Washingtonians

[ultasol]

Oh, for some reason I thought you had prearranged to pick one up at the show. I knew there were some for sale, but I thought you had a pickup going on.

I was shocked how well everything sold, but I brought two of the nicer looking blue silkie pullets growing out (one was presold to WTHchristy) and one 'fun' cull male, a pre-sold (well, traded) lav male, and some other boys that had potential. I really liked the presales, although due to one bad apple (on a pair of standards, which was difficult to fit in the car) I will probably have to start asking for deposits unless it's someone who has purchased from me before.

Thanks to those who bid on the white silkies/showgirl I donated for the club auction- I like being able to donate something back to the club and all those people involved with the passion for poultry (including all the wonderful juniors!)

The show in Stevenson will be having a breeders auction of quality birds. If you have some SQ adults, started birds, or chicks to donate they would greatly appreciate it. I had hoped to donate a sexed pair of sebbie goslings, but my girls didn't get with the program early enough. It looks like it will be a pair of silkies or saxony ducks.

Hope to see you there.

 

[SadieSue]

Ha, thats the same way with me. A few people haved asked about "cowgirlgrace" and thought my name was Grace but the name is because since the day I was born I always wanted to be a cowgirl just like little boys want to be cowboys. My dad passed in Nov '88 but he always made sure I had horses to ride all over the county and got me to barrel races and shows and bought me steers for 4H. When I couldn't handle selling my steers at the 4H auction for food he bought me heifers so I could show in breeding. We bred them and had beautiful Limousin cattle and then he bought a ranch complete with an antique barn and then a herd of cows and a bunch of chickens. I was in heaven. I never once thought of boys or drugs or alchohol. I spent my days in my beautiful barn with my horses, chickens and cows. Oh, and pigs too! We had a big garden which got me started growing produce now. I guess my name should be cowgirl BY grace since that was my gift of grace from my dad. Thanks Dad, I miss you.

That's a beautiful story - thank you for sharing it with us. I had been wondering what the back story on your name was.​

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Thank you. *blush* I certainly expect some update pictures as that blue pullet blooms! She'll be competitive, and I sold her to you hoping I can get you bitten by the show bug.

I think you'll adore those little wellies, they are such curious little buggers, and such reliable layers! I was shocked at how many exhibitors had them as layers because a) pretty and big eggs and b) reliable as all get out and c) pretty! For instance, Dottie Truedson who shows Porcelain d'uccles, Buff silkies, and bantam cochins has a flock. She was staying at the same place I was, so we had a couple conversations about the wellies.

I can't believe Sheryl's frizzles didn't fly out the door! She and Joe are always in heavy competition for best cochin and frizzle, and Joe frequently wins best of show (as he did at Monroe) and won Ch FL at the HUGE Ohio National. Sheryl has some of the best stock out there. I usually HATE frizzles, but I love hers, and her blue cochin bantams are just the cutest things. No more bantams for me, though.

Oooh, and did you see Kristina Korfus's orpingtons? Oh, and the beautiful buff Jean brought? Isn't that just the prettiest shade of buff? Did you catch a peek at some of Heather's moderns and OEG (from Canada, not RFF)? There were some cute little bantam orloffs there that Erhard was impressed with, and did you catch his standard orloffs? Some exhibitors sure give everyone else a lot to live up to. Although they may have larger shows on the East Coast, we have plenty of National caliber birds and exhibitors in the Northwest, that's for DARN sure, we just aren't as population-dense and compact. Much harder to get everyone in one spot.

The bantam Orloffs were mine but I didn't see any LF Orloffs? I hung a lot of the cage cards (almost all of the LF) and didn't see those? Three of my LF Orloffs came from him but I didn't bring any.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Side sprigs are a serious fault, and many successful breeders (ie Joe Mazur, Sheryl Butler, Heather Hays) would not breed from anything with a side sprig because it is very heritable. This is probably why they do so well at shows.

For instance, I brought a bird with a known fault (although not a DQ) because the bird I had originally planned to bring went broody. She placed over Sheryl's bird and my cock although she probably shouldn't have,... the judge just didn't pull the crest back far enough to see the light comb. It happens. Some judges miss side springs, but most don't seem to because it's right there on top of the head. I was talking to Heather Hays (she's an exhibitor but also has a judges license) and she was talking to someone about their bird- had side sprigs and the exhibitor hadn't even noticed. She basically said that for some reason side sprigs always seem to jump right out at her.

I also had a bird DQ'd for the first time. I still plan on showing him at Stevenson, and we shall see.

Judges do miss things, and some judges may weigh one characteristic more heavily than another. Everyone has a personal preference, and unfortunately, as anyone who shows anything (horses, rabbits, dogs, etc) has probably experienced, an animal that wins one day may place near the bottom of the class on another day for any number of reasons- different judge, animal in different condition or mood, etc etc etc. For instance, my white silkie boy that did so well at the fall shows is not in good condition right now, so he got RV.

Mostly I brought birds I hadn't shown before as I wanted to get opinions on them, and to gear up for Stevenson. I had a great time, and the drive was so worth it to see friends and to share the joy of chickens.

Yeah I hadn't noticed until I went to wash them and then I was hoping it would be overlooked.

Of course it wasn't and I just bought these girls this fall from someone in CO and had them shipped. I won't be breeding or showing them anymore and I'll be selling (I already have a buyer, actually). I will just be hatching like crazy this spring and culling hard. Now that I found someone to butcher for me I won't have to be as conservative with my hatching because I won't have to worry about feeding them through next winter.

 

[pips&peeps]

Here is the judge list from the Stevenson Catalog:

JUDGES
Pat Malone - Texas, USA
Butch Gunderson - Wisconsin, USA
Jamie Carson - New Brunswick, Canada
Danny Williamson - Kansas, USA

Yes, I will be going.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

pips&peeps :

Here is the judge list from the Stevenson Catalog:

JUDGES
Pat Malone - Texas, USA
Butch Gunderson - Wisconsin, USA
Jamie Carson - New Brunswick, Canada
Danny Williamson - Kansas, USA

Yes, I will be going.

Awesome! Thanks.....I wonder how come I didn't get a catalog? I tried to go on their website and it's not working.

 

[redfeather]

Quote:
Wow!!! It's amazing to find someone who agrees with me here! There are so many dogs in the shelters, and there's a REASON for most of them being there. A large deal of them have poor temperaments and should have been put down upon arrival... but the PC'ers insist on trying to "rehab" everything that walks through their doors and then adopt a dangerous animal out to a family who has children. Then a child ends up scarred (literaly) for life when their face gets ripped off by an unstable dog.

I also believe that there would be less owner surrenders to shelters (and dumpings) if people didn't have it so set in their minds that "Fluffy" would be OK and find a new home. If dogs with unstable temperaments, or who were excessively old and/or riddled with health problems were euthanized soon after arrival, people would be alot less willing to dump the dog because they had a baby or the dog barked sometimes.... (so many frivoulous reasons that dogs get dumped, methinks). Then shelters would have more money to turn to helping get actually healthy, happy, well behaved animals adopted out to good homes.

Unfortunately, the shelter system around here is kind of a joke. There are a bunch of "rescues" that jump in and adopt every purebred, especially the "most adoptable ones" (like puppies, and young, healthy adults) and turn around and resell them for the same cost or more as a pet store or newspaper pup.


haha, wow... I'm going to get off of my little soapbox here... just some of the things running through my head, I guess!

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Awesome! Thanks.....I wonder how come I didn't get a catalog? I tried to go on their website and it's not working.

How long ago did you try to go on? Their brand new website is up and running now. There is a .pdf link on the home page to the show catalog.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Awesome! Thanks.....I wonder how come I didn't get a catalog? I tried to go on their website and it's not working.

How long ago did you try to go on? Their brand new website is up and running now. There is a .pdf link on the home page to the show catalog.

Before the show....let me check....thanks!

 

[ultasol]

Also,.. REMEMBER... entries for Stevenson are due early- ON THE 26th!

Just an FYI, since it is an earlier due date than normal

I'm sorry, I didn't mean the LF orloffs, it was the favorelles. I have always loved their color,... So pretty!


I had the dewlap toulouse. He's not at show weight, he is at breeding weight. At show weight he is larger. Gentle giants!

Same with the SLW, gentle giants! When I was cooping in I was carrying my big SLW around and he was happily crowing and hanging out. He's an absolute joy to have, and the temperament is outstanding. My girl did not drink like she should have at the show, but she still laid all three days she was away from home.




Jen