting and showed them now to wrap and take care of
them. I also taught them how to hold them. I talk with
my friends at recess about cavies.
– Megan Rudder, age 10
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 35
Public Speaking: I do public pr esentations at my local fair and at state
fair. This year mine was about the White Crested cavy. I talked about the
history, the breeding/care, the distribution of points, and the crest. Many
people came and listened to this. People asked me lots of questions
afterwards, and thought it was interesting.
Posters: Also at our county fair , we do a poster contest for the public.
This year mine was on the points of a White Crested cavy. One year I also
did the parts of a cavy in English and in Spanish because many people in
my community only speak Spanish, and they should be able to learn, too.
Science Fairs: My club gets invited to pr esent “exotic animal r oom” at
the local science fair at an elementary school. About 600 people attended
this fair every year, and we are the most popular room! We bring as many
different breeds of cavies as we can find.
T.V. News: Some kids fr om my 4-H club woke up
at 4:00 A.M. and went to a Basin Feed store for Good
Morning Northwest interviews live. I was one of
them. I talked at both 5:00 and 6:00 am about raising
rabbits and cavies.
Friends: I talk to my fr iends about cavies. When
they come to my house, they see all the cages and
usually ask me lots of questions.
– Hannah Mowry, age 11
The pamphlet my cavy group and I are making will probably help spread
cavy awareness. I, personally, talk about my 4-H experiences to my peers,
both inside and outside of school. Every year since I joined in 3rd grade, I
have done at least one project related to my experiences with cavies in 4-H.
Some years, I have even done my 4-H Public Presentation, which is
typically on the subject of cavies, for my classes. A Public Presentation is a
talk that youth give in order to qualify for competition at the State and
County Fair. You are allowed to use posters with information as well.
Public Presentations are a lot of fun, and they are a wonderful experience in
public speaking. Giving public presentations has completely eliminated my
fear of speaking in front of a large crowd. Now I am totally comfortable
standing on a stage or in front of people and giving a talk.
In my Home Economics Class this year, we are learning about
our values. For an assignment, we are supposed to bring in something
that we value and care a lot about. I am bringing in Winona, my
Texel breed guinea pig, because my cavies are some of the most
important things in my life, and I love showing them off and spreading
awareness.
I would love to see more people in my school and
community join 4-H, especially with their guinea pigs! I am very
excited about this opportunity, which will allow me to talk to my peers
about my passion for cavies. Also, every year my 4-H club attends a
community event called the Harvest Fair. It is a large fair with
games, crafts, food, and booths about community
organizations. Each year Hare Raisers has a booth,
and many people stop by and ask us questions about 4
-H. We are always very happy to answer the public's
questions, and we love informing them on the subjects
of 4-H and guinea pigs, among the other club projects.
It is a very fun experience, and it helps our club recruit
many members.
kind of cavy they have by describing them to me. I do
the best I can to help. I go to as many shows that my
parents will let me go to, and I am a member of our
local rabbit/cavy club, Pioneer Cavy Fanciers, along
with the Washington State Rabbit Breeders Association,
ACBA and ARBA. In being a member of these clubs
and associations, my dues each year help spread
information through shows and printed materials about
my project.
– Megan Weis, age 17
As shown through my service positions, I frequently expose my community
to cavies. Throughout the year, I have many opportunities to share my love
for cavies with others. I take advantage of as many of these opportunities
as possible. Working as a Washington County Fair Small Animal Barn
Junior Superintendent is one of my favorite roles because I get to connect
with people of all ages and backgrounds, recruiting new 4-H members and
answering questions about cavy 4-H and cavies in general. Two of my
favorite questions, which are asked by almost all of the preschoolers when I
have my showmanship cavy out are, “What kind of rabbit is it?” and, “How
do you make it sit like that?”
Because I love to work with children, two of my other favorite
ways to share my cavies are taking them to library story times about small
animals (for children to touch and ask questions) and to toddler Halloween
parties (dressed up of course). Although the children
are happy just playing with the cavies and don’t have
any questions besides, “What’s her name?” I have had
many conversations with the parents about cavies and
even set up a few of the families with a new little friend.
I have also taken my cavies to a family
resource fair and an exotic animal expo to increase
awareness about these wonderful animals.
– Jayme Vincent, age 17
6. Describe any cavy activities that you participated in and/
or developed.
I participate in the Rada Rabbits & Cavies 4-H club’s
April seminar. At the seminar we put on a cavy show
and workshops that help people learn more about
cavies. I have helped my friends learn about having
cavies as a pet by letting them help me clean my cavy’s
cage, feed my cavy, hold my cavy, and I answer their
questions.
– Noelle Adams, age 8
– Nicole VanderMeer, age 14
I help at a petting zoo that my 4-H club does every year. I like to bring one
of my cavies to it. I let kids and adults pet the cavies I bring. By doing this
I help other people learn about the breeds of cavies that I and other 4-H
members have. I also like to help kids and their parents that might have
questions about cavies I am holding. I like to go to a Pet Therapy that my 4
-H club does once a month at a senior home. I bring one of my Teddies for
residents to pet and hold. My club also puts on a youth show and seminar
every year, and I help with it. Many people ask me questions about my
club and the cavies I raise at these activities. I wear my club sweatshirt
most everywhere I go. People sometimes stop and ask me about what I do
and how they could get involved. They sometimes ask me if I know what
Miranda Menard, Carrie Nolan and Hannah Mowry giving Youth
Committee Chairs Beth Dudley and Becky O’Hogan a thank-you card.
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 36
7. Explain how you have helped others learn new skills and cavy is getting enough vitamin C. I have a patent application in the process
on the product I developed. If I can sell the product to a major company, it
increased their knowledge of the hobby.
would prevent the death of thousands of cavies from scurvy.
1. I want to continue giving speeches as frequently as possible on the
For the past five years I have been in charge of teaching all Lake County 4proper care and feeding of cavies stressing the importance of vitamin
H cavy children the art of showmanship, animal care, grooming, and just
C and promoting cavies as wonderful pets for responsible pet owners.
about everything regarding cavies. This year I made power point
2. I want to become a judge in 2009.
presentation to teach the 4-H children about all these things. I found it to be
3. I want to get one of my animals to win a Best in Show.
very helpful because I could just e-mail it to all the children and they could
4. I want to win the science fair with “effects of temperature on
look at it a home. Our 4-H books in Lake County are over thirty years old,
embryo development.”
so the power point slides helped to supplement the information. I also have
5. And, of course, I want to win American Cavy Breeders King this
folders of information about the Ohio Cavy Club, The American Cavy
year..
Breeders Association, and the general care of cavies that I give to every
Achieving all my gals will help me get a good job in the future.
new buyer of my cavies and all 4-H members. There is a large group of
twelve younger children, ranging ages from 3 to 14 years old, which started If I work hard now and put lots of effort and money into it, I may get a
to show in Ohio. I have taken it upon myself to help them out as much as I scholarship for my achievements and go on to college and then get a good
can. I have taught the kids how to wrap the long-haired cavies, take of their job afterward. The things I do now will follow me for
the rest of my life, so why not make them good? I work
cavies, show them, and breed them. I have even taken
really hard at what I do in hopes one day I can improve
these children to shows with me. In the past I have
the ACBA with the knowledge I’ve gleaned over the
encouraged people to purchase the book, Standard of
years. I’ve also found that the biggest part of achieving
Perfection. This book has information regarding
a goal is figuring out how to get there. I think the
showing and raising cavies. Last January, I even
successes and setback I’ve had has really taught me how
copied the royalty forms for ACBA and gave them to
to handle every aspect of life.
all the children. I have also sent my past applications
to them as an outline to follow.
– Richard Vaerewyck, age 15.
– Erin McGrath, age 18
1.Keep going through high school.
2.Go to college, and then back into cavies.
8. What goals have you achieved to this point in your cavy
3.Raise my kids to show.
project, and how did you achieve them?
4.Learn eight new diseases.
5.Learn all about Teddies and Teddy Satins.
My first goal was to get a good Texel cavy. My
6.Make an educational cavy game.
second goal was to breed my cavy but it did not work
7.Become a cavy 4-H project leader.
because all my babies died. Then I learned a lesson
I think these goals will help me in the future
that it does not always work when your cavies breed.
by helping future kids learn about cavies, and even
Sometimes they all die. I have bred my cavies again
educating myself a lot more. Cavies have also taught
and hope to have new and alive babies this time.
me responsibility and dedication. They have also taught
– Brynn Price, age 8
me confidence and truly loving something. It will help
me not to give up on anything: school, friends, animals,
9-10. What goals have you set for yourself with regards to anything.
your cavy project? Explain how the achievement of these
– Megan Buxton, age 16
goals will help you in the future.
I would like to be a better wrapper. My goal for
Twinkle is that she will have babies. My goal is to
get another cavy and grow him/her out. My goal is to
show Silkies and Coronets… I will be a better cavy
breeder. I will get money because I will have babies
and I will sell some of them. If I breed good cavies,
they might win Best in Show or Best of Breed.
– Kelly Rudder, age 7
I want to continue showing quality cavies and
breeding… The achievements I have written down
will help me be a judge and teach other kids what I
have learned in the past.
– Cassy Stasik, age 10
My main goal has been and continues to be improving cavy health. There
are several ways to do this. I have been researching and studying vitamin C
in cavy feed for the past three years. The results showed that most grocery
store brand feeds have inadequate vitamin C levels, which causes scurvy
and premature death in most animals in my community. I did a science fair
project last year in which I developed a cage liner that changes color if the
My goals for the coming year are to complete my registrar's license,
continue working my Tan line, and expand my Peruvian and Satin
Peruvian stock through breeding. I am currently awaiting the arrival of my
first Tan to Tan breeding. I have just taken my first BIS with a Peruvian
sow out of my first Peruvian breeding. Within the last week I had my first
successful Satin Peruvian litter with the arrival of a black & white broken
sow. One additional goal I have for the future is to maintain my breeding
program while going off to college. I have cut back on my breedings but
am trying to maintain a level that will continue my line while not over
burdening my parents while I'm at college. I will not be far from home and
intend to continue showing whenever my college schedule permits. I also
plan to make many trips home to visit and take care of my animals.
Obtaining my registrars license will help me to better understand
all of the breeds. I believe it will help me to improve my breeding program
and provide me with the opportunity to help others with theirs. In the past,
I have shown Peruvians & Satin Peruvians that I obtained from other
breeders. My initial reason for showing these was to learn how to coat out
the long haired breeds. I have received many compliments on my
presentations of my long hairs and this has encouraged me to breed my
own. I love my Abyssinians and will never drop that breed but the
Peruvians require me to devote different skills to my breeding and
showing. Breeding requires me to analyze and project what I will get out
of a breeding and will be invaluable skills in college and my chosen career
as a Veterinarian. The Tan program allows me to contribute to the fancy
by expanding the varieties that exhibitors can show. As in the case of my
Peruvian breedings it helps me to analyze & predict what I will get and to
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 37
make choices based on that analysis. Maintaining my program while at
college will require me to be very selective about
We use wide-mouth Lixits, 32 ounce for big cages and
breeding and showing over the next few years. I have
16 ounce for small cages. I like them because they are
made great friends since joining the fancy and do not
easy to clean. We have J feeders you can put the food
want to lose them while in college. I will need to
in from the outside. I don’t like crock feeders because
develop more time management skills to continue
the cavies dump them over.
showing through college and that skill will be
invaluable during college and afterwards when I enter
– Corrinah Schaefer, age 10
the working community.
– Tara McParland, age 18
I have given my cavies water bottles and I like them
because they can’t spill them. The dishes I have for
them have heavy bottoms so they can’t tip them over. I
have found cavies to be very active and they like to
mess around with their dishes.
Management
2. Describe where your animals are located:
outbuilding, yard, garage, basement, house.
barn,
My cavies are in my house. At first, my boar was in
my room with me. Now that I’m trying to breed my
cavies together, I have them in the dining room. I
wanted to get the whole experience with them all the
time. My bedroom is upstairs where I am not always.
Having them down in the dining room, I can see them
all the time. It’s an exciting experience.
– Courtney Ballard, age 11
The cavies are in a 16 foot by 14 foot heated/air conditioned barn. We try
to keep the temperature between 50 and 70 degrees. This is also where we
house our small breed rabbits. There are two doors, on opposite corners of
the building. There is one window on each of the other walls. The
building has a concrete floor covered in violet linoleum. The ceiling is
twelve feet tall with a hole for venting the barn in the summer. The walls
are painted with a water resistant base paint and
covered the heavy tarps. When we steam clean the
cages, the tarps are taken out and cleaned or replaced.
There is a refrigerator in the barn to store teats and
medications. The totes used for the pups that have
been just weaned are in the rabbit/cavy barn.
Animals are being quarantined are in the family room
so we spend more time with them.
– Wayne Heath, age 13
3. Describe the equipment used to feed
and water your cavies and why you prefer
them.
I use a plastic formed dish to feed my cavies. I like it
because they can’t dump it over. I use plastic water
bottles to water my cavies. I like them because my
cavies can’t get their food or bedding into the water.
– Noelle Adams, age 8
We use water bottles attached with little metal
holders. We use water bottles because our cavies
aren’t used to a watering system and we don’t have
one. We use ceramic food bowls. We use them
because the cavies flip over the plastic bowls easily.
We use metal hay racks because the plastic ones aren’t
really sturdy and the metal ones are stronger.
– Courtney Ballard, age 11
4. Describe any other equipment used for
the care of your cavies and why you prefer
them.
Each of my cavies have what we call a chew-thru. It is
a wooden hidey-hole. It is open at both ends. They
chew on the wood to keep their teeth healthy. They butt
and move the chew-thru’s around which keeps their
heads and shoulders strong and solid.
– Meagan McLaughlin, age 9
To keep my cavies cool in summer, I put frozen water bottles and frozen
tiles in the cages. I use them because they keep my cavies cool and my
cavies love them. I have a freezer especially for freezing bottles. As
shelters, I use left-over PVC pipe elbows and tees that have a 3-inch
diameter. I like these because most of the time they are cheaper than
houses from pet stores. I also have a few homemade wood houses witch
the cavies like sitting on top of and inside. Another thing I have for my
cavies is carriers from KW Cages. I have two 8 compartment carriers, two
4 compartment carriers, and one 3 compartment carrier, and one single
compartment carrier. I use these to put my cavies in
while I clean their cages and for going to shows. I have
two cavy ear tag pliers for both large tags and small
tags, but I prefer the small. The large ones tend to get
ripped out easier. I have plastic storage that I use to
keep show supplies like brushes, Q-tips, baby oil to
clean ears and scent gland, rags, Neosporin and bandaids, business cards, and pens.
– Devon Bean, age 13
7. How do you dispose of any waste your cavies generate?
My sister and I clean the show cavies’ cages every other day and breeder
cages twice a week. When we clean the show cavies, we use the pellet
bedding. We pick out the cage and put the soiled pellet bedding in one bag
and the soiled hay in the other. We do the same when cleaning the breeder
cages, but the breeder cages are pine bedding. The soiled pine and pellet
bedding is spread around our flower beds. It has saved
my family a lot of money on mulch and it works great
as a fertilizer. The soiled hay is mixed into a compost
pile in my back yard in the woods. The breeder cage
pans are lines with newspaper. We change the
newspaper every time we clean and it is thrown out in
the trash. The newspaper has helped lessen my
consumption of pine bedding.
– Hunter McGrath, age 11
– Megan Rudder, age 10
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 38
8. Do you take any preventative measures
to ensure a healthy caviary?
I clean their cages every week and cut their nails
every month. I keep my cavies inside so they don’t
get too cold. When I get a new cavy, I keep it
separate from the other animals we have so if it’s sick
it won’t get the rest of my caviary sick.
– Marissa Price, age 10
9. Describe any diseases, illness, or conditions that have
affected your caviary and explain what you
did to control them.
My cavy once had a broken toe. I talked to my cavy 4H leader and she checked it out. She said to check on it
every day to see that the swelling went down. She also
said to keep the cage clean. The swelling did go down
and there wasn’t any more problems with it.
– Allysa Jacobson, age 12
I believe preventative measures are extremely important in maintaining a
healthy caviary. I always sweep and make sure there isn’t a high level of
dust. I clean up spills of liquid so things don’t mold or get all mushy. I
open the garage door for a few minutes to get a good air circulation and
crack the windows in the summer. I bleach the cages every few months
too. I wash water bottles once every 2-3 weeks and clean out food bowls
every week. I make sure not to mix germs of sick
cavies, which I do not have much, knock on wood. I
record the weights of cavies who are more on the
weak side, and also youngsters. I feed my cavies a
dose of Ivermectin either before or after a show to
prevent parasites. I always check my cavies for any
signs of illness.
I have never had a cavy die of poor care or
disease.
– Lydia Weyand, age 13
I check my cavy every day to make sure he is healthy.
I change his cage once a week and clip his nails once
a month. I keep new cavies away from my ones that I
already own to make sure they are not sick at first,
and so my other animals don’t get sick.
My cavies are inside so they don’t get too
cold or hot. Their cage has good ventilation.
– Jace Fox, age 14
10. Describe everything you consider and do when breeding
your cavies.
We have a goal of breeding solid and agouti satins in
silvers and goldens. We breed our satins to satin
carriers. We breed same color to same color. We look
for good characteristics. We consider the animals’
ages, health, and when we last bred them so they don’t
get tired out.
– Meagan McLaughlin, age 9
I would first need to make sure I had a cage big enough for the two to be
together in. I would have to check both the boar and the sow to see if they
are healthy with nothing wrong. I would need to pick out two that would
go with each other. I would put a cavy that had good ears or coronet with a
cavy that had a good body type. It’s important to look
at what each has to offer and to see what would go good
together. With my cavies, I looked at the color pattern
and how much they had. My boar has a lot of black
with a little white. I got a sow that had little color and
lots of white. I hope to see some babies with good color
distribution. When I went to put them together, I gave
them a haircut to make the hair short and less to get
tangled.
– Courtney Ballard, age 11
When I have a sow that is old enough to breed, I will make sure I am
breeding her to a boar whose traits compliment hers, as well as vice versa. I
usually know if they are related, and otherwise I check their pedigrees to
see how inbred their babies will be. I also consider where I will be when
the babies are born – will I be busy? On vacation? Or would it be a good
time? I make sure that breeding this sow will not cause my herd to be
overpopulated, and I will know what to do with the babies, whether I keep
or sell them. I see what colors or breeds I should expect, and I will usually
only breed to improve the breed of the guinea pig. If they have different
breeds in their background, then it wouldn’t be a good pair. What varieties
are in their backgrounds are also important. I should know what to expect.
If the sow has given birth before, I should not breed her for at least two
months, but not wait too long either. Are both guinea pigs in good
condition?
When I put two cavies together to breed, I supervise them for the
first day, at least, to make sure they are not attacking each other. I check up
on the sow often but make sure not to hold her too much, especially later on
in her pregnancy. A few weeks before the sow is due, I separate them and
bring the sow inside so that I can keep a closer eye on her. This also keeps
the temperature steady so that the babies will be born in
an environment not too hot or cold. If I am there when
the babies are born, I help dry them off as long as it
doesn’t freak the sow out. I will also give her apples or
romaine lettuce after they are born to give her energy. I
then clean out the cage. The babies are usually over a
week when they go outside again, but this depends on
the temperature outside.
Little girls Countess Brynn Price and Noelle Adams laughing with that
giant King Richard Vaerewyck.
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 39
– Joanna Thomason, age 14
whether or not the birth was assisted. I recently got a very nice digital scale,
so I now record exact birth weights as well. For the show records I list all the
cavy's basic info, and underneath fill in the date/host club/judge/awards for
each show attended. I keep a copy of the pedigree and the show record in a
plastic sheet protector, and keep the coop cards and legs sandwiched
between the two papers. This has been especially helpful to keep track of
comment cards and legs! This also has helped me see at a
glance which judges prefer what pigs.
I also have general health records I use when
grooming the pigs, that lists the coat/skin condition,
– Ben Derting, age 17
weight, overall condition, and when they were last
treated for parasites. I have started to dabble in genetics
14. Explain your system for keeping records and what as well, I am really interested in them, though most of it
information is kept on each animal.
is still over my head!
Describing everything I think about in breeding a sow
is a hard question because I have more than one breed
and variety. Usually what I do is go by the Standard
of Perfection for each breed and variety. For my
Americans, I go for patching and coloring first, then
body type. For my Abyssinians, I look for rosettes,
then color, and lastly body type. For Peruvians, I look
at fur density and texture to their coat, then color and
body type.
I keep my records in my 4-H record book under project activities and in my
pedigree binder. I keep records of illnesses, breedings, due dates, cost and
income records, pedigrees, show comment cards, and any legs awarded. I
keep my records of illness in my 4-H record book on special animal project
sheets. I keep track of when they get sick, if I given them any medication
for it, and why. I also keep my breeding records, due dates, and litter
information on an animal project sheet. I list the boar and sow, ear number,
when the sow is due, how many pups were born, and if she had any
problems. I have a calendar on the caviary wall. I write on it when I breed
sows, when they are due and when pups are born. I keep records of when I
buy feed, any equipment, and when I sell an animal on cost and income
sheets in my 4-H record book. I write in my record book what type of
equipment, the quantity I bought and the price. I
write down which animals I sell and the amount sold.
I also write in my record book any club activities
related to my projects, so that I can deep track of what
I do throughout the year. I keep all pedigrees in
document covers in my pedigree binder. I keep my
animals’ show comment cards, any legs, and
registrations behind their pedigrees.
– Megan Weis, age 17
I have several different forms that I use. Besides pedigrees, I keep showing
records, breeding records, and general information records. I also have coop
cards that I made by buying a few sets of ID badge covers/clips and printing
the cavy's information on a business card, that way I can clip the information
to each cage, and I can also re-use the badge holders as well. These coop
cards list the cavy's name, breed/variety/sex, colors, ear tag #, date of birth,
and dam/sire. For breeding records, I have a large 3-ring binder that contains
records for every single litter ever born here in chronological order, which
includes photos of the dam/sire/litter (as well as any stillborns), number of
babies born and the sex/breed/variety/color of each baby, as well as a
summary of the pregnancy/birth, anything new I encountered or learned and
– Amanda Thomason, age 18
Royalty
1. If you should win in your age category, how will you
promote this achievement?
I will promote it many different ways. First, I always wear my hat and sash
and tell people all about what I won and how they can win too. I go to fairs
and help give out awards and help at petting zoos. I will give speeches to
schools, Boy Scouts, and fairs promoting cavies. I will make posters and
displays talking about cavies and the benefits of owning and raising them. I
will make sure there are other kids participate in the royalty contests so that
we have a large, competitive group. I will also talk to kids about cavies and
science.
Last year, I was the senior breed ID captain on Pennsylvania’s
teams to the ARBA. We took thirty-two kids to the convention. I was
responsible for Breed ID training for the senior teams, and cavy training for
all the teams. I got a lot of kids interested in cavies. This year I am a cocaptain for everyone and we already have twenty-five
signed up and expect close to forty kids to go. I get to
work with everyone by helping them study and
understand cavies. This is probably the best promotion
possible because it is to a group of really committed kids
who have demonstrated their love for the fancy. If they
can be “hooked” now, they could be cavy fanciers for
life.
– Richard Vaerewyck, age 15
2. What would you like us to know that has not been asked?
I have been involved in cavies for three years. I have
one sow, Juanita, who is due to have a litter this spring.
I have won two Grand Champions, one Reserve
Champion Showmanship, and three Reserve Champions
at the Latah County Fair. I also took Best Intermediate
Showmanship at the Rada Rabbit and Cavy Show.
– Clara Bowman, age 12
Interested in the 2009 ACBA Youth Contests?
Hannah Mowry, Carrie Nolan, Miranda Menard, Noelle Adams and Brynn
Price giving ACBA Secretary-Treasurer James Nielsen a thank-you card.
Each year the ACBA hosts youth contests in Royalty, Achievement, and
Management at the ACBA Specialty Show. For 2009, the Specialty will be
held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (see back cover for more details). ACBA
youth members are encouraged to consider participating. It is always good
to ask questions and plan ahead. Contact Youth Committee chairs Beth
Dudley and Becky O’Hogan for mor e infor mation (contact infor mation
is on page 18, left-hand shaded column, very bottom).
JACBA V12—I3 Summer - 2008 Page 40