Here is one of their fathers - I didn't buy him - he's a Champion and not for sale.
When I saw the fabulous champion birds - a song popped into my head!
Holding back, every day the same
Don't wanna be a loner
And here is the other father.
Listen to me, oh no
I never say anything at all
But with nothing to consider they forget my name
Here are my prize winning show girls - well two of them
They call me 'hell'
They call me 'Stacey'
They call me 'her'
They call me 'Jane'
That's not my name
That's not my name
That's not my name
The third darling show girl is the bird at the back - another Partridge Modern Game Bird.
Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?
Are you calling me darling?
Are you calling me bird?
That's not my name
Here they are at home this afternoon
They call me 'quiet'
But I'm a riot
Mary-Jo-Lisa
Always the same
That's not my name
That's not my name
I am a Wheaton - the colour of wheat - which is what I'm eatin'
That's not my name
You've found a worm - you must Wormy, cos you're eatin a worm
That's not my name
That's not my name
I'd miss the catch if they threw me the ball
I'm the last kid standing up against the wall
Keep up, falling, these heels they keep me boring
Getting glammed up and sitting on the fence now
So alone all the time at night
Lock myself away
Listen to me, I'm not
Although I'm dressed up, out and all with
Everything considered they forget my name
(ame, ame, ame)
These were all the photos that I could get of them this afternoon, the latter two taken through the window of my greenhouse/potting shed/lean to - where I had left them to just play. They were so excited! No way were they going to stand still and pose for me - they just flew away. They scratched around and managed to find worms in my potted strawberry and geranium plants. They knocked a newpaper off my pumpkins and had fun hiding underneath it and tearing it. They acted more like puppies or kittens than posh showbirds!
So here they are - Modern Game birds - which aren't really as modern as their name suggests. Originally they were bred and used as fighting birds - hence their tall stance, and long legs and necks, like the jungle Malay.
Once fighting was banned the breed amost died out apparently, as they don't lay many eggs, and there is about as much meat on them as you would get in a chicken nugget - so were no use as utility birds.
But wealthy people loved the little birds around their gardens - they don't do any damage like chickens do. No digging up plants, digging big holes, they are dainty and quiet too. In 1850 they started to be bred for showing - and I am pleased that they did!
Mine might look identical when you first look at them - but when you look closely their markings are different. The wheaten coloured hen, does at first glance look just like Scrabble - but she is a slightly lighter colour underneath, and has more black markings on her wings, and across her back she has darker speckles.
The two Partridge game birds, are quite different too. Their markings are differnt - they have silver, grey and black feathers across their backs in different formations - and their heads and necks are different shades of yellow. I have put a purple ring on one of them - to make it more obvious.
I have just been out to the lean to, to find the new bantams in the dark - without any lights - what a task that was - boy did they hide them selves well, behind pots, on a shelf hidden behind a box, and the last one was behind a sack of compost hidden inside a pot on its side!
They are now tucked up with my other banties in Peckingham Palace and they will all live together in their and the run for a week, so that the new girls aclimatise - they all get to know each other - and more importantly, the new ones get to know where they live and where they need to go back to roost. As they are high fliers, one of their wings have been clipped, otherwise they might well fly up into the trees to roost - and I didn't want them to come down in someone else's garden as there are fields just a garden away from us. By the time the flight feathers grow back - they will be so content that they won't even bother to escape!
So - if you have read this far and are not yawning with boredon - how about choosing names for my new additions! I will pick names from any you leave - will choose next Sunday.
