Tassie teen takes her eggs-traordinary hobby to the show

A Tasmanian teenager has entered a dozen of her chickens in the first round of animal judging at the 2022 Royal Hobart Show. READ ABOUT HER HOBBY >>

This Tassie teenager takes care of her flock of chickens – especially Sebastian the Sebright – around the cluck.

Raechel Jaeger, 13, from Woodsdale, entered a dozen of her sixty chickens in the first round of animal judging at the 2022 Royal Hobart Show over the weekend.

Raechel said she had loved chooks from a young age and had now taken up chicken showing and breeding.

“We almost always had chickens when I was growing up,” she said.

One of her chooks, Sebastian the Sebright, is a British bantam chicken.

The breed is known for the lacing on its feathers.

“Lacing is when there’s a different colour around the edge of the feather,” Raechel said.

Raechel Jaeger, 13, with her Sebright chicken Sebastian at the Hobart Showground. Picture: Chris Kidd

Her collection of chooks will be scrutinised by judges over the weekend at the Hobart Showground, after they have undergone a spruce.

“I’ll wash them so they’re not dirty,” she said.

“I might clip their nails and trim some of their feathers on their head near their comb.

“Then, when we get to the show, I’ll oil their comb and their legs.”

The chickens were quite happy to have a wash, according to Raechel.

“Most of them like (being washed) because the water’s warm so they’ll sit there and fall asleep.”

While she has snagged “quite a few” ribbons since she started chicken showing, Raechel is hoping to add to her collection.

The show will be held at the Hobart Regatta Grounds and City Hall in October, but animal judging cannot be accommodated at these facilities, so the judging was brought forward to July.

The show is expected to return to the Hobart Showground entirely on completion of the first phase of its redevelopment in 2025.

Scott Gadd at the Hobart Regatta Grounds. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania chief executive Scott Gadd said rural-based professions can offer “lifelong rewarding careers for young people”.

“This weekend is an opportunity for young people to get a taste of careers away from city office blocks,” Mr Gadd said.

The public is welcome to attend the Hobart Showground free of charge on Sunday to check out the alpacas, poultry, cavies, pigeons and canaries.

Originally published as Tassie teen takes her eggs-traordinary hobby to the show