The American Poultry Association is pleased to honor
Sandy Kavanaugh
Bradley, a Dark Brahma Bantam Cockerel bred and shown by Sandy Kavanaugh
A few words from Sandy Kavanaugh on this honor:
Chickens have always held a special place in my life. Learning how to feed and care for them, as my Granny’s favorite grandkid, was fun and I always learned something different. I adored the differently colored Easter chicks she bought for us for when we had our annual Easter egg hunt down on her farm, and then came to realize those same chicks grew up into birds that made it into Granny’s frying pan! Somehow, it just seemed normal; me helping her pluck the feathers and watching as she eviscerated each bird, cutting it into enough parts to go around for the family, and frying it to a golden brown. I’d had store bought chicken, of course, and although my own Mom could really cook, Granny’s chickens always looked different and tasted so much better!
At the time, I thought it was because of the cook, but later learned it was because Granny’s birds had been around 6 months old, not five weeks, and had much more flavor, as they free ranged and were active. Mom’s birds came from Winn Dixie and were good, but didn’t look the same or have as much flavor. Now I know why.
My very own first flock of backyard birds was a mixed flock when my first husband and I were renting a house on a farm. It had a chicken house already sitting on it, so why not have chickens?! I got a mixed flock from a local grower, and learned the hard way about Cocci, Coryza, and how to best keep predators at bay. After that foray into poultry keeping, it was back to town for several more years.
It wasn’t until I met my future and present husband, Big Guy (Gerald), that I was to get to live on my own farm. That had been my dream since I was a kid running barefoot on dusty trails through the corn and tobacco fields at Granny’s. Since we were able to buy a few acres of the old Kavanaugh homestead, we set up housekeeping, and in two years’ time, (it took that long for him to give in,) he built my first henhouse!
Of course, I had to have Brahmas. No other bird would do, it had to be the Majestic Ones, although I wasn’t familiar with that moniker then. Marti Hatchery out of Missouri was the first place with Brahma chicks I could find, so I placed my order and waited. That phone call at 3:00 AM from the post office that July of 1997 made me so happy! I got my babies home and transferred them into their new temporary home, a big plastic tub with lights for heat. I’d been reading everything I could, and as we weren’t hooked up to the internet yet, buying books and asking folks in person were my best resources.
My babies feathered out, grew older, and were able to be transferred outside into their new house, just a 4′ x 8′ x 8′. I wanted a house I could walk into, as I’d planned to spend a lot of time there. I did, too! Eventually, Big Guy built an outdoor run for the half-grown babies to play outside, eat grass and bugs, and lay in the sun at their leisure. He’d placed a tarp on top to keep the rain and hawks out, so we were pretty happy. Then it came time to separate the pullets from the cockerels.
One of the promises I had made before getting these birds were that we’d eat the cockerels and keep the girls for laying and being friends. It didn’t turn out quite that easy. Needless to say, although I was able to keep my promise to not keep any cockerels, not all of them met the ax. I had to learn the hard way that I’m not the pragmatist I’d thought myself to be. Lesson learned.
Then I learned of poultry organizations. There were some local poultry clubs, and from them I learned about the American Poultry Association, the American Bantam Association, and the American Brahma Club. Writing to each organization was exciting and exasperating at the same time! I knew it would take time for these folks to get back to me, as all I had was either a non-smart phone or the regular mail.
Everyone did get back to me. I learned that the APA was the oldest livestock organization in the Americas, that the ABA was the primer on bantams and the multiple sizes of birds, and from the American Brahma Club, I met Doris Robinson. She was a treasure trove of information; for everything I needed for healthy birds, to who had what, how to start a better flock, what to look for in a show bird, and her enthusiasm was contagious! I was thrilled to learn that my letter to her had been published in the next newsletter from the club, the one she named ‘The National Scanner.’ It holds that same name today. At that time, Bill Bowman was the President, and Doris was the Secretary. They have both been invaluable to me as both friends and mentors.
Speaking of Bill, he’s the one person most responsible for getting me into showing. He sent me a quad of his Buff breeders, and they were made up of Rusty, Katrina, Williamette, and Renee. Unfortunately, Renee didn’t live long, but Katrina became my best friend, and Rusty a close second. Williamette was gorgeous, but enjoyed eating more than being petted and toted around. Both Rusty and Katrina loved that!
I hadn’t asked for a cock bird, but Bill had insisted I needed to get my own bird line going, and he was right. Rusty’s kids didn’t look near as good as he did, but I learned what I needed to do and what I shouldn’t have done. Experience is a harsh, but excellent teacher. Plus, I had several good folks to call on when in doubt.
I learned a lot about Buff Large Brahmas from Bill Mayer, the Large Darks from Mary and Dale Siegenthaler, the Large Lights from Bill, plus Kim and Kendra Aldrich, and the bantam Darks from Don Emery. I got a lot of nice birds and advice about the bantam Lights from Don Lee and Jackie Koedetich. And there were so many more folks to learn from; I met more at every show I attended. I found out there were a lot more folks like me than I’d previously known, all nuts about purebred poultry, especially Brahmas. They truly are the regal and imperial avians of the purebred poultry world.
My first Standard of Perfection was the 1998 edition, and I got as many signatures as I could from friends and famous breeders and exhibitors alike. It’s like a history book, and I did the same with the next edition, the 2001 Standard. More autographs, more sentiments, more knowledge. That’s when the bug bit about collecting the older editions, too. I could compare how long the Brahmas have been in the Standard (since its inception), and what the changes have been through the years. How the weights for the Large Dark’s used to be different than that of the Large Light’s or Large Buff’s, but now are the same, as the Dark’s have moved up in both weight and depth of body.
Hens’ Haven has been in consistent operation since those first babies back in 1997, and has been devoted to Brahmas first and foremost. While working with the Brahmas, I learned a lot about the people, too. I liked what I saw, and was asked to become the Secretary/Treasurer of the American Brahma Club in 2004. That was also the year that the Spence/Williams team brought the pivotal Black Brahma bantams to Columbus at the Ohio National show. I fell in love with them the moment I saw them – it was all I could do to return to my breed table and resume my duties, but I had to get photos. Greg Williams was kind enough to take some out of the coops for me, and I got to see up close how beautiful these creatures were. I’d never seen anything to equal them, and still haven’t, even after all these years. I had to wait a few years though, to get started with my own.
Trent, a Black Bantam Cock bred and shown by Sandy Kavanaugh
At the 2007 Brahma National in Avoca, Iowa, Greg had me choose a trio, although I had only paid him for a pair. Ramses II, Raven, and Raisa went home with me from Texas and Iowa to Kentucky to begin the next regime of bantams as Hens’ Haven. At the time, I raised bantams in Light, Buff, Dark, and was trying Partridge. I had a few Light Large Fowl, but was having trouble getting enough eggs for hatching. The bantams were extremely prolific, and soon there were teeny, little feathered feet everywhere!
It is here I must take a moment to thank the one person most responsible for allowing me to live my dream of raising these magnificent birds. That would be Gerald (Big Guy) Kavanaugh, my dear husband. This year of 2022 will make 36 we’ve known each other, and been married almost 33 of those years. He knew what he was getting into, as the first time he brought me home to meet his folks, I insisted on stopping at the henhouse at their place first! If not for his enduring patience, understanding, and carpenter skills, hardly any of the work I’ve done would have been possible. He’s been my best supporter, my biggest fan, and a frugal voice of conscience when I wanted to go overboard on buying more birds. It’s a constant hazard, but I manage not to give in very often!
The shows I’ve attended in the past 20 years or so have shown me so much of what it is that makes people enjoy showing and raising poultry. Especially purebred poultry, whether bantams or Large Fowl, Waterfowl, Turkeys, Guineas, or exotics. It’s such an enriching hobby, and one that you can teach as you learn more yourself. I’ve been fortunate in that as well, as I was asked to be an adult volunteer for a poultry club at the Madison County Extension Office. When I learned there had been none for several years, and found the only reason why not was that no one cared enough to help, I had no choice! And what a great choice it was, to offer to help any young people how to help them raise a home flock. It’s been one of the great joys of my life.
I have to admit- it’s a bit disconcerting when I find that the ‘kids’ I taught are now in college, married, having kids of their own, and moving into the big, wide world of today. I’ve had the privilege of being a teacher and friend of some of the brightest people around. There is so much to be learned while you are teaching others. I’ve learned a lot more from my kids than they have from me, let me assure you! I get to see the world from their eyes, help them keep up with the changes in the agricultural world, agribusiness, and the opportunities that abound for careers in poultry. I hate to say goodbye when they leave, but part of them stays with me, especially in the photos and my memories. They’ll always have a nest there.
Most of all, I’d like to express my thanks to everyone who had chosen my name as one to be given this most august of honors. I’m going to do my best to make sure I’m worthy of this award, but if I’ve done anything to earn it, it was because of the advice, encouragement, suggestions, and support of so many people. My friends in poultry are the best, and can all be counted as good eggs! Thank you so much to all in both the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association, as both are needed, and both are moving our knowledge of purebred poultry forward. We need cohesiveness, not division. Stability, not questionable tactics. We need to support each other, especially now as Avian Influenza and the haphazard way that each state reacts to its presence.
We are the ones who are most affected by our government’s decisions, but let us all do the best we can to support each other. If one show is cancelled, let’s help that club make the next one better and try to help them recoup their losses from this one. We’ll all be better for it, and we’ll all be a bigger part of our recovery, not our dissipation- if we just stick together and do what’s best for our people, our clubs, and our parent organizations.
One last shout out, and I’ll close. Your most humble servant, David Adkins, has been a rock in these troubled waters. He’s maintained that same laid-back demeanor he’s always exhibited; where others would be running in circles and wringing their hands, he’s calmed the waves, done his duty, and kept everything well in hand. If he can keep his cool while the poultry world is in question all around us all, we can lend a hand when asked. Instead of waiting to be asked, why not offer what you can do to help? It may be stamping envelopes, typing out names, making a few calls, sending a few e-mails, asking others for donations, whatever might give David and Jill, his new assistant, an extra hand. Anyone of you who has ever been a secretary of any organization knows what I’m talking about. So, be like David. Stay calm, be cool, and continue as best you can to keep on breeding, exhibiting, and improving your poultry and our organizations.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to thank everyone publicly for their invaluable assistance in obtaining my dream of breeding Brahmas. They truly are the Majestic Ones.
Yours in the Fancy,
Sandy Kavanaugh
Hens’ Haven
