Popular Bantam Show

I don’t keep hens or cockerels for exhibition but thought it would be interesting to go to a show. So off I went to the Bantam Show held by the Reading and District Bantam Society in Newbury, Berkshire. There were 1,600 bantams on show of all different varieties from the very small Seramas to the bigger bantams such as Wyandottes and Croad Langshans. There was a Sales Section which I headed to first. We had deliberately missed the rush earlier in the morning – apparently it’s like the January Sales when the door first opens; so there were quite a few empty cages but I found the trio of bantam Brahmas that I wanted and snapped them up. They are the gold variety so the cockerels have a wonderful array of differently coloured feathers and the hens have a gold pencilled pattern over the majority of their feathers. The gold colour is finely pencilled with black. The birds have feathered feet which means they are not able to be as effective at scratching up the garden as breeds with clean legs!

I took some pictures of the Sablepoots ( Dutch booted bantams). I love the pretty lemon millefleur variety but I don’t think they would manage well free ranging in my garden – they are just too small and we have the ever present danger of sparrowhawks circling above – the Sablepoots are the size of a wood pigeon so easily susceptible to birds of prey.

Having walked down the aisles admiring the birds and being slightly amazed by all the different game breeds on show, we also had a look at all the eggs on display and the photographic competition. There was lots of networking going on but we didn’t stay too long –it was good to get out into the fresh air and the relative quiet after listening to so many cockerels crowing in a confined space!