This is my second Congress and first time there with ameraucanas so the whole show experience is still very new for me. The good thing was since last year was my first show and it was at this venue, I was very familiar with the scope and pace of things which took some stress off.
This year I took six ameraucana and two arauacanas. My ameraucanas consisted of two black pullets (one showed in Boston), one blue hen, one blue pullet and a blue wheaten pullet and Magoo, the blue wheaten cockerel I also showed in Boston.
The large fowl judge was Jim Sallee and he turned out to be a pretty nice guy and he readily spoke to me about my birds after he judged the breeds, for both ameraucana and araucana. He seemed to be pretty thorough with each bird entered starting with the bottoms of their feet on up.
There was myself and member DougD and it looked like there was to be a third breeder but those coops remained empty. Doug had a black cockerel, black pullet, blue cock and wheaten cockerel. Doug, if I missed something pipe in with corrections!
I was surprised when Judge Sallee put one of my black pullets as the BB. She was one of the two gyspy face pullet chicks I hatched this spring which were quite gawky looking growing up. I was told they were not breeder quality and to cull them but now I am glad I didn\'t. They did fill out and their faces did redden up. What was striking to me about them is they were much glossier in color than their \'normal\' hatch counterparts. I would have taken the other had her feathers not been plucked by one of my turkeys.
Magoo got ROV.
I would not have picked what the judge did but I am a total newbee anyway. My BW pullet really seemed the best of my birds IMO but she steadfastly refused to groom her feathers and looked a bit ragged while at the show. After getting home and unpacking I saw that the next morning she looked like a completely different bird, all slick, shiney and every feather in its place.
Oh well!
The show also offered breed tours and lots of people attended each tour.
Some photos:
My blue hen.
Her daughter, she got 1st for blue girls.
My BW pullet who spent the show looking like this, holding her tail down all depressed.
Magoo making a nuisance of himself, crowing very loudly.
The judge said his blue color is too dark and a lighter blue would show lacing better.
All of the black entries, my araucanas are on the other side.
My two blacks are on the right.
Tour group checking out the ameraucanas which are on the other side of the game fowls. The pyle nearest the woman in the vest was reserve champion. Champion went to a game hen.
While at the show I met with Dan Honour. I was buying a quad of his buff leghorns and it worked out great that he was attending this show to give a seminar on buff color. Dan\'s a great guy and certainly very knowlegeable on buff genetics. He was kind enough to take me around the show hall to discuss the buff color and how to use my birds for breeding. I wanted a white egg layer and did not want a white bird. If you buff ameraucana folks have not chatted with Dan in the past you will find him very helpful.
I can\'t find my list with the rest of the scores at the moment, it must be at home so I will enter the rest when I find it.
