Poultry show | Poultry breeders strut their stuff at the winter competition
Chilliwack, B.C. — It comes from a long line of fighters but the Australorp is now dedicated to strutting its stuff in the show ring.
The bird is one of the more popular large fowl breeds in the world of purebred poultry competitions.
“The breed was developed from birds historically used for fighting,” said Clayton Botkin, president of the Fraser Valley Poultry Fanciers Association (FVPFA), which held its annual Winter Show in Chilliwack, Oct. 12-13.
“It is now a purely exhibition breed, its unique feature being its tall stance referred to as its station.”
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Earl LaBounty of Langley, B.C., who raises Australorps, enjoyed poultry as a child and, now retired, has resumed the hobby for the challenge and satisfaction of producing beautiful purebred birds.
“They are very interesting birds from the point of view that they are very social, always interacting with each other and you can interact with them as well,” said LaBounty.
“Right now, I have about 300 birds but I will probably sell some and cut that down to basic breeding stock over the winter.”
He selectively breeds his birds to develop a blue phase of the Australorp and entered a hen with the representative soft blue feathers, each one lined in black, in the Winter Show.
“It’s very pretty,” he said. “She will become a breeding bird.”
Poultry fanciers appreciate their birds for many reasons, one of the strongest being their social nature.
“The one with the best personality has to go to the modern game bantams,” said Heather Hayes, breeder, exhibitor and American Poultry Association licensed judge from Armstrong, B.C.
“They are so friendly, it’s just in their nature and they are purely ornamental. The most challenging has probably been my light brown leghorn large fowl. The challenge is in the colour and just getting the breed type correct,” she said.
“My most rewarding are my bantam Old English games. You can get so many different varieties within breeds that are beautiful to look at when you get it right.”
Hayes enjoyed chickens as a child when her grandmother raised a backyard flock.
She also had show dogs as a child, and that competitive edge led her to an admiration for purebred poultry and the fun of breeding and competing, which has occupied her for more than 25 years.
She has seen many changes in the breeding industry during that time.
“When I started, poultry was huge, like 2,000 birds in a show,” she said.
“The last 10 years it just stayed at the same level. Now it’s growing in leaps and bounds again, especially in the U.S. The last show that I went to had 2,700 birds.”
She attributes that increase to a bigger population and the fact that bird owners in the United States do not have the housing challenges owners have in Canada with more extreme winters.
However, she said Canada is on the upswing because of the popularity of heritage breeds.
“People are pushing the heritage breeds,” she said.
“That is any breed that was developed here in North America, such as the Rhode Island Red or the Wyandotte. That’s one of the reasons the industry is growing here. A lot of people don’t just want an ordinary white layer half-breed. They want something that’s eye candy, too.”
The APA requires that heritage chickens be from parent and grandparent stock recognized by the association before the mid-20th century, whose genetic line can be traced back multiple generations and with traits that meet the APA’s standard of perfection guidelines for the specific breed. The eggs and the chickens must be sired and produced by an APA standard breed.
Hayes has three recommendations for those wanting to get into breeding and showing.
“One, don’t take on more than you can house. Make sure you have the facility for them. That is an absolute must. Two, don’t try to get every breed. Restrict it to one or two breeds and get to know them really well. And three, don’t keep breeds you don’t enjoy.”
Junior members and helpers also attended the Winter Show in Chilliwack.
Botkin said there are many events that the younger competitors can participate in, which helps them expand their knowledge of breeds and poultry, and develop an understanding of responsibility through livestock care.
“I’ve been a member for almost six years,” said 17-year-old Derice Singh, a junior director of the FVPFA.
“Children love competition. It’s fun to show.”
As much as Hayes believes that poultry breeding is a great hobby for children, she is concerned that many communities in Canada are losing their rural roots.
Youth shows are as big as adult shows in the U.S., but she said keeping poultry in Canada is a harder sell. Climate challenges and housing needs in a typical backyard may be the biggest problems, she added, but children who do benefit from the experience of raising poultry may come back to the industry later in life.
“Being able to have four or five birds in the backyard keeps kids involved,” said Hayes.
“The industry is up and down and you have to work with it and persevere.”
Purebred poultry are at less risk for disease because of their more controlled lifestyle and flock numbers. Without the pressure of thousands of birds in a commercial poultry barn, these birds are carefully controlled in small groups.
“It all has to do with a lot of housing,” said Hayes.
“Birds stress so easily, and it will usually come out in a respiratory type of illness. The backyard flocks are less susceptible simply because they don’t have the stress of a crowded population.”
At the Winter Show, Hayes won best in show with her modern game bantam pullet.
Reserve best in show went to Bruce Bickle of Langley with his East Indie bantam duck.
Derice Singh won junior best in show with his black Australorp pullet, while junior reserve was won by Drew Mazur from Enderby, B.C., with his bantam Old English game.
