This is hopefully my first post which is going to work!! I am currently at University so poultry is having to slightly take a back step for a while.

So, how do I introduce myself. I started keeping chickens about six years ago when I lost my last guinea pig. We had a chicken house which was quite old and falling apart, my parents said that if I wanted chickens I would have to mend the chicken house myself. So over winter I set about mending the chicken house and on the 13th February I bought my first four chickens (4 Cuckoo Marans Hens)

It carried on from their and gradually I built a collection of large fowl hens, I was then given a new chicken house for my Birthday and was then given some bantams which someone didn’t want any more. These three bantams started my now ever growing passion for breeding and improving particular breeds rather than just laying hen. One of the bantams went broody and I put half a dozen eggs under her. Out of those eggs five hatched resulting in 3 Lavender Pekins and 2 Partridge Pekins.

To cut a long story short I have a passion for Gold Partridge Pekins and I am determined to improve the type and colour, they are not an easy colour and they often don’t have the type of the black or white pekins but I think that they are incredibly pretty both the hens and cockerals.

I also show poultry and last year went to the National Poultry Show in Stoneleigh with a pekin cockeral and a hen and then some eggs. The cockeral came third and the hen came fourth which I was very pleased with the type of people who were there who have been showing for a lot longer than me. I continue to show my pekins mainly for my own enjoyment but also as there are very few Partridge Pekins shown at shows around the south of England.

This year I have had an amazing year showing my birds, I won Best Junior Handler at the Spring South of England and Best Large Fowl Soft Feather with a Croad Langshan hen at the South of England Show. My cockeral has remained unbeaten in his class this year which I am over the moon with!!

I have got one more show this year which is this Saturday at the Surrey Poultry Society Autumn Show. I going more for the fun of it this year because I haven’t been able prepare the birds as much as I would of liked but we shall see!!

Until next time…