A Guest Blog from Ari Katz on His Love for Raising Chickens
As many of you know, I’ve long enjoyed the pastime of raising chickens. I began raising chickens primarily for their eggs, but over the years, I’ve also grown fond of caring for them and learning about their many different breeds and varieties. Not long ago, during a visit with guests at my farm, 18-year old Ari Katz told me about his love for breeding, raising and showing these birds. Ari lives on a farm with his family and cares for a flock of hundreds, many of them stunning prize-winners. I asked him to share some photos and the story of how his passion for chickens first developed. Enjoy.
When I was eight-years-old, a neighbor got some backyard chickens so he could enjoy their fresh eggs. I was immediately infatuated with their idiosyncrasies, beautiful patterns, and different personalities. My parents agreed to let me get two or three backyard birds. By the time I was 12, I had a flock of around 10 “hatchery quality” chickens - Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, and Ameraucanas.
In 2011, I went to my first poultry show in Frederick, Maryland. That first show didn't go well, but I was determined to improve my stock. In the spring of 2012, I ordered Barred Plymouth Rock Bantam chicks from Adrian Rademacher in Minnesota. In the fall of 2012, I got a pair of Bantam White Plymouth Rocks from Richard Hickman, and in 2013, I got White Wyandotte large fowl from Tom Roebuck - three of the most successful breeders in the country. This paved the way for my success with breeding and showing chickens. I am now one of the highest ranked Bantam Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte large fowl breeders in the United States. I'm driven by the desire to breed birds that judges feel are the perfect representation of their breed.
My pet chickens give me great joy and pride - here are some photos.
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- Here is the front entrance to the barn. When my family bought the property, this barn was completely empty and had been previously used for housing show llamas. Now it is filled with pens that are ideal for raising chickens.
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- Here is the side view of the barn. The barn was constructed in 2006 by Conestoga and measures 80-feet by 50-feet.
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- And here is the inside of the barn. During summer months, after hatching, this barn houses anywhere from 250 to 300 chickens, 12 Suffolk sheep, two Great Pyrenees dogs, two horses, and a miniature donkey. In the fall and winter months, during show season, I keep about 75 to 100 chickens. The lights inside of the chicken pens are on timers during the winter to enhance egg production. Chickens only lay eggs if they get 14 to 15 hours of daylight per day. That’s why many backyard hobbyists experience a surplus of eggs during the summer.
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- Here are some breeding pens. The top, middle, and bottom left cages house Black Wyandotte Bantams, a breed I added this fall. The bottom right houses Barred Plymouth Rock Bantams. All of my pens are numbered for identifying birds and cataloging eggs.
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- I call these pens the “high rise apartments.” The top two pens house White Plymouth Rock Bantams, and the bottom two house Barred Rocks.
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- Here is a picture of the floor pens. These are fantastic for my White Wyandotte large fowl and my other breeds. Note how the pieces of wood on the pen doors vary in height. This indicates the height of the roosts inside of the pens so I can decide who goes where. These pens were originally built on cement and then covered with custom-cut rubber horse stall mats with an inch of sand on top to make the chickens more comfortable. Birds in these pens are let out daily to roam around and forage for worms.
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- Here is a picture of a pen that has this year’s babies, and Little Rascal, the Old English Game Bantam near the roost. These babies were hatched in February and March. Chickens that I don’t keep get sold to other breeders across the United States during cooler months once they have fully matured.
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- Here is a picture one of my prized show birds – a Bantam White Plymouth Rock – from the 2018-2019 show season, #149. #149 won two Champion Plymouth Rocks last fall and produced many potential champions for the 2019-2020 shows. (Photo by Pam Rutter)
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- Here is #149 in her breeding pen with a breeding male. All my birds have free roam during the day – they’re all very happy.
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- On the left is one of the birds I got from Adrian in 2012, “Gregory Peck” – my mother’s name choice, not mine. Gregory won one Best In Show, two Champion Bantam, at two national poultry shows. He was also photographed for the Standard of Perfection and has produced many show winners. Although he isn’t very impressive now as a seven-year-old, he was quite nice back in the day. On the right is Gregory’s last remaining “wife,” Georgina. Both are very special pets. (Photo by Pam Rutter)
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- Here I am with one of Gregory’s finest descendants, #140. In my opinion, #140 is the nicest Barred Rock I have ever produced. The product of six generations of hard work and nearly 800 chicks.
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- Here is “Big Swole,” a White Wyandotte cock bird. “Big Swole” won three Champion Americans, a class similar to the Sporting Group or Hound Group at dog shows, one Champion Large Fowl, and one Reserve Champion American this past show season. Here he is proudly looking at the plaque he won at a Virginia show in November. (Photo by Pam Rutter)
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- Here he is again, although this time he is calling his “girlfriend” because he thinks has found something noteworthy.
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- Here is another pen of this year’s hatch outside running around.
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- I tag each chick with a wing band when they are two or three days old. The number is cataloged under the chick’s parent’s pen. Here is #46, Pen #9’s daughter. #46 hatched February 14th, 2019 and could be a potential champion. On the other side, I stamp my initials and the hatch year.
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- This is my favorite room in the barn year-round for two reasons. One, during the summer it’s air conditioned and during the winter it’s heated, and two, it’s where all the excitement happens. From early fall through late winter, this room is where all the show birds live. They are trained for shows and their feathers are conditioned for optimal show results. From late winter, usually middle of January after the last show of the season, this room houses my cabinet incubators, brooders, and my hatcher that my mentor, Richard Hickman, gave me.
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- Here is the same room in May at the end of the hatching season. This picture was taken just before the incubators, hatcher, and brooders were disinfected and put into storage.
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- Here is one of my first chickens, Robin Givens, named after the actress. Robin (the person) is a close family friend of ours and Robin (the chicken) is a beauty, so it only seemed reasonable to name her (the chicken) Robin. Robin is 11 years old and hasn’t laid an egg in nearly six years but is a special pet to us. She is also the last of the Ameraucanas.
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- This is Izzy, one of our Great Pyrenees. Izzy and her sister, Hannah, protect the chickens and sheep from predators. On our farm, Izzy and Hannah must stay alert to protect our animals from fox, raccoons and owls.
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- Here are my five Gray Saddleback Pomeranian geese Oscar, Jackson, Markley, Mariah, and Gobi having a Knesset meeting. These geese are on the Livestock Conservancy’s ‘Threatened Breeds List’. I got these geese nine years ago from a breeder in Alabama who got them imported from Germany. They’re quite the talkers.
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- Here is the cover of the American Poultry Association’s 2014 Standard of Perfection (SOP). The American Poultry Association is dedicated to preserving and improving sound poultry lines. The SOP details what every breed of chicken – both Bantam and large fowl – duck, goose, turkey, and guinea fowl should look like.
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- Here is a picture of an ideal Barred Plymouth Rock’s plumage from the Standard of Perfection.
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- Here is #140’s barring, which is the striped marking. As I said, a nice chicken!
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- Here are the annual points from the Plymouth Rock Fanciers Club of America. I was lucky enough to be the highest ranked Barred Rock breeder, the sixth highest White Rock breeder, and altogether the second highest ranked bantam breeder of the year, just 142 points behind my friend Matt Martin, who has been breeding Plymouth Rocks for nearly 60 years. I feel honored that my birds were acknowledged this past show season and am looking forward to another year of showing chickens.
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- Here is a picture from the Ohio National Poultry Show, an annual show in Columbus. This show always falls on the first weekend in November. This show attracts more than seven-thousand entries and nearly 500 exhibitors. (Photo by ohionational.org)
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- And here is a picture of my mom, Debra, Martha, and me taken last month in Martha’s home. Thanks, Martha, for letting me share my photos with your readers!
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