Long time readers may recall that we purchased several chickens from the New York State Fair in 2016.  We of course went to the state fair again in 2017, with extra time spent at the poultry building.

We ended up with a number of new chickens once again in 2017.

We really liked the intricate feather pattern on the Partridge Rock hen so we purchased the only one on display.  She is a bit older than many of the birds on display – she was over 2 years old and had already been in a number of shows and events before the fair.

Partridge Rock hen in her cage in the poultry building at the NY State Fair – 2017.

In addition to the Partridge Rock hen, we also purchased 2 Andalusian hens. Andalusians are fairly small for full size chickens and pretty fast on the ground. They are also decent flyers compared to other breeds. At least one of them has been flying up into the hayloft to lay eggs occasionally. They have a variety of coloring with blue (gray) with various black lacing. Our 2 Andalusians are named Andi and Luci.

Andalusian hen outside the coop.

Here is a video of Andi and Luci and a couple other chickens outside the coop – Partridge Rock makes an appearance towards the end of the video as well.

How much do these chickens cost? The prices vary by seller, but most are approximately $15 to $20 each. This is of course higher than the price of day old chicks (which are usually only a few dollars each), but the riskiest part keeping them alive the first few weeks has already been taken care of and there is no risk of receiving an unintended rooster.

So if new chickens were expected out of a trip to the fair, what was the real surprise from the 2017 fair?

This:

A fried dessert calzone stuffed with cookie dough and crushed oreo cookies, topped with powdered sugar and raspberry topping.

It wasn’t listed on the posted menu – you had to know to ask for it separately. A local food reviewer had posted about it at the start of the fair so we knew where to find it.  It was delicious, but very rich. Good thing we each only ate half – a whole one may have been difficult for one person to finish!