# CCheek's Cheer!



## ccheek (May 2, 2016)

This is it.... it started with gardens and chickens and has evolved to rabbits... I'm not sure where it's going to end up but we are so happy to see the progress! I will be posting pictures of how it all came to be, what it is now, and whatever it brings in the future! I'm excited to see the progression weeks, months, and years from now.


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## Hens and Roos (May 2, 2016)

Congrats!! It's always fun to see progress!


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## TAH (May 2, 2016)

Congratulations.


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## Latestarter (May 2, 2016)

Glad to hear things are coming along! Never seems fast enough, but it takes time (and effort). Welcome to BYH. Glad you joined us. Chickens seem to be the gateway animal with rabbits being a close second... since you already have both, it won't be long before you add in the goats, sheep and cows


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## TAH (May 2, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> it won't be long before you add in the goats, sheep and cows


That is very true.


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## ccheek (May 9, 2016)

Here goes my storybook, at least the summary version. 

We've always done a garden of some type... container, raised bed, traditional....



 

 

 

Well it turns out my daughter found out you can't have a successful garden without chickens!!! 


 

And of course then you have to have a coop/run!


 

Then your chickens get big and win lots of ribbons over the next couple of years... from shows that happen to take place in the same barn as the rabbits!

 









And then one day out of the blue someone offers FREE bunnies for your daughter to use as another 4H project for the upcoming year!!! 


 

AND THEN you transition over from The Easy Garden to Backyard Herds and start building rabbit cages and a rabbit shed to begin your new adventure!!!


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## samssimonsays (May 9, 2016)

Welcome! I am very excited to follow your new journey!


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## ccheek (May 9, 2016)

Samantha drawz said:


> Welcome! I am very excited to follow your new journey!



Thank you! I definitely would have been (even more) lost without your help!


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## samssimonsays (May 9, 2016)

LOL! ANy time! We have all started somewhere. You are in great hands here!


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## Latestarter (May 9, 2016)

What an awesome upbringing for your daughter! She's a very lucky young lady! Seems like you are very lucky parents as well


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

Thank you @Latestarter. That girl absolutely loves her animals! The boys, however, couldn't really care less (hence the lack of pictures), lol. My oldest does like helping me build the things we need to support the garden and animals, though. 

As for the upbringing, I always wanted my kids to know where their food came from, and realize the work that goes into it. It seems to me that there are too many children (and adults for that matter) that take their food for granted (including my own). I feel like if they can see the animals being raised and the gardens being grown, they may hold that food a little more near and dear. They can actually see that some of these animals even lose their life in order to provide the meat to nourish ours.... and just maybe they can catch a bigger, more complete picture of the world, and the give and take that it requires. I don't know if that theory will work, but I'm giving it a shot at least. To think that there are kids out there that have never even seen a chicken or rabbit in real life, or a tomato plant making blooms, is disheartening in the least.


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## Mike CHS (May 10, 2016)

You have a good philosophy (I think) so whether it works or not is up to your children.


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## Latestarter (May 10, 2016)

Many years from now, I'm sure you'll be thankful for the son who likes to jump in and help with building projects... I know I am!


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

Mike CHS said:


> You have a good philosophy (I think) so whether it works or not is up to your children.



Thank you. We receive compliments on the children's behavior (who knew Please, Thank you, Ma'am, and Sir could make such an impression), so hopefully we're doing something right. More credit goes to the kids than us, really. They have the ability to act a different way no matter what we do. BUT, the oldest just turned 14 .... I've heard around this age his brain and respect go on vacation for about a decade!


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> Many years from now, I'm sure you'll be thankful for the son who likes to jump in and help with building projects... I know I am!


I agree! This kid has been building things since he could pick stuff up. Legos, sticks/mud/rocks, couch cushions/bar stools/blankets.... he doesn't care as long as he can make something. He has been looking into careers in Engineering, but wants to go into the Armed Forces (the specifics change on a daily basis) while pursuing his studies. He has big plans for a fourteen year old! Maybe after all that he'll come home and help his momma out.


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## MrsKuhn (May 10, 2016)

So glad you started this! I am with you on this journey and I love that you are including your kids and they are so hands on. Can I ask how you show and win with chickens? That seems interesting.


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

MrsKuhn said:


> So glad you started this! I am with you on this journey and I love that you are including your kids and they are so hands on. Can I ask how you show and win with chickens? That seems interesting.



Thank you! There are breed standards for chickens just like any other animal. It involves weight, feather markings, comb types, measurements across the breast and back, along with a lot of other details. Our county isn't big in poultry showing so the judging is a little more relaxed. Some counties actually do showmanship for poultry like you would find with swine, beef, goats, etc. (there are poultry showmanship videos on YouTube). Our county doesn't do showmanship for poultry so we just wash them, trim their beaks and claws, take them to the poultry show barns, and put them in cages. The judges will close the barn for judging and remove them from the cages to inspect each bird individually. After they are done they open the barns back up. 

We are hoping to grow the poultry exhibits enough to make a showmanship class possible, but it has been slow going so far.


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## MrsKuhn (May 10, 2016)

@ccheek  Thank you for educating me.  There are always chickens and rabbits at our fair and I always have wondered how they judge them and how in the world you know that you have a chicken or rabbit worth judging because they all look adorable to me 

I have been toying with showing goats, and now I want to do my favorite Bantam chicken but mainly because I love the feet feathers


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

You're welcome. I still consider us newbies to chicken showing so I understand. Someone a lot more knowledgeable in chickens, and their breed characteristics, do the judging. Like you, we just take the ones we think are the prettiest.  Here is an example of a judge's score card (not our county's, just did a google search):  







And here is the a summary Standard of Perfection for the Barred Rock breed (you gotta buy the book to get the full scoop, lol):
*BREEDING BARRED ROCKS STANDARD OF PERFECTION*















*LARGE FOWL GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: THE MALE*


*CARRIAGE*: Alert, upright with bold appearance, well balanced and free from Stiltedness.

*TYPE*: Body deep, large and compact, evenly balanced and symmetrical, keel bone long and straight. Back broad and of medium length, saddle hackle good length and full breast broad and well rounded. Wings of medium size, carried well up, bow and tip covered by breast and saddle feathers respectively; flights carried horizontally. Tail of a medium size, rising slightly from the saddle to be carried neatly and not a fan shape, squirrel or wry, sickles medium in length and nicely curved, coverts sufficiently abundant to cover the stiff feathers.

*HEAD*: Medium size, strong and carried well up, beak slightly curved, orange short and stout, eyes large, bright orange and prominent. Comb single, medium in size, straight and erect with well-defined serration's (five), fine texture and smooth, free from side sprigs and thumb marks. Ear lobes well developed and pendant shaped, fine textured wattles moderately rounded and of equal length, to correspond with size of face, comb.

*NECK*: Medium length, slightly curved, a full hackle flowing over the shoulders.

*LEGS AND FEET*: Legs orange, set wide apart, thighs large and of medium length, shanks medium length, stout, well rounded, smooth and free from feathers. Four strong toes perfectly straight, well spread and of medium length.

*FLUFF*: Moderately full, carried close to the body and of good texture, barred to the skin.

*SKIN*: Silky yellow and fine in texture.



*LARGE FOWL GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: THE FEMALE*

The general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences, except that comb, ear- lobes and wattles are smaller. The neck is of medium length, carried slightly forward and the tail is small and compact, carried well back.

*WEIGHTS*:
Male 3.40kg (7 1/2 lbs)
Female 2.95kg (6 1/2 lbs)

*COLOUR*
The Barred

*MALE AND FEMALE PLUMAGE*: Ground colour, white with a bluish tinge, barred with black of a beetle green tinge, the bars straight, moderately narrow, of equal breadth and sharply defined, to continue through to the shaft of the feather. Every feather to finish with a black tip. The fluff, or undercolour, to be barred also. The neck and saddle hackles, wing bow and tail to correspond with the rest of the body, presenting a uniformity of colour throughout.


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## Latestarter (May 10, 2016)

Kinda funny in the pictures above but the rooster has a proper comb and the hen has what appears to be a pea comb...


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## ccheek (May 10, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> Kinda funny in the pictures above but the rooster has a proper comb and the hen has what appears to be a pea comb...



Gotta love the internet.  The rooster's shouldn't lean either.


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## Hens and Roos (May 10, 2016)

Great job to your kids!!  Our 3 kids are involved in helping with caring for the animals but only my DD and youngest DS show the chickens, rabbits and goats at the fair.


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