National Meet Winners

[Mike Gilbert]

Here is Russ Blair with his champion black cockerel.   Reserve champion bantam of show over all in a class exceeding 1,000 birds.  This bird knows how to pose!  And the chicken doesn't do too badly either!       This is what we want our bantam males to look like for type.  Notice the nice full hackles and green sheen.   The judge made the right choice.

[Mike Gilbert]

Here is John Blehm's dandy black cockerel that went champion AOSB in the large fowl classes.   He is very correct with a good body carriage and proper wing carriage.  Nice green sheen to his feathers and just a very classy bird.

[Mike Gilbert]

And this is the Reserve of Breed Ameraucana large fowl, a pullet by John Blehm.   There were 60 large fowl in the open class.  She is not posing properly, as time is always short in a one day show, but hopefully the viewer can get an idea of the quality of this bird.  She was nice.

[Mike Gilbert]

This was champion Ameraucana bantam in the junior show, a wheaten cockerel shown by Alex Berryer of Michigan.  Excellent color on that bird, and there were two more in the junior show that were nearly as good.   Sorry I didn't get a photo of the champ large fowl in the junior show, but I believe John did, so maybe he will post it in this thread..   

[Mike Gilbert]

Here is the reserve champ Ameraucana bantam of the junior show, a wheaten pullet by Alex Berryer.   His mom told me their strain of wheatens came from Janet Little of New Jersey.   Janet had told me she got her original wheaten bantams from John Blehm over 10 years ago.   
More photos coming later.

[John W Blehm]

Central Indiana Poultry Show
Lebanon, IN â€" Ameraucana National Meet, October 17, 2015

66 Bantams by 5 exhibitors, judge: Paul Monteith
BB, BV â€" black K by Russ Blair, out of 11 â€" Champion AOCCL, Res. Ch. Bantam Chicken
RV â€" black P by Russ Blair
BV â€" blue P by Russ Blair, out of 9
RV â€" blue P by Russ Blair
BV â€" blue wheaten P by Neil & Donna Townsend
BV â€" brown red K by Mike Gilbert, out of 2
RV â€" brown red P by Mike Gilbert
BV â€" buff P by John Blehm, out of 6
RV â€" buff P by John Blehm
BV â€" silver P by John Blehm, out of 4
RV â€" silver P by John Blehm
BV â€" wheaten H by John Blehm, out of 5
RV â€" wheaten H by John Blehm
RB, BV â€" white H by Mike Gilbert, out of 4
RV â€" white P by Mike Gilbert
BV â€" lavender P by John Blehm, out of 19 â€" Best AOV
RV â€" lavender K by Russ Blair â€" Reserve AOV
BV â€" lavender silver P by John Blehm
BV â€" splash P by Russ Blair, out of 4
RV â€" splash P by Russ Blair

60 large fowl by 10 exhibitors, judge: Paul Monteith
BB, BV â€" black K by John Blehm, out of 23 â€" Champion AOSB
RB, RV â€" black P John Blehm
BV â€" blue P by Russ Blair
BV â€" brown red K by Mike Gilbert, out of 2
RV â€" brown red P by Mike Gilbert
BV â€" buff P by John Blehm, out of 9
RV â€" buff K by John Blehm
BV â€" silver P by John Blehm, out of 5
RV â€" silver P by John Blehm
BV â€" white C by Bob Rennolet, out of 4
RV â€" white H by Bob Rennolet
BV â€" cuckoo K by Jerry Segler
BV â€" cuckoo lavender C by Jerry Segler â€" Reserve AOV
BV â€" lavender P by John Blehm, out of 12 â€" Best AOV
RV â€" lavender H by John Blehm
BV â€" splash P by Russ Blair, out of 2 (1 was OUT)

I think it is very interesting that the lavender class was the second largest variety class in large fowl and the LARGEST in bantams!

Jr Competition, 19 bantams by 5 exhibitors, judges: Brad Jones, Greg Chamness, and Shannon Brady
BV â€" black P by Gus Malcolm
BV â€" blue K by Gus Malcolm
BV â€" buff C by Natalie Sonsalla, out of 2
RV â€" buff P by Walter Malcolm
BV â€" silver H by Walter Malcolm, out of 5
RV â€" silver K by a non-member
BB, BV â€" wheaten K by a non-member, out of 4 â€" Res AOCCL
RB, RV â€" wheaten P by a non-member
BV â€" white K by Walker Curran, out of 4
RV â€" white H by Walker Curran
BV â€" splash P by Gus Malcolm, out of 2
RV â€" splash H by Gus Malcolm

Jr Competition, 7 large fowl by 4 exhibitors, judges: Brad Jones, Greg Chamness, and Shannon Brady
BB, BV â€" black K by Cody Granatier, out of 2
RV â€" black P by Keesha Ivins
RB, BV â€" blue K by a non-member, out of 4
RV â€" blue P by Keesha Ivins
BV â€" splash P by Keesha Ivins

[Russ Blair]

Thanks for the run down John, and the pictures Mike. Do you think I could get a copy of that picture of the cockerel Mike? Yours turned out way better than mine.

[Mike Gilbert]

Thanks for the run down John, and the pictures Mike. Do you think I could get a copy of that picture of the cockerel Mike? Yours turned out way better than mine.

Russ, I sent both photos via email.    I think you can copy and save them right off these threads too.   Anyway, let me know if you don't get them.

[Max Strawn]

Congrats to all the winners! Beautiful bird Russ! Better keep him under lock and key.

[John W Blehm]

Junior LF BB by Cody Granatier.

[Harry Shaffer]

John Blehm,  like your black pullet.

[John W Blehm]

John Blehm,  like your black pullet.

I really thought the 2 pullets I had would do better than both cockerels.  The winning cockerel went to his new home in PA, with Neil & Donna Townsend.  The other one went to SD, with Bob Rennolet.  The pullets weren't for sale.

[Suki]

congrats folks.  love the pic of russ holding the bantam.  really gives you a sense of scale.  he's a beauty.

[Max Strawn]

Russ's bird looks so good I vote for him to represent the bantam black male in the "photos of Ameraucana" gallery... Nice job Russ!

[Russ Blair]

Thanks for all the kind words, I can not take all the credit. Mike Gilbert, John Blehm and even Patty Pickard get some of the credit. After all there's a little bit of all there stock in that line of Bantams. I just wish I took as good of a picture as the cockerel did. I crack up every time I look at me holding it. I also believe Mike Gilbert is a chicken whisperer, he makes it look easy getting great pictures of all the birds.