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Rare Feathers January 2018
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PATRON
TBA
PRESIDENT
Ellis Dick
VICE PRESIDENT
Mathew Paine
SECRETARY
Jill Weaver
TREASURER
Jill Weaver
PROMOTIONS OFFICER
Lorna Dick
Show manager
Roly Calvert
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I hope every-one had an enjoyable Christmas break and saw the New Year in safely.
There should be lots of chickens growing into winners by now, or pets or Sunday roasts.
I have secured one sponsor already for the 2018 annual show. Mark Wells of the Stihl
Shop, Devonport will make something available for the raffle. I have not as yet done the
rounds to see who else I can get. I am expecting Warehouse Traders in Spreyton to
donate a prize, and Mark Robertson of ‘Lost Pippin Cider’ and ‘Seedhouse’ to contribute
as well.
If anyone can secure a few more sponsors or would like to sponsor a trophy please let me
know. Our last show in Hobart ran at a huge loss, so if anyone can help the club in some
way it will be greatly appreciated.
Suburban Chooks in Melbourne will be coming over and setting up a sales and information
table. They will have Brinsia incubators and ‘dine-a-chook’ products amongst other things.
I have been working on the schedule for this year adding two new sections. We are
adding to the schedule a ‘Crested’ Section and a ‘Mediterranean’ section. The crested
section will be sponsored by Lorna and Ellis Dick and the Mediterranean section by Merv
Hutt. I have included the following breeds in the crested and Mediterranean section:-
(plus Ancona in the bantams in the Mediterranean section. This is how the soft feather
LARGE will look.
There are a couple of other breeds but as far as I am aware they are not here in Australia.
I would like to thank Jenny from the Oatlands High School and Jane and
Bernard Bainbridge from England for their contributions to the January
edition of our newsletter.
CRESTED
Aracauna
Crevecoeur
Houdan
Legbar (cream only)
Polish
Sultan
AOV (state breed and colour)
MEDITERRANIAN
Andalusian
Minorca
Spanish
AOV (state breed and colour)
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A BIRD’S EYE VIEW
A bird sees the world differently to how we do, but they do see colour. They have a far bigger
range of colours though. The reason for the larger colour range is to detect bugs etc. moving
over the ground and through the grass. Chickens possess the three basic colour cones plus an
extra one, a UV cone. It is the UV cone that makes the insects, berries, seeds, etc. literally
shine out on a background of non-reflecting grass and dirt. They also have a motion detection
cone enabling them to sense very slight movements of insects, bugs, etc.
The ability to detect UV light has another surprising effect. It enables the mother hen to
detect the healthy and the weak chickens in her brood. Growing feathers reflect UV light and
this tells the hen which of her brood are thriving, these she will look after leaving the weak
ones to die.
Chickens’ night vision is on a par with ours. Not being nocturnal low light sensitivity has never
developed in the retina.
Chickens also have a third eyelid which is transparent and slides across the eye enabling them
to dust bath etc. without getting debris in their eyes.
Another important fact to know if rearing chickens in a brooder and why it is so important to
use a heat lamp and not an infrared lamp: birds and chickens can resolve rapid movements far
better than humans can. A light that flickers at more than 50 light cycles per second will
appear as a continuous movement of light to a person but for chickens in a brooder it is a very
annoying flickering light. It is thought this could well be a contributing factor towards feather
pecking in the brooder. A chickens light pulse threshold is more than 100 light pulse cycles per
second. This enables birds such as hawks to fly through a forest after prey without flying into
limbs and trees.
A chicken’s eye covers approximately 10% of its head compared to a humans 1%. This enables
them to see clearer images. They also have a 300 degree field of vision compared to our 180
degrees of vision. Chickens can also sense the presence or absence of light through the pineal
gland, so even a blind chicken will know if it is daytime or night time.
Nature at its best can be noted when delving into the developing eye of a chicken in the egg.
Just before hatching a chicken rotates in the egg so that its right eye is against the shell. In this
position the right eye absorbs light through the shell. At the same time its left eye is covered
by its body. As a result of this movement in the shell the right eye develops near-sightedness
and the left eye develops far-sightedness. So now you know why when a predator flies across
the sky the chickens will always turn their left eye to the sky!
As a matter of interest it is thought that migratory birds “see” the earths magnetic field. The
right eye of migratory birds contains photoreceptive proteins. Light excites these molecules to
produce unpaired electrons that interact with the magnetic field. Birds can also detect slow
moving images such as the sun and stars moving across the sky.
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SEEDHOUSE Proudly supporting rare breeds
of poultry in Tasmania
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POULTRY EXHIBITION AT OATLANDS DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL
Oatlands District High School students
have had a successful year with poultry
showing in 2017, with their biggest win
at the Rare Breeds Poultry Show in
Hobart on Saturday 26th August. The
school’s Black Silkie hen, Mavis,
received Champion Rare Variety Bird in
Show, plus Champion Large Soft
Feather and Junior Champion. Margie,
their light Plymouth Rock hen, also
received Reserve Champion Large Soft
Feather Bird. Amongst our prizes was a
trio of Dutch Bantam fowls to add to
their collection, kindly donated by Jill
Weaver.
The school have been showing poultry
for 4 years. The school started with a
number of Silkies donated by Lily
Cooper and a trio of young Langshans
purchased from Ross Wilson. The
students have the perfect set up at the
school where the chooks are kept in the
“School and Community Garden“ sheds,
which is just across the road. The
students feed and care for the chooks
throughout the year and wash and blow
dry them in a class room a few days
before each show. The students have
bred many chickens from their first
chooks purchased and have gradually
built up their flock. In 2016 the school
was lucky enough to be donated a trio
of light Plymouth Rocks from Stephen
Lange. Last year the school also
purchased a trio of Faverolles from Bob
Jarvis.
A kind donation of some lavender
Araucana eggs from a mainland judge’s
wife, Paula Sheen got the school started
in another breed. The poultry shed at
school is now full and keeps the
students very busy caring for them.
Luckily there is a never ending supply of
students coming up in the grades who
are interested in poultry showing to
keep the hobby alive within the school.
Mavis the school's beautiful
black Silkie hen.
Margie the school's Light
Plymouth Rock Hen.
The school's prize for
Champion Junior Exhibitor
at the Rare Breeds Show
this year. Will Stone with his own black
Leghorn hen at the rare Breeds
Show.
Judge Neil Penny sharing his
knowledge with one of the
students at the Rare Breeds
Show.
Alex Dean and Danny
Whitbread with one of the
school’s Araucana pullets.
POULTRY EXHIBITION AT
OATLANDS DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL
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The students are supported by one
of their teachers, Jenny Cooper, who
takes the students to the shows and
teaches them how to prepare the
chooks for the show. A number of
the students have now purchased
their own chickens and are starting
to show under their own name,
which is great to see.
The students give up some of their
own time to build outside runs for the
chooks or to do some repairs or
clean out the sheds. It’s a real team
effort.
The students have enjoyed helping
out with stewarding at a number of
the shows and learning new skills
and techniques in showing their
poultry from fellow exhibitors and
judges.
The school even had their own mini
poultry show last year which was
judged by Ellis Dick, who shared his
expertise with the students as he
judged each fowl, which was a great
learning experience.
The students' hard work in caring for
the school chooks and the time
spent preparing them for the shows,
bathing, blow drying etc. has
definitely paid off this year with some
great wins.
Students with their prizes from
the Rare breed Show this year.
Bob our Langshan Ckl who won
Champion Bird in Show at the
Brighton Agricultural Show in
2016.
Students helping out with
stewarding at the S.T.P.C.
Poultry Show.
Students building an outdoor
run for some of the chooks.
At the August S.T.P.C. show
students had a very successful day
this year with Phyllis, their White
Silkie, receiving Best Silkie,
Reserve Junior Champion and
Reserve Champion Large Soft
Feather Fowl.
Margie, the Plymouth Rock hen,
received Junior Champion,
Champion Large Soft Feather Fowl
and Reserve Champion Bird of the
whole show. Plus students received
the School Shield for the year.
Students blow drying the Langshan
hens ready for a show.
Ellis with the 3 champion
chooks and students at the
mini poultry show held at the
school.
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Although Bernard and myself don't keep rare breeds , we've been asked to write a few lines about showing in England.
Bernard has been involved with chooks since the late 1950's, he would go to shows with his father Ralph Bainbridge. Bernard's father kept Rhode Island Reds and we still have that same strain today, hardly ever introducing new blood, the last time was over 20 years ago.
Like everyone we breed to show at the big winter shows, The National Poultry Club of Great Britain, The Federation of poultry Clubs, and the Scottish National shows. It is a great honour to win at these shows as there are in the region of 7,000 birds at each, we have won many "Best of Breeds" over the years , but have still to achieve "the big one" and win overall champion at the National!
Our Rhode Island Red Cockerel and the cup that he won for Best R .I. R at the 2016 Poultry Club Of Great Britain Poultry Club show.
Getting ready for the 2017 Federation Of poultry clubs show
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Before the winter shows there are the local club shows , and of course the agricultural shows. Most of our smaller agricultural shows are held on farm land and so don't have permanent buildings for the animals or chooks, we set the poultry show up in a large marquee, the local poultry club will provide the wire pens , erect and dismantle them on the day, usually having this as there summer show, this is hard work but usually, hopefully , there are a few people around to help! Sometimes , the British summer can be a little unpredictable , making this a messy process!
Village halls and auction marts are also used for the club shows, where the putting up and taking down of the pens begins again!
There isn't a lot of money to be made in showing chooks , as we all know! The big shows don't give money at all , cards, rosettes and trophies are awarded, the cups and trophies at the shows can be kept for a year and then returned, this wasn't always the case, if you won a cup three years in a row you could keep it ,Bernard has a few of these collected over the years. Some local clubs give prize money, it's not a lot , but if you have a good day you can cover the cost of entries.
Entrance to the marquee !! Bernard judging the birds Summer 2017
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All ages enjoy the chooks!
Our White Wyandotte bantam pullet at Egremont show , a show in a village hall that is affiliated to the Poultry Club of Great Britain
By Jane and Bernard Bainbridge
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This is an excerpt taken from a Modern Game newsletter.
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