The Fair. The Busiest Day. This, for our family, has traditionally been, and continues to be Tuesday of The Fair. And, as the above photo will tell you, in 2012, quite a successful day. This is the day for the Poultry Show and the Sheep Show. The poultry begin showing at 10 am, and the sheep not until 3. You might be deceived into thinking this would mitigate any conflicts of the show arena, but you would be decidedly wrong. Year after year, the kid showing the sheep is required to be in both places at once. So, we are getting pretty good at the routine.
It starts in the morning with bathing the chickens. You do this to get them super clean and shiny. Dove soap in a bucket of water. They they get Vaseline on their feet, beaks and combs. If it is chilly, you blow them dry with a hairdryer. A toothbrush cleans any stubborn poop bits out of their feet, and you make sure the vent area (where the poo/pee comes out) is super clean. In the picture above, Middlest shows a younger teammate how to bathe his pullet (young hen). The girls had their 4 chickens to get ready, and Youngest had his two ducks to prepare for show. The ducks are pretty easy, they don't mind a bath atall!
Then, on to the sheep. This is more complicated. The market lamb- February- is "slick sheared", so pretty easy to clean off. He just gets a bath. But not so the breeding lamb. Finn is covered in curly thick wool, and after being in a shavings-filled pen for a few days, that wool has little shavings embedded all through. First, each little bit of wood needs to be picked out. It is best to enlist the help of friends! Thanks, Audi!
Then, the sheep needs to be "fitted". This means made pretty for the breed standard. For the Border Leicester, she gets "shaped", around the belly, legs and neck. Then the whole sheep is completely evened out with the hand shears. These suckers are super sharp! Middlest is learning to handle them without hurting anyone.
When the poultry show begins, they start with turkeys. This is because they don't do well in the heat, and they need to have the first turn so they don't keel over. Unfortunately, one of the turkeys died in the show arena! It belonged to a boy in our club, and he was devastated. Louie, the deceased, was quickly dressed out so he could fulfill his original purpose, but the poor kid had a "non-optimal" experience.
The judge was "BuckeyeMan". He is a well known fixture at all the Ohio State football games. Also, a professor emeritus at OSU in Poultry Science, and the long time coach of the poultry judging team, BuckeyeMan is one of our favorites. Super knowledgeable, great with the kids, and loves those birds, he shares his passion with the young'uns.
This year, it looked like our kids knew what they were doing. Eldest brought home the blue for Fancy Poultry in the standard size!
Middlest earned second! Quite a sweep. The two birds on the left of the photo are Middlest's and the two on the right are Eldests...although Middlest would argue that they are all hers. She would probably be right, but Eldest rose before dawn each morning this year to care for the hens, and earn the right to show a pair.
The Triumphant Poultry Sisters.
And, Youngest. Here he is with friend, and teammate, Adam M. showing his Buff ducks. His original pair of birds had been killed by raccoons two weeks before The Fair. But these Buffs were to have been next year's show birds, and got the understudy job. They turned out to be a sensational choice, earning second place in Fancy Ducks!
While Youngest was showing his ducks, Middlest was being called in the Market Sheep Show ring. Up she went with February, a "wool sheep" being shown in her market class full of "meat sheep".
Here the judge feels February for his condition and muscle development. He looked different, but showed pretty well, and I was so proud of Middlest for breeding and raising her very own market project. That is becoming more unusual. Many children purchase a lamb in the spring, and just raise it and show it.
In the end, February placed a respectable 4th place. Plus, the judge has had his first look at Middlest, and no doubt realized that February was a Border Leicester, and not normally considered a "market lamb."
Meanwhile....as Middlest is finishing up with February, in the poultry arena, Eldest is in a heated battle in the Senior Fancy Poultry Showmanship class. She knows her stuff, has been diligently studying, and probably can recite the bulk of the American Standard of Perfection for Poultry.
Here, Eldest and two of her Senior Showmanship competitors, and teammates, give the thumbs up that they have answered all of the first round of questions correctly.
And, eldest is ready for round two. And three... but she is disappointed when she learns that in round one another competitor had captured the title by answering all the questions in a more complete fashion. The subsequent rounds were all to decide on second through fourth. She lands in second place, and graciously accepts her disappointment.
Next up? The Intermediate Fancy Poultry Showmanship contest. In a larger field, that includes both Middlest, and, now, Youngest! The age range is 10-13. A spectator taps me on the shoulder and asks me if this will turn into a battle between my two offspring. I roll my eyes, and say it is unlikely. Poor Youngest is competing with the bigger dogs now. But, as I watch, the unlikely happens.
Middlest gets moved into the first position, indicating she is currently in the lead. And as BuckeyeMan asks Youngest and his surrounding competitors more and more questions, Youngest keeps getting moved up, until....they are standing next to one another. He is in second. Yikes!
At this point, I am nervous, as over the loud speaker they have been calling Middlest's sheep breeding class. Eldest has been running back and forth to the main arena to let them know about the conflict, and they've put the Border Leicesters off until last, but last has come. So, I boldly poke the poultry show organizer on the shoulder and ask "Is she in first place, for certain?" He answers, "Yes." So, I ask if she can scoot off to the sheep show. The victor in the Intermediate Poultry Showmanship leaves as the battle for second rages behind.
And, in the end, Youngest is placed third, missing a question about a chick brooder and a light and a draft.... but, still, a victory!
Making biggest sis very proud!
And, I dash off to the sheep show, in time to see Middlest show her Spring Ewe Lamb in the battle for Grand Champion Overall Breeding Sheep. The judge likes little Finn. I can tell, he keeps looking at her, and the calm, intent Middlest, keeping Finn in just the right spot.
Bingo! Grand Champion Breeding Sheep! Wow!!!
That contest was about the sheep. Who has the most correct animal to continue the breeding line. But this contest, this is the weighty one in my book. This is about the kid. Who can show the sheep to it's best advantage. This is Sheep Showmanship. Middlest shows her sheep in "breeding style". That means she stays low and tries to be unobtrusive. She merely keeps a hand under Finn's chin, and leads her around like that, then crouches down behind, "setting her up" so her feet are square and her chin is high. She is the only one in the game that does this, the other kids showing their market sheep stand up and square the lamb's feet, then "brace" them, by pulling them up in the front and making them hold their weight in their haunches, showing off their meaty little rumps. So, Middlest is the one neatly hidden behind Finn.
The judge deliberated and deliberated, and pulled out all but three kids. The last three were all very good showman, and he was having a hard time deciding who was the best. So, he had them change sheep. Here Middlest is bracing (kind of) a market sheep while the other girl tries to control Finn. Middlest makes that task look easy, but Finn isn't much of a people-sheep, and doesn't really like to be touched. You could say she was uncooperative. Still, both other competitors managed to hold onto her, and coped with the switch-up.
But, the judge thought Middlest was his one. His #1. Here he has placed her in first, but is talking to her, asking questions and giving her tips. Now, remember, he's seen her showing a market Border Leicester, and now this breeding one, and he realizes this is one of the kids that is growing her own. So, he asked her about her flock. And, having seen him switch places around after a line up in Senior Sheep Showmanship already today, I'm not ready to start Whooping yet.
But, now, Whoop away!!! She's done it! First place and Grand Champion Border Leicester, Grand Champion Overall Breeding Sheep, and now the icing on that cake- Intermediate Sheep Showman!
Serious "TA-DA!"
Busy day, successful day. And so proud of all three!!
They did so well and the pictures are just lovely!
ReplyDelete