Chickens! at the Royal Agricultural Fair 2012

I was at the Royal Agricultural Fair twice this week. First to be a judge in the Canada Cooks the Books competition and again for Poultry Day to check out the chickens. The following are some of the highlights of this year’s show.


Japanese Cockerel and Pullet


The Silver Gray Dorkling is aptly named. That floppy comb gives her (he? I can’t tell here) a very silly, lopsided look.


S/he poked his beak out through the bars several times.


Polish White Crested Black


Potato chips and eggs: No idea what is going on here.


This guy was such a ham. He posed for me through several photos.

2011 Poultry Show highlights are here.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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4 thoughts on “Chickens! at the Royal Agricultural Fair 2012

  1. The Canadian Heritage Breeds group is having their annual show in a couple of weeks and I’m excited! I’ll be bringing my hens in as a part of the CLUCK Red Deer display, trying to give an indication of the variety and beauty of current Urban Hens in Red Deer.

    My favorite chicken has to be the Partridge Chantecler. Chanteclers are the only Canadian breed and the Partridge were developed just outside of Edmonton!

    The comments are closed on your other post but I was going to say to the woman who asked about friendliness that a good breeder can help with that. Yes, some breeds are more prone to sociability than others but, as you said, it can vary so much depending on how they’re raised. A breeder who takes the time to get to know their birds (typically a smaller-scale breeder) will know while are better suited to confinement and human-interaction for urban life. The woman I bought my first pullets from suggested a trade when one of the hens I’d paid for turned out to be aggressive and noisier than would be ideal for a family pet/urban hen.

    They’ve all been pretty wary since moving in and, as I understand, when they’re ‘teenagers’ they tend to be excessively dramatic (go figure). Since I’ve been giving them a fresh, warm breakfast every morning they’ve become MUCH more approachable. I’ve heard that they can be won over with treats and it appears to be true :)

  2. The guy you said “was such a ham” — I believe that’s a salmon faverolles rooster. AKA the best chicken ever. I love them so much.

    Thanks for sharing these shots! Poultry shows are pretty much my favorite thing in the world.

  3. What fantastic varieties!! You did well to photograph so many of them so beautifully, usually these places are too dark to get any good shots! Thanks for sharing with us chook lovers :)

  4. I know you from TV iserie about you and your activity. I really like your way to grow the plant. My nane is chanai from Thailand and I will follow you website from now. I will try to make my garden too.

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