First of all can I say a big thank you to Rosie and Bob for their help, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day.
It’s great to have an extra pair of eyes looking over your shoulder, especially Bobs experienced eyes.

It really was a pleasure to meet up with lots of people I haven’t seen for some time. It’s a great atmosphere to be in and of course it stirred up the urge in both Bob and me, to take up breeding again. If Bob returns to full employment this year, I think a return to poultry keeping is imminent. 

As for me, well if I can get a bit of help when I am away from home, I would have my birds back tomorrow.  For me it’s a hobby that ticks all the right boxes and I sorely miss not seeing my own birds in the garden at home and in the show pen. 

My thanks to those of you who still manage to keep the flag flying, you are obviously not only very dedicated people, but also lucky to be able to keep poultry and receive the pleasure that it brings.

Judging is not an easy job, and right or wrong, at the end of the day, it’s only one mans opinion.

So my comments below agree with them or not, are only that, comments not criticism.

Keeping them and getting them into the showpen at the right moment, is far harder than judging.

Class No 624 Large White Male/Female

2056    2^nd  Good type bit short in the tail

2057    1^st   Good type

2058    4^th Best colour just immature

2059    3^rd Good type and head

2060          Poor colour (sappy)

Class No 626 Brown Male or Female

2064       Bit dark colour touch white in tail

Class No 630 Bantams  White Male

2079  4^th   Good  type, pullet breeder, tiny white in face

2078         Lacks tail, good leg colour, not so good comb

2081  3^rd   Good head, dished lobe, good type, lacked tail

2082          Slightly small, pullet breeder, pale legs

2083          Bigger bird, damaged lobe, good tail but tiny black peppering in tail

2084   1^st   Best colour and type, good head, decent furnishings.

2086   2^nd  Not as good colour as 1^st good head & leg colour, nicely furnished

Class No 634 Black Female

    2123   2^nd   Good colour, good head, slightly dished lobes

    2124           Good head but marked lobe

    2125            White marks in face

    2126

      2127

      2128

      2129

2130               1^st  Good head & colour, better lobes

2131                     Slightly small

2132                  4^th Good bird very slight white in wing, would have been 2^nd

2133               Too big

2134               3^rd  Nice bird slightly bigger than 1&2

2135               --

2136               Small head & lobes

2137               Nice bird white in wing & tail

Class No 637 Brown Female

     2144  4^th  Big bird but good colour

     2145  3^rd  Shafty, good head

     2146   1^st Good type, not bad colour, fresher than 2^nd

     2147     Small, good colour, poor comb

     2148    Good type, shafty

     2149    Colour OK, fold in lobe

     2150    Dark, white in wing

     2151    2^nd  Colour not bad, bigger bird,

     2152     Comb over, dark colour, fan tail

     2153     Colour and head OK, pale legs lost out on type

Class No 638  Blue Male

2155    2^nd  Good Head, very dark

2156    1^st  Better colour and type

Class No  642

      2161 3rd

2162    2^nd

2163    1^st better type and colour

Class No 643

2164    1^st Better colour

2165    2^nd Colour not so good

Class No 644

2167 3^rd ( Exchequer) Poor head and lobe and dark

2168 1^st (Cuckoo)  Good head and lobe colour just a bit light

2169  2^nd  ( Buff) Not so good head and blue in tail

Class No  645

2171 4^{th (} Cuckoo) Over the top

2172 2^nd (Cuckoo) better bird on the day

2173 3^rd (Cuckoo) Colour not as good

2174 1^st  (Cuckoo) Nice head and colour

2175  Not bad colour, poor head

Overall I was not able to find a really outstanding bird, that I could put forward from any of the birds that I judged.

Fortunately Colin came up with a White Female that fitted the bill which we easily agreed was the Best Leghorn.

At the time I did no expect this bird to go on any further. How wrong can you be, it turned out, not only a very good Leghorn Club Champion but Best In Show.

A bit of judging pride in the fact that we got it right, it was a nice feeling, but if there’s a next time I’ll keep my mouth shut.

Overall Comments

Show preparation including training is a must.

 Most of the birds had been washed and prepared for the show and were decently presented.

However, of all the birds that I judged on the day only one bird sat in my hand contentedly and confident, it could have sat there all day.  What a difference this makes when you are judging. This bird had been washed several times and handled many times, it presented itself in the hand and pen. It’s the best start a bird can have, if it can show itself off in the pen it’s already caught the judges eye. With no back covers to the pens a number of birds were more interested in the pens behind. Trying to get them to pose was not easy in fact almost impossible.

Some of the black females were showing tiny specks of white in the feathers, we need to eliminate this.

On careful examination, one bird looked blue barred, this bird could have been well in the prizes and I bet the owner wondered why not !  On closer examination I am sure this had been caused as the bird feathered up in a dry atmosphere, which staggered the growth of the feathers, causing the barring.  It’s an easy point to miss but as blacks feather up they need a constant spraying to dampen the feathers, also some extra oil in their diet.

It’s great to see the coloureds, breeding is a thankless task at times, but to those that try, keep going it is much appreciated.

One important thought for the day.

A big thanks to our secretary and family, hard enough to raise and show your birds then run a show on top of that.

Message: Leghorns take top honour at the Stafford Poultry Show.

It was a white leghorn pullet that received first prize shown by Waterworth & Woods in top form at 12'oclock out of a class of thirty. Then it went onto becoming Champion of the show.

Comparing with the second prize winner shown by Ian Mills the first one just had the edge in winning.

The best large fowl winner was a brown leghorn cockeral shown by S. Elliot and going onto being Best Opposite Sex of the show in the Leghorn Club.

So the Leghorns are looking good for the show pen and the domestic side for laying eggs.

Emma Loy (McCrone)