Dateline: May 6, 2004

Estlacks among nation's top bantam breeders

By Scarlet Estlack

The American Bantam Association has honored two Clarendon boys with the recognition of Master Breeder this spring.

Allen and Russell Estlack, the father and son duo behind Estlack Boys Bantams, earned this prestigious distinction after twenty-four years of raising and showing black cochin bantams.

Allen (known as “Pigeon” to childhood friends) has a long history of showing chickens that goes back to the early 1950s.  However, the Estlacks didn’t begin raising black cochins until 1979. 

When Russell was just four, Allen began looking for a gentle variety of chicken that his son could show.  The purchase of a trio (two hens and a rooster) thus started a hobby that would bring the father and son closer together and earn them national recognition.

Russell called the hens his lady chickens. 

“I was allergic to cats and dogs, so Sally, my favorite hen, became my pet.  I took her everywhere,” he recalls with a grin, “even into restaurants.” 

It is hard to resist the charm of the small black birds, especially on a freshly mowed lawn.  The cochins glow with a beetle-like green sheen in the sun as they wade through the grass, clucking softly and preening themselves. 

In order to become Master Breeders, the Estlacks have traveled to chicken shows in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Chickens are judged by how closely their type and condition meet the breed and variety descriptions in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection. 

Exhibitors must earn twenty or more starred wins to attain Master Breeder status, and stars are only granted when a bird defeats one hundred or more birds in a class or when it becomes grand or reserve grand champion of a show.  Estlack Boys Bantams joins only 21 breeders nationwide in accomplishing this level of excellence. 

“This hobby has become a life-long pleasure that I will enjoy sharing with my children,” Russell said.  “I want to thank my parents for their sacrifices in reaching this achievement.  The birds require a lot of time and care.  But, I can’t imagine life without them.  I’m sure Dad feels the same way.”