Blehm Backyard Chicken Show wrap-up

[John W Blehm]

It was another great Ameraucana National meet! 
Please post your photos and memories here.

[Mike Gilbert]

Can we get a listing of BV's and RV's?    Thanks.

[Russ Blair]

2022 Ameraucana North Central National
Blehm Backyard Chicken Show - Birch Run, MI 10/1/2022

143 bantams by 7 exhibitors, judge Phil Bartz & clerk Lisa Helms
BV Black H Russell Blair out of 40 by 5 exhibitors
RV Black P Rachel Dunn
BV Blue P Robert Rennolet out of 23 by 2 exhibitors
RV Blue P Robert Rennolet
BV Blue Wheaten P Rachel Dunn out of 10 by 3 exhibitors
RV Blue Wheaten P Rachel Dunn
BV Brown Red P from trio Russell Blair out of 6 by 2 exhibitors
RV Brown Red K from trio Russell Blair
BV Buff K Jerry De Smidt out of 9 by 2 exhibitors
RV Buff P John Blehm
BV Self Blue H Robert Rennolet out of 19 by 1 exhibitor
RV Self Blue H Robert Rennolet
BV Splash H Robert Rennolet out of 5 by 2 exhibitors
RV Splash C Robert Rennolet
BV Wheaten K Mike Gilbert out of 11 by 4 exhibitors
RV Wheaten K Jerry De Smidt
BV, BB, Reserve Champion Ameraucana Overall White H Jerry De Smidt out of 14 by 2 exhibitors
RV, RB White K Jerry De Smidt
Best AOV Lavender P John Blehm out of 6 by 1 exhibitor
Reserve AOV Lavender K from trio John Blehm
Champion Bantam Trio White YT Jerry De Smidt out of 12 by 4 exhibitors
Reserve Bantam Trio Brown Red YT Russell Blair
 
75 large fowl by 9 exhibitors, judge Phil Bartz & clerk Lisa Helms
BV, BB , Champion Ameraucana Overall Black H Jerry De Smidt out of 34 by 6 exhibitors
RV Black C Stacy Melton
BV Blue H Russell Blair out of 1 by 1 exhibitor
BV Blue Wheaten H Jeff Sonsalla out of 3 by 1 exhibitor
RV Blue Wheaten C Jeff Sonsalla
BV Brown Red H Russell Blair out of 6 by 2 exhibitors
RV Brown Red C Stacy Melton
BV Buff P from trio John Blehm out of 9 by 1 exhibitor
RV Buff P John Blehm
BV, RB Self Blue H Stacy Melton out of 7 by 2 exhibitors
RV Self Blue H Robert Rennolet
BV Wheaten H Jeff Sonsalla out of 1 by 1 exhibitor
BV White H Jerry De Smidt out of 9 by 1 exhibitor
RV White P from trio Jerry De Smidt
Best AOV Ermine H Becky Pelton out of 3 by 1 exhibitor
Reserve AOV Chocolate P Janie M Vila’ out of 1 by 1 exhibitor
Champion Large Fowl Trio White YT Jerry De Smidt out of 6 by 2 exhibitors
Reserve Large Fowl Trio Black YT Jerry De Smidt

 
Displays (using the ABA Calculation Worksheet)
Champion Display overall Large Fowl Black Daniel Cook out of 7 by 4 exhibitors
Reserve Display overall Large Fowl Black Jerry De Smidt

Ameraucana Egg Contest (23 entries), judges Janie Vila’ & Becky Pelton
Best Bantam P John Blehm with a score of 100
Reserve Bantam H Robert Rennolet with a score of 90
Best Large Fowl P Daniel Cook with a score of 99
Reserve Large Fowl H Carl Cook with a score of 98

Junior Competition, judge Phil Bartz & clerk Lisa Helms
Bantams:
BV, BB Black P Rachel Dunn out of 9 by 1 exhibitor
RV Black P Rachel Dunn
BV, RB Blue Wheaten P Rachel Dunn out of 5 by 1 exhibitor
RV B Blue Wheaten P Rachel Dunn
Large Fowl:
BV, BB LF Black K Daniel Cook out of 9 by 1 exhibitor
RV, RB LF Black K Daniel Cook

[Russ Blair]

John feel free to post exact numbers or modify my above post as needed. I just took today off work and figured I would try to help out.

[John W Blehm]

John feel free to post exact numbers or modify my above post as needed. I just took today off work and figured I would try to help out.

With the show just getting over yesterday, I knew I wouldn't get to that right away. Today, Tuesday and Wednesday are beautiful ones to get things back in order here according to the weather man. I'll double check your meet report and post a lot of photos as time permits. Thanks for jumping in and posting those results.

And a big thank you to all that exhibited and all that attended to make this an EPIC event! Our judge, Phil Bartz, didn't join our Alliance, but with this intimate backyard setting he fit right in with our members and was a big hit.

[John W Blehm]

This show was judged "lawn show" style, so I think it is kind of neat to have photos of the top four birds out on the lawn.

1.   Bantam BV, BB, Reserve Champion Ameraucana Overall - White hen by Jerry De Smidt
2.   Bantam RV, RB  - White cockerel by Jerry De SmidtI
3.   Large Fowl BV, BB , Champion Ameraucana Overall  - Black hen by  Jerry De Smidt
4.   Large Fowl BV, RB - Self Blue hen by Stacy Melton

[John W Blehm]

Photos...

[John W Blehm]

Some more...

[John W Blehm]

By Stacy Melton - 10/3/2022, for publication in the Poultry Press

The Ameraucana Alliance held their 2022 Ameraucana Alliance North Central National meet on Saturday October 1, 2022, in Birch Run, Michigan.  This was a private Ameraucana only show, open to Alliance members and their families.  It was a beautiful day at the Blehm Farm with crisp autumn temperatures and foliage revealing a gorgeous array of colors.  While is it always a good time to go to a big poultry show and display all your hard work, it can be a stressful event for some fanciers.  I am thankful the Alliance hosts small venue/private shows for its members from time to time.  A private single breed only show gives the members a chance to socialize, talk about their varieties with fellow breeders and share experiences in a relaxed and friendly setting.  This show also gave members a chance to see the judge work up close.  After each variety round of judging, members were able to hear the judge talk about what he saw and ask questions about the birds.  At big shows, judges don’t always have the time to talk about how they saw the birds as they must move quickly to the next breed.  It was very interesting to listen to the judge speak about our wonderful breed and I picked up some great tips.  I am very appreciative of the time and attention the judge gave to the members of this club.
Special thanks to John and Kathy Blehm and family who graciously hosted this event at their beautiful farm in Michigan.  John opened up his barn and bought extra cages for the show birds.  Kathy put on the meals in their big enclosed pavilion making everyone feel right at home.  We all had fun chatting by the fire pit, trail rides in the Ranger and rides in the barrel train.  Shout out to Kathy Blehm, my side still hurts from laughing so hard listening to my friends talk about the enjoyment they derived from your Ranger ride on the trails.  LOL.
The generosity of the members and businesses who donated items for both the raffle and the silent auction was amazing.  The silent auction boasted stunning artwork by Rusty Hart of the recognized varieties while the raffle held lots of goodies and great stuff to help your breeding program and exhibitor knowledge.  Special thanks to Cackle Hatchery, Hake’s Twin City Poultry Supplies, and Murray McMurry Hatchery.
23 entries were placed in our annual egg contest.  Russell Blair, of Michigan checked in the eggs.  Becky Pelton, of South Carolina and Janie Vila, of Virginia judged and clerked the contest.  Daniel Cook, of Missouri had Best Pullet Large Fowl eggs and Carl Cook, of Missouri had Reserve Hen Large Fowl eggs.  John Blehm, of Michigan had Best Pullet Bantam eggs and Robert Rennolet, of South Dakota had Reserve Hen Bantam eggs.  It was a spectacular presentation of blue eggs.
This was an APA and ABA sanctioned show.  Phil Bartz was the judge for both the Open and Junior shows.  12 exhibitors participated in the meet showing 143 Bantams and 75 Large Fowl for a total of 218 birds competing.  It was wonderful to see the recognized varieties Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Self Blue, Wheaten and White represented in Bantam and Large Fowl.  We also saw some beautiful splash Bantams (recognized by the ABA) and some quality project varieties in Ermine and Chocolate.  I love seeing the hard work our members put into their breeding programs, such stunning birds on display!
In the Junior competition, Rachel Dunn, of Wisconsin had BB Bantam with a Black Pullet and RB Bantam with a Blue Wheaten Pullet.  Daniel Cook, of Missouri had BB Large Fowl and RB Large Fowl with his two Black Cockerels.

In the Open Bantam competition, the largest variety class was 40 blacks followed by 23 Blues and 19 Self Blue.  Jerry De Smidt, of Wisconsin had Best of Breed with a White Hen. She was also Reserve Champion Ameraucana Overall.  Jerry De Smidt, of Wisconsin had Reserve of Breed with a White Cockerel.

In Open Large Fowl competition, the largest variety class was also blacks with 34.  Buffs and Whites tied for second place with 9 of each exhibited.  Jerry De Smidt, of Wisconsin had Best of Breed with a Black Hen.  She was also Champion Ameraucana Overall.  Stacy Melton, of Virginia had Reserve Breed with a Self Blue Hen.

The show also boasted some lovely trios both young and old in Bantam and Large Fowl.  Daniel Cook, of Missouri received Champion Display Overall with a Black Large Fowl trio.  Jerry De Smidt, of Wisconsin received Reserve Champion Display Overall with a Black Large Fowl trio.

I would like to thank everyone who exhibited birds and a special thank you to those who contributed to make this show such a success.  We can’t put on these exceptional events without the hard work of dedicated volunteer fanciers.

On October 14-16, 2022, the Ameraucana Alliance Western National was held at the Utah Fancy Poultry Association Fall Show in Ogden, Utah.  If you were unable to attend this show, we have several other meets being held across the country.  Please visit our website to see the list of upcoming meets.
Ameraucanas are a wonderful breed.  In 2021, the Ameraucana was the second most exhibited large fowl at poultry shows.  If you are interested in Ameraucanas, please visit the Ameraucana Alliance website at Ameraucana.org for more information and photos of these gorgeous birds.

[Russ Blair]

Thanks for posting the pictures and write up from Stacy. They both made me smile all over again.

[Mike Gilbert]

Great write up by Stacy.   Even though I could not attend, this report and the photos posted helped to ease the regrets.   I should mention that Rachel Dunn showed again on October 8th in Jefferson, Wisconsin.   She took Champion AOCCL in a class of 88 with a Black cockerel in the open competition
.   I did not get a photo, so I hope she posts one here.