The Urban Hen Party: Part I

Urban Hen Party! At the Canadian Heritage Breeds' Peavey Mart Urban Farm Show 2012

Wow. All I can say is WOW! The Urban Hen Party was soooo great! There is so much I could say and share and get all mushy about, I don't know where to begin, other than to say it was a HUGE success. Not only did we wind up with 21 Urban Hens on display and getting one of the best spots in the Agricentre, we had many visitors asking us some really, really great questions.

And not just small-talk kind of questions, but the kind of questions that prove that we are being taken seriously, we are treated with respect, with a degree of authority, and we are trusted as educators. To me, personally, that is what I'm finding most rewarding about being a part of CLUCK -being about to educate. Sure, I get a (ridiculously huge) kick out of watching and hanging out with my feathered friends, but I also feel that what CLUCK is doing as a whole is building community. It's about sharing, growing, learning.

(And I want to take this opportunity to say that we are incredibly grateful to Liz and Kyle, two local poultry breeders who are not only excellent sources of beautiful, healthy hens, they are also very supportive providers of advice, ideas and hands-on help for the CLUCK efforts.)

I'm going to post a bunch of photos from the weekend, share some resources that the Government of Alberta is putting out with regards to small flocks, talk about some of the highlights, and mention some of the places CLUCK Red Deer might be headed -but you'll have to bear with me. It's been a lot to process (even a few days later, I'm still excited about it and trying to put it into words) and I have some personal projects that require my attention for the next few days.

Countdown To The Urban Hen Party

The Urban Hen Party (UHP) is only 10 days away! Did you know you can give chickens a BATH?! I certainly would not have thought of it before I became a member of CLUCK and got to know a bit about showing chickens. What most of us think of as laying hens are typically rural, in large flocks, live exclusively outdoors, and never see water other than that which they are offered to drink.

Certainly not plastic tubs of warm, mildly soapy water that they are placed into.

*Note: this is a rooster, and he is not Urban, but he IS going to be at the Canadian Heritage Breeds' Peavey Mart show, so he requires a little primping before he's ready to wow the judges.

That's just it.. the people who CARE about their birds, who take the time and effort to ensure that their chickens are healthy and happy and want to show it off to the rest of the poultry-fanciers out there DO give their birds baths. And I can't get enough of the photos! Especially of birds tidily, cozily wrapped up in towels.

These girls aren't Urban, either, but I had to share the photo, anyway -isn't that adorable?

I'm certainly not going for the professional level of showing that many breeders are (there won't be any professional judges checking the Urban birds for form and breeding potential), but I get such a kick out of the photos that some of the breeders are sharing on Facebook. I might have to give my 4 hens a bath just so I can get some photos of them!! (I've asked the professionals for advice, I certainly don't want to get into anything that might hurt my girls or get them sick.)

I'll keep you posted!