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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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