High School bantams the frizzle dizzle

QUEANBEYAN High School agriculture students had their best result at the Sydney Easter Show this year thanks to some outstanding results in the poultry pavilion.

The school entered 12 frizzle bantams and won seven of their eight classes.

Head of agriculture Ian Crabb said students impressed the judges to win the champion coloured frizzle and reserve champion overall in the frizzle bantam section.

‘‘Agriculture students are involved in every stage of the process from selecting the best genetics in the breeding flock through the incubation and chicken raising then onto the final appraisal and preparation of the show team,’’ Mr Crabb said.

‘‘Our next challenge is the National Show at EPIC over the June long weekend.

‘‘Every Olympic year, Canberra hosts the biggest poultry show in the southern hemisphere with 5000 fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys being assessed by the judges.’’

Year 9 student Sarah Croker was among the 40 students who travelled to Sydney to see the best livestock in the state compete. It was her first trip to the Easter show and after the success she is now keen to see the chooks she helped hand-raise compete in Canberra.

‘‘It was really big, there were lots of people and I had never seen the chook exhibit,’’ she said.

‘‘The poultry pavilion was huge and very loud. It was really good. ‘‘On the Wednesday before the show a group of about eight of us got together to prepare the chooks, it was like a pampering spa as we cleaned their feet with toothpicks and baby oil.’’

Mr Crabb said the show always generates interest from poultry fans looking to buy the best chooks.

After the stellar show performance one couple even travelled down from the NSW central coast to purchase seven of the school’s frizzles.

Recent ex-student Rachel McKenzie also travelled to Sydney to compete in the state final of the Dairy Goat Junior Judging dhcompetition.

She returned home with the reserve champion ribbon and scored just two points less than the winner.