If Not For Dirty Legs......

Yesterday we took 22 birds to our local poultry show which ironically was held 50km away. The shed that has been our venue at the local showgrounds has been deemed unsafe and is therefore condemned so the boys sent an SOS to a club down the road and they happily accommodated us. The show was a Wyandotte Feature Show - and Gibbo has wyandottes! He had a very successful day, winning Champion Large Wyandotte/Reserve Champion Wyandotte of Show (with a hen) and Reserve Champion Bantam Wyandotte (with another hen) - and the judge said in his summing up at the presentations that if the owner of the bantam Reserve bird had taken a bit more time and cleaned the legs of the bird it would have won Champion! He also won quite a few firsts and seconds in the large and bantam rooster and cockerel classes (but the females beat them for overall breed winners. You Go Girls!!).

Here's where we do (minimal) preparation pre-show - vaseline on legs, combs and wattles; smoothing feathers and cutting toenails (and spurs if necessary). Then I am tasked with the very important job of taking the birds into the shed and putting them into the CORRECT pens. One of us tends to stuff that part up because he forgets the pen number between car and shed or he swaps the digits around once inside!

I think she was wondering what was going on?

Some of the boys.

Champion Large Wyandotte (hen) and Reserve Champion Wyandotte of Show (2nd Overall).

Reserve Champion Bantam Wyandotte of Show - she of the dirty legs!

Partners in crime....at feather club and feedlot.

I love ducks......

And this one wanted ribbons of his own; he kept trying to eat the tassels of the wyandotte's ribbon next door.

It's written all over his face........

In other, less spectacular news this hen of mine won best white silkie hen.

This lavender hen won best any other colour silkie hen and was Champion AOC silkie overall too but no ribbons for me. My little black silkie pullet came second.