Calf Club Day

Today was calf club day. All the children showed off their animals, lambs, goats, or calves that they have been rearing for the past few months.

This year there were a huge number of entries, and I think it is because there is so much development in the area. It was wonderful to see so many families taking part!

The weather was atrocious. A thunder and lightning storm with torrential rain. The rain doesn't show up too well on the pictures...

This is still a great farming community, and it is a wonderful way for children to be introduced to animal husbandry, and to celebrate the farming efforts.

We took our little Thomas along.

He is four weeks old now, a Romney, and has been fully raised by our children, apart from when he was very tiny and I gave him the 10pm feed ( can you believe that stops at 2 weeks for a lamb??).

He has been under the car, and has engine oil on top of his head.

First was our youngest taking him in the preschool parade - he was given a ribbon, and a bag of crisps - a very cool prize indeed!

Every year a lamb breaks away, dragging a child behind it waterskier style - just the sort of thing to see on a cartoon. That happened once with these young children. One boy was pulled over, and went along the floor on his back giggling as loud as he could! The little ones seem so entertained by having an animal on a lead! 

Next were the juniors.

First the Most Obvious Pet category, then leading, then rearing.

Thomas came second in the most obvious pet, and leading. He was surprisingly well behaved.

The rearing question time.....I think that is an Arapawa sheep next to Thomas. A very nice sort of rare breed that sheds in the wild, and has very fine fleece that is good for felting.

You are not allowed to wash the lambs as it takes off the lanolin, but oh my! Some of those lambs could have been advertising shampoo they were so pristine!

Last time the very traditional farmer judge disqualified any animal that was a bit too clean and obviously washed - which I believe is the right thing to do, especially as no five year old would even think of it.

But this year washed and beautiful sheep won everything.

Also some families source extra special purebred show lambs. Most of the awards went to a champion breeder's lambs. They were very special!

Also the calves seem to be sourced from livestock improvement to be winners. They were massive, and not your average cow. I felt quite bad about one family, farming jersey cows who struggle a bit financially from farming, who have five children at school now, and two little ones, who entered calves from their farm. They were beautiful, and well looked after, and clearly loved animals who will have been from the herd, and will go back to it after. However they were not acknowledged, just the calves borrowed or bought specifically from breeders for the day. That's what competition does I suppose.

Anyway, it was a good day out and the rain eventually stopped, and everyone enjoyed themselves, it was lovely to see so much effort put in by so many.

Thomas was quite content and fell asleep resting next to us as the prizes were handed out....

Next is Group Day, when the four local schools all show together.