The 2024 Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Massachusetts
If you're interested in raising chickens or just love learning about all the different and fascinating breeds, find a poultry show near you!
Earlier this month, I attended the 2024 Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Massachusetts - a poultry show held every year at the Eastern States Exposition Center. The event features more than three-thousand birds, including large fowl, waterfowl, turkeys, pigeons, Guineas, and of course, a variety of wonderful breed chickens. It’s a great way to see beautiful chickens up close and to build relationships with knowledgeable, passionate breeders. This year, I brought home six birds - three White Rock chickens and three Light Brahma chickens and some Silkie chicken eggs, which I am able to incubate here at my farm.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The Northeastern Poultry Congress holds its show every January. This year, was the 50th anniversary of the event. I have been making the trip for several years now – it is a very popular and well-attended gathering.
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- Photos of past events are hung up around the Center.
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- All the show birds are exhibited and judged in the Mallory Complex of the Expo Center. Visitors are able to see the various breeds up close in their crates. Each cage is tagged with the bird’s breed, color or variety, and gender.
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- Prior to poultry shows and again before judging, these birds are groomed and groomed again – every feather is in place.
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- Poultry shows are family-friendly and allow visitors to see both traditional and new breeds. The first poultry show in the United States was in 1854, before there were even standards for showing.
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- Here are some of the award ribbons displayed on one side of the large exhibition room.
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- This show enters more than a thousand chicken breeds – some with gorgeous markings and feathers. This was classified as a large fowl American cockerel.
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- The birds are judged against others of the same color, sex and age. They are also judged based on variety and breed. In the end, chickens compete against large fowl and water fowl.
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- The birds are ranked in each of their classes and then compete for super champion.
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- These are Light Brahmas, an old breed of feather-footed chicken from Asia. These birds are quiet, gentle, and easy to handle. They are also very hardy in cold weather.
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- This Bearded Black Silkie won “Best Variety.” A Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like a combination of silk and satin.
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- Here’s a beautiful turkey being shown on “the red carpet.”
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- There were also some young birds grouped in X-pens, so visitors could see them more closely. The Northeastern Poultry Congress is always very informative and educational. I always learn something new when I attend.
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- Here are some eggs on display for competition. These are Maran chicken eggs. The Maran chicken lays the darkest brown eggs. They can be deep reddish-brown or almost black.
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- Back at my Bedford, New York farm, here are four of the six chickens I brought home – three White Rock and three Light Brahmas.
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- Light Brahmas are large, white-feathered chickens with black hackles and tail feathers. They are good egg-layers for their size, producing up to 200 large, medium-brown eggs per year.
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- The White Rock is considered a standard size chicken, but still quite large at six to seven pounds for each hen; roosters are a pound or two heavier. White Rocks are a variety of Plymouth Rock chicken that was first bred in New England in the late 19th century. Hens are good layers of brown eggs.
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- The White rocks and Light Brahmas joined a couple of Ayam Cemani chickens that are also new to the farm. The Ayam Cemani is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of chicken from Indonesia. This breed has a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation, making it entirely black, including feathers, beak, and internal organs.
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- The small group gets along very well and will eventually join the rest of the flock.
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- My peafowl in the adjacent enclosure are very curious and came up to the fence to say hello right away.
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- I am looking forward to seeing these chickens mature and thrive here at my farm. I’ve been raising chickens for many years. Not only do I love keeping them for their fresh, delicious eggs, but I also enjoy learning about the different breeds, varieties and their fun personalities.
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