ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — A backyard chicken in Taylor, Texas was just named Miss Congeniality in the Purina® Miss Flock-Tober® contest. Flock raiser Stefanie Smith entered to compete against hundreds of strong hens to earn this honor.
“Our family is so excited that our hen won Miss Congeniality! We started our flock a year and a half ago after my daughter, Brooklynne, begged for chickens for her birthday,” says Smith. “We started with a few chicks, but it didn’t take long for the addiction to grow. Now we’re up to 36 hens, three roosters and two ducks!”
Miss Flock-Tober®, hosted by Purina Animal Nutrition on the Purina Poultry Facebook page, celebrates strong hens during this annual contest. Smith submitted her photo of Brooklynne with Peaches, her favorite Silkie hen. As the winner of this round, Peaches is now in the running to win the ultimate title of Miss Flock-Tober® 2018, with the grand prize being a year’s supply of Purina poultry feed.
“Peaches and Brooklynne are the best of friends. Brooklynne is a huge helper and amazingly responsible for only being nearly 4 years old,” explains Smith. “She carries the waterers for me to refill and a coffee tub full of feed to each coop. Her favorite thing to do is collect the eggs. Raising a flock is teaching Brooklynne responsibility.”
“Without our backyard flock, life would be boring,” continues Smith. “They aren’t just chickens to us; they’re more like family members. Seeing how much joy the flock brings her makes it all worth it.”
The next round of Miss Flock-Tober® begins October 1 with the category of Miss Performance. The top entry in each round of the Miss Flock-Tober® contest will move on to the final round, which begins October 22.
To learn tips for starting a backyard flock, visit www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed or connect with other flock raisers on Facebook or Pinterest. Find a local Purina retailer participating in Flock-Tober® at www.purinamills.com/flocktober-finder.
–Purina