The annual Royal National Association Exhibition is on in Brisbane now. Everyone just calls it the Ekka. This is where the country meets the city. Animals, produce, machinery, cars and all sorts of other things are on show and looking their best. Over 10 days every August hundreds of thousands of people descend on the show grounds to have some fun and meet our country cousins.
I am working there every day at the cotton and wool parades, dressing the beautiful models. You may be surprised to learn that I have many offers of help from chaps. We don’t start until 11.00am so I have time to have a look around before I start work.
One of my favourite spots is the poultry pavillion. There are rows of prize winning chooks on show. For those of you who are not Australian, this means chickens. I had trouble getting these critters to stand still for me, so if some of the photos are a bit blurry you will understand. There are dozens of different types and they are all fascinating – well I think so anyway.
who’s looking at who?
a stunning rooster
some are beautiful like this lovely boy
and some are strange
nice comb
set at a jaunty angle
great profile!
some are small and cute
and some big and beautiful
some are curious
and some are shy
some are fluffy
and others not
some don’t look like chickens
not your common chook
I think this one should be in court
it’s in there somewhere
a jaunty cap
amazing!
this one was posing for the camera
Foghorn Leghorn perhaps?
I think this one looks thoughtful
nice legs
I liked this plain one
the next generation
Birds are descended from dinosaurs. I think the evidence is quite clear.
How gorgeous! The kids loved these pics, thx. I hope to take them on Wed.
By: Theresa Lauf on August 13, 2011
at 9:50 am
I hope the weather holds out for you. The show is great this year.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 10:05 am
What a GREAT post // fabulous photos
By: Liz Litzow on August 13, 2011
at 10:04 am
Thanks! Some of them look unworldly.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 10:06 am
I love the chooks, aren’t they noisy in the pavillion! Quite extraordinary. Love your photos. I want the spotty one.
By: Liz Golding on August 13, 2011
at 10:13 am
It gets a bit noisy when the roosters crow, but they are pretty quiet really. I’m doing the bulls next.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 10:15 am
I loved this post! That red black and white one really does look like a QC in his wig! And Deb dear, could you please come to Sydney and dress me? I desperately need a fashion intervention.. 😉
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on August 13, 2011
at 10:18 am
I though that chook looked very QC. I’d love to go to Sydney, I haven’t been there for ages.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 11:22 am
Not having looked at chickens in much close-up detail before, I found this gallery of beautiful photos utterly fascinating! They look so interesting and curious and alert – and sooo many different colours and shapes and sizes too!
By: Reggie on August 13, 2011
at 11:14 am
They are amazing looking birds – so much variety in a chook.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 11:22 am
Wow–these photos are amazing–truly! This post is incredibly well done, Deb. Who would have ever known there are so many varieties of chickens. Some of those birds are stunning! I totally love this post—————-
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on August 13, 2011
at 11:18 am
I love the poultry pavillion. I walk through it on my way to the parades each day. The cats are in the next space. I have spotted some Abysinian kittens.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 11:23 am
Such beautiful photos – I do love the legal chooky – can’t you just see the head movements and strutting up and down in a court room – in fact I think I should introduce that one to my girls!!!
By: Jan on August 13, 2011
at 11:29 am
I’m sure they would love him – and yes, I can see him strutting in court. No wonder cartoonists have so much fun with chooks. Foghorn was always my favourite cartoon. I love the episode where he and the dog fought over Miss Prissy.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 11:32 am
Our mother used to keep chooks which were not as exotic as the fellas shown in Debra’s post but they had character (and laid eggs). Amongst them were the bantams, Hermione and the fiesty Harcourt and Rhoda, the Rhode Island Red. Friends stayed over, sleeping in the lounge room and in the morning one said that she had dreamt that birds were walking through the room. She had not dreamt this – Harcourt and Hermione used to strut through the house. Nifta (Deb’s sister)
By: Anonymous on August 13, 2011
at 12:05 pm
The bantams were mine and they were very cute and laid the cutest little eggs. Rhoda got lousy because she wouldn’t leave her eggs to do a dust bath. How can you have not mentioned Farrington who laid eggs with 4 yolks occasionally? Pete loved the chooks and would guess when they would be about to lay and try to put his hand out in time to catch an egg.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 8:59 pm
Nice post! Very different from traditional ones. I like the photos!
By: Minna on August 13, 2011
at 12:24 pm
Thanks. I couldn’t resist the chooks.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:00 pm
Amazing pictures Deb. You are quite the photographer
Pam Proctor
By: Anonymous on August 13, 2011
at 12:40 pm
Thank you. I had good subjects.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:00 pm
These are FANTASTIC! I love them. Wonderful.
By: The Daily Cure / Charlotte on August 13, 2011
at 1:17 pm
They are pretty good looking chooks.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:00 pm
A lovely parade. Great photos!
By: Mulino Dominillo on August 13, 2011
at 2:37 pm
I did have a bit of trouble taking the photos through the bars of the cages.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:01 pm
cackling display! 😉
By: maru on August 13, 2011
at 7:52 pm
There was a bit of cackling.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:02 pm
Fashion designers should spend time with these chooks for inspiration, they are outrageous as the departed McQueen. If I had any they would live inside my house so they stayed spotless, but it would be a challenge keeping the house spotless.
By: Roz on August 13, 2011
at 8:46 pm
Perhaps a pair of trousers could be designed.
By: bagnidilucca on August 13, 2011
at 9:03 pm
Best place for them is on my plate!
I kept chickes once. One escaped and disappeared in the bush for about 2 months when it decided to come home looking all the worse for wear. It must have had a tough life out there by herself. Then I found about 30 eggs under the house instead of in the laying box which took me lot of time to build. These had to be removed VERY carefully and disposed of. Have you ever smelled rotten eggs?
By: paul stoker on August 14, 2011
at 12:39 am
Poor little things! You need chickens with a better sense of direction.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 6:33 am
Deb…you will win a photography award next!
By: darylbutler on August 14, 2011
at 2:29 am
Do you know any chickens needing photos taken?
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 6:34 am
yes!
By: darylbutler on August 21, 2011
at 2:17 pm
So many great shots in there that would look great as cards.
Some superb looking chooks.
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on August 14, 2011
at 9:25 am
I think the chooks are fabulous. Chook greeting cards, what a good idea.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 10:42 am
I always loved the poultry pavilion as a kid and as an adult! Great pics, they’re strange yet stunning creatures. Gosh this post is conjuring up all sorts of great memories from the Ekka with family and friends.
By: sheof108names on August 14, 2011
at 12:51 pm
I’m at the Ekka every day. I think I enjoy it more now than when I was a kid.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 8:22 pm
Fab photos. I agree, they’d make good cards. I’m sure the owners of the birds would love to have their photos too!
By: Jan on August 14, 2011
at 12:54 pm
I think the chooks are incredible. I wonder if they are all good egg layers.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 8:23 pm
hehe I remember taking loads of pics of the birds at the Sydney Royal Easter Show because I was similarly fascinated! They’ve got such amazing plumage!
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on August 14, 2011
at 3:48 pm
You wonder where all the complication came from and why.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 8:30 pm
I wa so impressed with this post! It is HILARIOUS and the photos are gorgeuos. I was so exited to see these photos because they are art…..but I showed his nibs and his comment was…..I want to know what they taste lik
By: Moira Drexler on August 14, 2011
at 5:28 pm
I suppose that is what they are for, apart from some egg laying.
By: bagnidilucca on August 14, 2011
at 8:31 pm
What about the title “cocky greeting cards” Debra
By: paul stoker on August 14, 2011
at 11:39 pm
Good name.
By: bagnidilucca on August 15, 2011
at 8:27 am
Your comments about the birds are just as hilarious as the chooks themselves. The pictures are gorgeous. I love Nifta’s tale about Harcourt and Hermione. What is it about chooks that inspire such unusual names for them? When I was a child, we had bantams in our backyard. I thought they were the cutest chickens with the tiniest eggs. We enjoyed mini-eggs for breakfast. Thanks, Deb, your blog brought so many memories.
By: Sandra H on August 14, 2011
at 11:58 pm
We also had Elizabeth, Phillip, Charles and Anne – a right royal collection.
By: bagnidilucca on August 15, 2011
at 8:28 am
very cool and interesting.
By: george miori on August 15, 2011
at 3:43 pm
Thanks!
By: bagnidilucca on August 15, 2011
at 8:04 pm
Oh these are just glorious! I once had a calendar full of fancy chicken photos. I would happily have one full of your photos. I think they are the most wonderful portraits and I didn’t see a blur anywhere. Do they show plates of eggs as well, like they do at English shows? Anyway, thanks these have really made me smile 😀
By: Joanna on August 16, 2011
at 11:06 pm
I thought you might like the chooks. I had to wiggle the camera between the wires of the cages. The camera got pecked a few times. I think they are gorgeous chooks. I didn’t see plates of eggs but I will go back for another look.
By: bagnidilucca on August 16, 2011
at 11:44 pm
Oh the cleverness of you! These pics have all the flair of a prize Vogue Fashion spread. Love your work
By: Sally Clark on August 25, 2011
at 11:12 am
Thanks! I love a pretty chook.
By: bagnidilucca on August 25, 2011
at 7:53 pm
[…] models to photograph prize chooks. a legal chook – he looks a bit like a barrister Click here to see these amazing birds and here to see some very large bulls. Southbank Parklands was […]
By: Looking back over 2011 « Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on December 30, 2011
at 5:23 am
[…] took photos last year at the Ekka too. Click here for the stars of 2011. Share this:ShareEmailPrintFacebookLike this:Like21 bloggers like […]
By: Birds of a feather « Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on August 21, 2012
at 12:35 pm
I am Shannon and I am 9 . How can I enter my chook please and thankyou
By: shannon lynn on December 13, 2012
at 9:53 pm
You should contact the RNA (Royal Nation Association) in Brisbane. The Ekka is held in August each year.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 13, 2012
at 10:05 pm
[…] photographed this prize winning rooster at the Ekka ( a festival where the country meets the city ) in Brisbane last […]
By: Colour my world | Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on October 23, 2013
at 1:42 pm