Getting Ready

Next weekend sees the inaugural stand alone Wyandotte State Championships being held at Nanango. In previous years, the show has been conducted as part of a wider all breeds show; last year, the committee decided, due to space/number restrictions being imposed at the all breeds, to hold a stand alone and next weekend is the result. With 316 entries their decision has been vindicated.

Yesterday we started washing the first batch of 33 birds that we're entering. It's a production line; if you're a good enough looking bird to be chosen, you are washed 3 times - first in the Martha Gardner Wool Mix tub then into the general rinse tub then into the lemon rinse tub. If you're a large white, you'll get dunked a fourth time - in the Bluo tub (but that's tomorrow's list). Then you progress to the drying table where you're draped in a bath towel and then lovingly massaged until you're as dry as you can be. Then you make your way to the drying out station - a pen or tether on the grass. In previous years you would have been blow dried but that fluffs your feathers up a bit too much; we're going for the smooth and sleek look this year.

Number 1.

Silver pencilled cockerel going through the tubs.

Here he is an hour later, dry.

Partridge bantam.

Oopsie. Someone didn't tie the tether properly.

The shed plan and bird class plan. It all makes perfect sense!

Yesterday we washed 12 birds; today will be 13 and the balance tomorrow. Mum and Peter and Andrew turned up for a visit yesterday at around bird No. 6; we offered them towels but they declined!