National Poultry Show 2011

Have had a busy weekend at The National Poultry Show 2011!
Got home on Thursday to go to work on Friday, set up the stand with Jude and then stopped at hers. Had the show on Saturday, went to the Poultry Club social, stopped in a Travelodge and then the show on Sunday.
Then when its all over for the public we take everything back down and load up the van!

We were busy all weekend on the Cotswold Chickens stand which was good but I could hardly talk at the end of Sunday! Everyone lived our Wychwood Hen Arch house, took orders for a few and even sold the one we had at the show!

I managed to get a Second Place for one of my photos...

... I did enter the photo of me in a chicken suit for "Any Poultry Subject" but it didn't place ;)

I met Jamie from Poultry Talk and had a good chat with Sandra from Chicken Vet who was really nice, she said anything they can do to help, and help with my dissertation etc, just to let them know :) Will be seeing them at a couple more shows so can have more of a talk.

Chicks at work

Got a few photos of some of the chicks we hatched in the shop at work :)

Theres 2 little Lavender Frizzle Pekin boys and a little Black Pekin pullet left ... the Black Pekin is mine ;)

Womble progress!

Was SO happy with Womble (one of the rescue ponies) today! :D

He let me hold him on a lead rope straight away this morning, then we let him smell the brush + managed to brush him all over (apart from his tail) combed his mane and let us spray him to make him all shiny.
Kevin came to look and was surprised! After a few goes I managed to pick up his foot and then Steffie hoof picked his front feet and everything!

We took him for a walk onto the yard on a lunge rope with Kevin and took a few photos, took him back to the stable and he refused to go in for Steffie + Kevin and would only go in for me :P

Considering he needed 2 lots of sedations and a tranquilisation dart just to get a head collar on him a few weeks ago, he's come a MASSIVE way in just 2 days.
I think he really trusts me now + know it sounds stupid but theres some connection!
ily him :))

Making friends with Womble

Been a horsey day at work today!
Helped Steffie muck out all the stables, I say help, I just held the horses, got straw and emptied the barrow. Think theres 16 although a couple have chicken stuff + tack in!

We took a few horses out to the field to give us 6 stables for some horses coming in.

Womble the little pony came in as a rescue and was really skitty and has been calming down a lot.
Me + Steffie went in and he let me hold his head collar rope today so we stood with him for ages. Let him go + did it again. He doesn't like women as much but eventually let Steffie get him.

He still won't let us touch him much, only his nose + face, but managed to scratch his neck :)

New Kitten at work - Woody

Jude has got a new rescue kitten at work called Woody :)

He's soooo cute! Dylan (cat) is still a bit weary of him but Solly (dog) is really protective :P

Reading Bantam Show

Really looking forward to the "Reading & District Bantam Show" now!!

Am working for Cotswold Chickens again on the trade stand, and will see loads of Chickeny friends there! :P

Phoned Mother tonight to convince her to go. We should have Grumps' new car by then Nat has the Sat of work too so have booked them to stay at the same Travellodge as us on the Friday night, can some to the show on Sat and will get to see them on Fri :))

4 weeks to go! :P

Hollys 1st egg

Holly, my Christmas present hybrid from Cotswold Chickens, the Speckledy laid her 1st egg today :))

54g ... yeah I'm that sad ;)

Hopefully it means t'others'll start laying soon! :P

Christmas Chickens...

Had no idea what I wanted for Christmas, so after planting the idea of getting chickens after seeing the Buff Orps at The Fed, I decided to get some hybrids so we'll hopefully get more than 1 egg overy other day, next year! :P
Obviously we went to see Jude at Cotswold Chickens. Spoke to her and they were shut 'cos of the snow, then today was our only chance to get there before Christmas!
Took longer time to get there 'cos of the snow but the roads weren't too bad.

Finally got there and had a look and there was 1 (or 2) Black Rocks, so had to have her! Jude said to just go into the stables and get them so I could choose who I wanted.
We had a look at the horses, all the stables were full - couldn't believe how big the filly has got that was born last year! There was a cute little orphan foal with a sad story attached about his mom :(

Meet...
Fearne, the Bluebelle. Should lay pale brown eggs.

Holly the Speckled Star who should lay speckled brown eggs:

and Edith the Black Rock! Like Matilda + Theodore, she should lay brown eggs :)

Fearne + Edith sitting on top of the Wendy House...



There is quite a bit of snow here! The new girls are in the Go with a run attached, inside the WIR 'cos the 3 Dinner Chicken boys are in the eglu at the back.

National Poultry Show 2010

Have been home and working again this weekend - at The National Championship Poultry Show 2010!

New hall this year, which is a lot bigger and is heated ... big change and decision for PCGB but it really paid off, with a massive increase on entries, sales pens and visitor numbers up. Chickens are the new 'in thing'.

You can see how big the hall is from the photos, then the sales pens were in another room in the corner ... something like 4000 chickens entered apparently. Then theres the turkeys, ducks, geese etc aswell!

Starters ... well done to Tasha. She got 1st, 2nd 4th with her girls, same with her boys and then Jack went on to Championship row. He came away with Champion Bantam Male, Champion Bantam Heavy Breed, Best of Breed and Wyandotte club special award! :)
Tasha got a 3 handled trophy! Really pleased for her, 2 years of breeding and she places on Championship row! Its like winning at Crufts!

The man himself:

The view from our stand, the Cochins:

Was working for Cotswold Chickens, selling tonics, feed, supplements etc. We had loads of people coming up to talk to us, ask for advice, buying things - nice to see people interested in it.

 Me + Clare on the Cotswold Chickens stand

 

We met up with Omleteers that came to the show on both days, was about 40 of them! Really nice to see everyone again, and to put faces to names of new people.

We seemed to be everywhere, walk round and always see someone you know, which was nice :

One lady who we didn't know came over just as we were packing up on Sunday and was chatting to us.

She said she'd been walking around all the stands all weekend, and the only stand that were always smiling and said Hello to everyone that came over was ours.

Thought it was a really nice thing to say :')

More photos! ... German Langshan:

Drop Moult! Probably where she's been kept inside for the last few weeks, then going into the hall she's just dropped her feathers, or it could be stress?

Green duck!

I soo wanted some Call Ducks, really cute and really small, they're just too loud ... hence the name.

Call Drake:

Serama Cockerel:
Can't really see how small he is from the photo, but look at how big the water cup is compared to him, and look at the next photo!
Told Mother I want one to take to Uni next year :P

Birchen Brahmas! They're huuge. Dad said he wanted some Brahmas/Cochins and a Buff Orpington. There was this trio in the sales pens, and a man came over asking if they were mine and would I split them so he could have just the cockerel ... was tempted to buy them to split with him but Dad wouldn't let me 'cos I'm not there to do intros!

Chocolate Wyandottes my friend Tom had his eye on :)

Clare + I got there early on Sunday to put our things on the stand and there were 2 escapees on top of their show cages. 2 Old English Game bantams!
He was a bit scared but she was really nice and let us stroke her. The stewards noticed 10 mins later and they were put back in their cages!

Oh, I was a winner too! ;)

I entered some eggs and 5 photos.

My Plymouth Rock (Nugget) egg got 1st!

Photo of Cilla the Silkie sitting on an easter egg got 1st, CLB boy photo got 2nd and my photo of Orville got 4th! :)

Moreton In Marsh show - Cotswold Chickens

Have been in Moreton In Marsh this weekend - chickening again!

Working for Jude again, on the Cotswold Chickens stand :)

Up early to get there. Luckily they'd already set up the gazebo, shelves, housing + things yesterday, so we had to just had to put a few bits out, sort the eglus and cubes, install the chickens and go!

Inside the gazebo

Was on the stand with Jude, Anthony, Clare + Rosie. We had a proper card machine this time which worked really well.

Really different products were selling compared to Thames - these were proper chickeny people. We were busy all day though and took a load of orders, which is always a good thing. Nice to see people interested in keeping chickens!

Had a huge brown t-shirt with the logos on ... looked like a dress on Clare! :P

Have a chest infection + on antibiotics, so shivering + then burning up all day, but was still good - think we need a chair at the next one though!

There was a poultry tent + show there, right behind us. Alice (my barred wyandotte)'s sister placed in her class! :) Tasha, who she's from said Alice is better, but has the wonky toe!
My Cream Legbar boy went to his new home too. Pre-arranged to meet a lady there so she came and collected him + hes gone to live with her girls :)

We saw Alex James from Blur there, he came over and said Hi, said he was interested in getting an eglu so gave him a brochure. We recognised him but didn't realise who it was until someone said!

Oxfordshire County and Thame Show - Cotswold Chickens

Another chicken show this weekend! :)
At the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show with Cotswold Chickens.

Left the house at 5am! Got to the showground at half 6, and met Jude, Christine and Anthony.
It was tipping it down with rain .. luckily they'd already set up the marquee yesterday and dropped off the Omlet houses.
We started unloading all the tables out the van then got onto the boxes - there were 1000s of them! I think the whole shop was there, and then more ... was stuff everywhere.

We had a classic, Go and cube so I set those up and put chickens in them - they took a wooden coop with them too.
Sold a load of chicken tonics, gifty items and took a few orders for eglus and cubes too. We even sold the wooden coop, cube and all the chickens we took with us ... had to carry the cube across the showground to a mans car though, heavier than it looks! So it was well worth them having a stand for all that, and raises interest too :)

The show finished at 6 so we started packing everything up, even though we'd sold so much stuff it still took an hour and a half!!
Got home just before 9

Chicken Dispatch, Gut + Bone course

I went to Banbury today on the train on a course to learn how to Dispatch, Pluck, Gut + bone chickens.
It was a good day + good course, I was in the first group, then stayed to help out for the rest of the day.

We had to dispatch a chicken using the broomstick method, which was quick and easy to do, then stop the chicken flapping by holding it close to you. I thought it was all done in a really good way, and Alison explained everything properly.
We then plucked our chickens sat round the table and once they were done, put away for me to do the rest at home.
A Blue Peter moment and we were all given chickens that were dispatched and plucked on Thursday. We learnt how to gut a chicken which was ok, then how to bone it.
I was rubbish at the boning, so probably won't do it again, but it was good to see how you do it.

Watching people gut and bone on the courses after us was really helpful to watch, to remember how to do it all and take it in properly.

At the end of the day we went to the pub for a meal to meet a few Omleteers :)It was quite strange to recognise people all day that I'd never met before and feel that you 'know' them.

Raising meat birds would be something I want to do - but Mom + Dad aren't sure because they think I wouldn't do it and they'd become pets. I really like the idea of knowing exactly where your meat has come from and what has gone into it - as long as we didn't name them, it should be ok ... and we may have a spare eglu next spring ;)
Thanks to everyone - especially Clare for ferrying me around all day!