Canfield, OH - June 8, 2013

[Sharon Yorks]

If am curious to know who all is planning to attend the poultry show in Canfield, OH this June 8th. I believe it will be a very nice turnout for Ameraucanas as I have already spoken to several people who are planning to show multiple entries. I am planning to take at least 5. Below is a picture of a blue hen and a pullet I am taking. The pullet is out of my first hatch this year on January 1st. She is out of Thor and Rachel and is around 15 weeks old. The hen was from April of last year.

Also pictured is "Noah." He is a splash cockerel that was also hatched January 1st and is going to the show. I hope he grows into himself by then as he is at that gangly stage right now. I do not want to bring anything home from the shows and deal with quarantine issues, so Noah is for sale. The two females have already been spoken for. If you are interested in Noah, please instant message me or send me an e-mail.   

[Sharon Yorks]

The weather could not have been more perfect than it was at the Buckeye Fancy Feathers poultry show this past weekend (June 8th) in Canfield, OH. Close to 650 birds were on display at this year’s poultry show, with six exhibitors bringing Ameraucanas in five different variety categories. Matt Parker took top honors in the Open class winning BB with a white pullet that also went on to win Best AOSB. A black cockerel won RB. He was one of the birds that I was showing. 

White Ameraucanas were also a force to be reckoned with in the Junior division. Alexis Parker won BB with her white pullet and Austin Parker won RB with his white pullet. Alexis also went on to win Best AOSB in the Junior division and Reserve LF.

In the Open Bantam class, Ralph Malys won BB with a lavender cockerel and RB with a lavender pullet. There were no bantams shown in the Junior division. Judging the classes this year were Daniel Dysart, Glenn See, and Curtis Oakes. I felt these judges all took ample time to look over each bird and were very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to after the show for competitors who wanted to ask questions and get the judge’s opinions about their birds.   

I have made it a policy to sell all of the birds I take to shows, and all six of the ones I took to Canfield now have new homes in NY, OH, & PA. I would like to thank those who purchased them and hope to see them, and the birds, at shows in the future. It was great to finally meet and visit with Harold Knapp (former Northeast Director) who was gracious enough to share some of his knowledge and experiences of being a director. Harold purchased one of my black cockerels and a beautiful blue cockerel. I wish him all the best with them and his breeding program. It was also nice to once again see Catherine Kasiewicz who had purchased several Ameraucanas from me last year. Catherine took home three more of my birds (a blue hen, blue pullet, & splash cockerel) to add to her flock this year.

All in all, I thought the Canfield, OH show was a very nice show to attend and hope to see even more Ameraucanas their next year. I wish I would have taken more pictures. I actually took quite a few, but once I uploaded them onto a larger screen, some were a little blurry and not good enough quality to post. Here are a few pictures from the show.

[Mike Gilbert]

In the Open Bantam class, Ralph Malys won BB with a lavender cockerel and RB with a lavender pullet. There were no bantams shown in the Junior division. Judging the classes this year were Daniel Dysart, Glenn See, and Curtis Oakes. I felt these judges all took ample time to look over each bird and were very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk to after the show for competitors who wanted to ask questions and get the judge’s opinions about their birds.   

Did you inform these knowledgeable judges that lavender is an unrecognized variety and hence not eligible for BB or RB?   They can go no farther than BV according to ABA and APA rules.  That is a dandy looking white pullet;  she looks so good at first I thought she must be a bantam.  I would like to see a little less fan shape to her tail, but she still looks real good.  Were the whites from Anne Foley's old stock?

[John]

In the Open Bantam class, Ralph Malys won BB with a lavender cockerel and RB with a lavender pullet.

Maybe we'll see them on champion row next!  I stopped in at the Spring Fowl Fest, here in Michigan, last month and a lavender bantam was BB.  It happen at the fall show also (either last year or the year before).  I told the show superintendent each time and he straightened things out.  Anyway, I think it is kind of funny that this makes 3 times that I know of that a "LAVENDER" (not self-blue) got BB.  Hey, ABA are you reading this?

It was great to finally meet and visit with Harold Knapp

He is a fine gentleman and I've always enjoyed his company at the shows where our paths crossed.

Congratulations to all and it's great to hear you had a great time.

[Sharon Yorks]

"Did you inform these knowledgeable judges that lavender is an unrecognized variety and hence not eligible for BB or RB?"

Before everyone goes to judging these judges so unfairly, that was a typo on my part. The lavenders won BV & RV and were the only 2 bantams that were shown. They WERE very good judges and I think it best from now on for Michael to post results after he gets them from the show producer. And I truly hope ABA isn't reading this...And yes, those were from Ann Foley's white birds. The white pullet may look like a bantam in that picture, but she was far from it and actually a nice big LF that took me by surprise at how heavy and stout she was when I reached into her cage and positioned her for the picture. My picture taking ability didn't do any of these birds justice.

[John]

judging these judges so unfairly

Sharon,
I'm not judging the judges.  The two instances I mentioned did happen and I think it shows that lavender bantams are and have been developed to a point where they are competing with the recognized varieties.  Yes, the two licensed judges I refer to made mistakes by placing lavenders higher than the rules allow but their judgments were right in that the lavenders were the best in the class.
My ABA comment is a bit of a dig at those in the ABA that were so vocal a few years ago about "lavender".  I think with time more exhibitors and judges with accept them as lavender and not let the prejudges of a few old timers influence them.  The "lavender" saga is very much like the Ameraucana story...some have a hard time with change.

[Sharon Yorks]

I had such a good time at the show and was so eager to get back and report the news. The part that bothers me the most is that I respected these judges so much and would highly recommend them in the future, then went and made a typo that made them look bad. The mistake was totally mine.

At one point, (after the show) all 3 of them were standing in front of my cages pointing out good and bad points of my birds and discussing their views and opinions. They never made me feel like I was wasting their time and/or was bothering them by any of my questions...and those who know me know I can ask a LOT of questions. I learned a lot and valued the time they took to educate me.

Another thing that impressed me was how respectful they handled the birds. I especially noticed this after being so mad at a judge last year for tossing/throwing one of my cockerels into the cage to take a hard nose dive once he was finished looking at him. I can halfway understand this if dealing with an unruly bird, but this was a cockerel of mine that had never pecked anyone or jumped around or acted silly when getting him in and out of a cage. The man handled all of the birds that way.

I'm sorry if my response sounded harsh or snappy. I'm not upset with anyone else, just myself.

[Mike Gilbert]

 
Don't be upset with yourself Sharon, we all make mistakes, and I make more than my share.   Glad you had a good time, had good judges, and had a chance to talk with the judges too.    I mistakenly assumed there had to be more bantams, but there was not.  So I should not have assumed anything.  Don't know why, but the bantams seem to be at least as popular for showing as the large fowl in our area.