New Year, New Chickens!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Currently my coop consists of 4 White-crested Black Polish pullets(soon to be hens) and a Black Silkie pullet.

3 of the Polish are already sold, and the Silkie is too! I am keeping my favorite showmanship girl :)

The reason I'm selling 80% of my flock is because I want to compete in shows, but I don't have show quality birds. Dad refuses to build the coop bigger, so for every large bird I sell off, he will let me get 1 1/2 bantams. (LOL :P)

I'm going to the Hollister Show on the 16th and the Stockton Show on the 30th to try and pick up some Polish bantams. I really want some Buff Laced or Golden Laced.

Dad wants me to pick a new breed, but I feel like I'm already on my way to mastering Polish and I already know what to look for (good show qualities), so I want to stick to what I know. However, it would be fun to branch out. Any suggestions for good small bantam breeds?

FOR SALE:

Hi Everybody,

I'm looking to buy better quality show birds so that I can participate in shows more often. In order to do this, I have to clear out the coop- but it currently holds 5 pullets:

4 White-Crested Black Polish
1 Black Silkie

I'm trying to sell them to 4-Hers in my club and I've advertised on PolishBreedersClub.com, but if you want to buy one or know somebody who wants one, let me know!

Here are some pics:

Fair Recap

It's been a while! Sorry to anyone who actually cared about this blog.

Here's what to do to prepare for the fair:

Wash your birds at least 3 days before the show!

• Use 3 tubs of warm water: soapy, clean, and rinse
• I use pure Ivory body wash, baby shampoo works as well, just don't use detergent!! (it makes feathers brittle)
• Blow dry them with a hair dryer and towels. Then let them air dry in a place with minimum dirt-to-chicken contact
• Wipe them with baby wipes every day until the show so that they stay clean

Groom (day of the show)

• Clip their toenails and file them down (or just let them run around a lot on concrete)
• Clean out dirt from their nails with a toothpick
• Rub baby oil on their comb, waddles, and legs

What to bring in your tack box:

1. Baby Wipes
2. Baby Oil
3. Pooper Scooper
4. Toothbrush (good for feather-legs)
5. Toothpicks
6. Nail Clippers
7. Nail File
8. Quik Stop
9. Adam's Flea and Tick Mist (incase there are mites at the show!)
10. Sponges (for emergency cleaning)

Now you are ready for showbird judging! Are you doing Showmanship? Here's what to do:

1. Gain your chicken's trust: walk around holding it "showmanship style" and teach it that you will keep it safe
2. Show 'Em Who's Boss! Hold your bird "showmanship style" by placing your right hand under the belly with your pinky and index finger outside the legs and two middle fingers in between the legs, giving you the ability to grip the legs. If your bird starts to flap and wiggle, don't let them get away! Hold tight and bring them close to your body to minimize flapping. They will eventually calm down and learn not to wiggle.
3. Practice the showmanship routine: Examine the...

• Head
• Back
• Wings
• Undercolor
• Breast
• Vent
• Depth of Abdomen
• Distance between Pubic Bones
• Feet and Legs

For more details on Showmanship, post a comment or talk to your Poultry Leader.

Here are my results for this year:

Fair 2009:

2nd Place Junior Showmanship

1st Place Senior Showmanship

3rd Place Small Animal Master Showmanship

Best Female in Division- Continental

Chicken-tastic Adventures!

Hey Everyone!

It's been a while since I posted, but I have some pics for you. Ever since the chicks have moved to the big, scary, outside world they've become much more curious...and shy. Their personalities are really starting to come through and the pecking order is becoming apparent.

I think I have 4 boys, not 3 like I said before. The reason I think this is because one of the "girls" has been picking on all the other boys and is constantly fighting. Henceforth- it is a boy. 

One boy, Zig, looks exactly like his father, Mu. It's actually kind of creepy. The other boys are starting to develop a comb and waddles, but just barely.

GOOD NEWS! Rex, my problem child (chicken) has been getting better. I let the chickens out into the courtyard everyday* and Rex has stopped hiding in the coop and actually got out and played today! He got a little lost in the process, but that's okay. 

Outside the coop

Fight!

Inside...or outside...hmm....

Is that a camera I see?

Chick Scratch

Well,  hello there

* for all you chicken-raising people: letting your chickens run around on a concrete or rough surface will help file down their nails naturally. Also, if you put some scratch on the ground, their beaks will also be naturally filed down.  Trust me, this is way better than trimming them yourself!

Belated Update

Sorry guys! 

I was drowning in homework and didn't have time to post, but I still took pictures! The kids have all grown up so fast, they are "teenagers" now. Yesterday we moved them outside and tagged their legs with bands. They are only 3 weeks old so technically we weren't supposed to put them outside, but they are in a closed box with two heat lamps. Anyways, I'm sure all you want to see are the pics, so here they are! (Plus there is a video at the bottom)

Cuddles!

Carrying the chicks outside

Putting leg bands on the chicks

"The look"

The Old Home

Just the home, without the chicks

Adventure to the Outside World!

Siblings Stick Together!

 An average day in the life...

Cuteness

The chicks are a week old today! Happy Birthday Chickies! They are all doing well except one. His name is Rex but we call him "Gimpy." He limps on his right leg and seems to be getting better but is still slower than the others. He regularly eats and drinks, so I know he's not in pain. Aside from that, the others are all doing very well. All of them have started sprouting little wing feathers and have I have started to see little teeny tail feathers, too. They are actually quite entertaining to watch because they are such social animals. Here are some pics of what they look like now:

All Eight!

Bird's Eye View

Group Hug!

The Casual Chicken Lifestyle...

FEAST!

Rex "Gimpy"

Dot and Her Sister

To those of you in my 4H Club, I will be bringing my chicks to the next General Meeting!

Octo-mom!

Today even more chicks hatched! They were eggs B, H, E, C, and G. That makes a total of 8 chicks. I even got to see 3 of them hatch today! They are pretty funny-looking when they first hatch because their feathers haven't fluffed up yet. Here's some more pictures and a video: