Home from the Grand National!

[KerryC]

I'm back from the Grand National and boy did we have a BLAST!! Talk about your whirl wind tour!!! We took lots of little trips some had to be quick...New River, Sadona, Jerome, shopped Camp Verde very well, buzzed through Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon. Our flight left at 7:30 AM from Phoenix, our birds had to be at the airport at 5:30 am so we opted to stay the night in Phoenix to get a few hrs of sleep...try 3 1/2 for most of us.

As for the show, Texas was not the only state that had cold fronts come through and birds that fell apart due to weather. However we did VERY well in the show! There were a total of 343 entered - 0 Juniors, 61 Novice, 42 Intermediate and 240 Champion for a grand total of 343 birds entered.

Here is how Texas placed:
Novice Division our one member got 9th place out of 61 birds.
Intermediate Division we took 1 - 5, 7 - 9, Best Young and Best Opposite Sex
Champion Division we took 10th

In Challenge Certificates Texas took best:

Opaline Cinnamon
Albino
Spangle
Yellow Face
Greywing


As for me after the last show we had - Ft. Worth Bird Show Sep 28 I sprayed the 24 birds of that show team just about every day. We had 2 cold fronts come through and I kept spraying and praying! I waited until the final hour before pulling the show team for the Grand. Oh what a groan I made as I pulled bird after bird out and they were in blood pin feathers. They fooled me! The feathers on the front of their caps looked good, it was the feathers behind that that were in blood feathers. I pulled one bird out and tried to rub them to break open the feather sheaths, but only managed to bloody a head. I then prayed that I could at least find 8 birds to take. I ended up barely finding 6 birds. Bubba was the ONLY bird that stayed in perfect feather.

We were not allowed to keep the birds at the hotel so we got them settled into their stock cages to over night at the show hall. We got in The AZ club had a couple of members that took turns staying over night on a cot in gym with the birds for security starting Thursday through Saturday night.


Bubba 1st place


Cinnamon Light Green hen 4th place, Best Young, Best Young Opposite Sex.
She was tired and did NOT want to show for her photo!


Grey hen 5th place


Friday night steak dinner.
Top Grill masters Lyle (left) Glen (right)


Friends chatting waiting for the steaks to cook.


Weanling colt at Bill's house. This is the view from their living room windows.


The easy climb of the Pink Jeep tour


Being polite we let the other Jeep take the lead....


Then we followed....


A view from the bottom look up....



Then we went to the Grand Canyon

Gerd and Julie. Gerd is from Berlin Germany and was invited by the AZ club to judge the Champion Division and final bench.


Julie picked up a "friend" at the Grand Canyon.


Ok I'm going home to go to be EARLY....well after House - I just love that show!

[Kathy in Montana]

Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Congrats on the wins. Love the pink jeeps ;D

[Michael B]

They're really beautiful, especially Bubba. Nice photography. He looks flourescent. (That reminds me, one of my first posting here was about flouresence). It looks so beautiful out there. It's starting to turn cold here.

Does a flock tend to molt together?
How do they feel about you rubbing the pin feathers. My Cockatiel doesn't mind, but my budgie would have freaked.

[KerryC]

The flock will molt together if they all are experience the same temp changes. So if it's nice at home and you take your birds to a show away from home those birds exhibited will go into a molt, but the birds that stayed home will not.

As for the pin feathers. They always scream, some more than others like you are cutting their throats. The funny ones are the few cocks that scream like hens. We always tell them they are just big sissies!

Next time I am going to try the emery board trick for rubbing out pin feathers. Virgil used one on this trip and said it REALLY worked. I have tried the child's/baby tooth brush - to got some pins, but not all of them. I usually use this around the beak and eyes. I have tried the fine saw blade that was dulled so it wouldn't cut the bird. Wasn't overly impressed. I have also heard that if you feed cucumbers to your birds after a show they won't molt. Have yet to try that one. LOL

I have only managed to put 3 birds up for breeding since I got home. One hen is already in the nest box. I REALLY want to take my time, with the pedigree book as well as putting the birds in show boxes to match birds that can help each other fill in for each others faults. This will take time to do this, not a few hrs one evening after work. That is what I will be doing on Sunday!

[Michael B]

kerry said:

As for the pin feathers. They always scream, some more than others like you are cutting their throats. The funny ones are the few cocks that scream like hens. We always tell them they are just big sissies!

So insensitive, you Texans. Here in Cambridge, Massachusetts we encourage cocks to express their inner hens.

I have also heard that if you feed cucumbers to your birds after a show they won't molt. Have yet to try that one. LOL

Hmmm, sounds like an unlikely folk remedy, doesn't it? Well, maybe a cucumber will keep the cocks from cross-screaming.

Good luck with the next round of breeding.

[Sheila]

WOW!!! Sounds like an adventure, full of fun! Hope your birdies make full recovery, from the show! Enjoyed the pink jeeps! If they ever break down, someone could spot you for miles and miles and.... ;D

[henryswife]

" Bubba ' looks like he is the "King of the Mt. " Congrats to all of your birds. It must of been really scary to find most of your birds molting, ' Like, Not Today! ' Ours are molting now too because it's not as warm in the house, but have cages half covered in a corner with a wall to block drafts and not next to heat-ducts, and have timed night-light etc. with battery back-up.
Do you think a soft bath scrubby 'I can't think of what they're called, but they hang on a string, cheap, and just throw in the wash ?' woud work to remove pins?
Looks like you all had a great time,' LOVE all your pics.' The Pink Jeeps are cute, and must of been fun touring the trail.
The colt is a beauty, neighbors had them, and it wasn't a surprise to see them looking in our picture window next door and shoo them home.
Alice

[KristaRose]

Your birds are beautiful - I'm not surprised. I really like the gray color on the one. It's unusual, isn't it?

The rest of your pics are good, too. You're not going to start raising horses, too, are you? ;D ;D

Thanks for sharing. Glad you had a great time!

[KerryC]

jody said:

I really like the gray color on the one. It's unusual, isn't it?

Not really. This year the grey classed have been really strong - in the 30 bird range. Greys are one of my favorite colors!

jody said:

You're not going to start raising horses, too, are you?

Nope, been there and have already done that once-apone-a-time-ago, don't have the time or the land any longer