PCGB National Poultry Show 2014

Had a great weekend at Telford International Conference centre for the Poultry Club of Great Britain's National Poultry Show.

I flew into Luton on Saturday where I met a friend and travelled up to the show.

Supreme Show Champion was a Rosecomb (Mr Taylor) and Reserve Show Champion a Yellow Dutch (Mr S Yorks):

We went to the Saturday Evening Social which was to be honest a bit disappointing.

We've been for the last 3 years and they usually have a really good auction followed by a live band or disco.

In previous years the auction prizes have been art commissions, expensive metal chicken statues, rare antique books, poultry cigarette cards, egg skelters, coop covers, peck a blocks etc; this year they had 5 pairs of shoes, a new book and a couple of feeders.

In the past we've been out on tables and mingled with 'strangers' but this year people stayed in their groups and didn't chat.

We did have a speech from the Championship Judge Andrew Sheppy which was interesting, if a little long!

He did leave us with this, which I might start living my life by... "If you have a nice one, get it out and show it, I might like it."

It was really nice to catch up with friends that I've known for years and to finally meet new people I've been speaking to over the year on Facebook and Twitter.

Of course I had to get a photo with my old friends Chip from EasiChick and the legend that is Mr Simon Pickles!

I love this prototype clear MS Broedmachines Incubator 

...but as amazing as the Heka Incubators are, I still don't think they will hatch this rare breed Kinder egg:

They had little hatching trays with different types of dividers so separate eggs by colour, parents or breed etc which was clever; I've seen people make their own but not seen them manufactured to fit the incubator trays before.

Chris Jones the artist was there again so spent 10 minutes admiring some of his oil portraits. The detail is stunning and every time you look at them you spot another little details.

Will be a few years saving before I can afford one of his originals, but I bought another of his calendars ready for next year.

Think the Barnevelders had the best rosettes...

Some breed clubs has tried to go modern with just the paper circle and a ribbon coming down, no 'Rose' bit around the outside but they just looked cheap to me.

Also these birds are the grand-chicks of the Serama boy my Flatmate brought down from Scotland to Aberystwyth for a friend of mine!

Sat on the tube in London on Monday and the last next to me was reading The Guardian and I spotted this!

There has been a lot of bickering and political unrest in the club over the last few months with new members getting onto council and some members being stuck in their ways rather than moving with the times, but everyone came together and put on a fantastic show.

The Poultry Club, it's committee and all the volunteers clearly worked so hard to get to where the show is today, a massive improvement on the cattle sheds at Stoneleigh a few years ago; let's hope 2015 is even bigger and better.