Ask 12-year-old Aliza Hays about the name of her 4-H lamb and the words spring from her as frisky as a lamb frolicking in the field. The lamb got away from her “and we chased him all over town and he was really fast so I named him Runner,” she responds.
The Boulder Outlaws 4-Her has been working hard to get the lamb ready for competition at the upcoming Jefferson County “Fair of the Heart.” She feeds him Purina feed twice a day, “12 hours apart,” she pointed out, and it seems to be the right routine. “He has grown a lot since I got him,” she said.
That should stand the lamb in good stead when it comes to one portion of the upcoming lamb show Thursday evening, August 24, at the 4-H fair with the Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo. The “confirmation” portion of the show is judged on genetics and looks, evaluating the animal for being a good physical specimen. Confirmation judging is a 4-H basic, aimed at training the young animal caretakers to produce a quality product in a short time, explained Aliza’s mother Lindsey.
4-H members showing lambs and hogs have only had their animals since March or April and those showing beef cattle obtained their animals in November. That’s a pretty tight window for improving the animals, she said. The other portion of the lamb show, showmanship, will evaluate how well Aliza works with Runner to display his best traits.
Runner needs to have his four feet squarely under him, his head up, his back straight. “He’s not very good about setting up,” said Aliza, “but we’re making progress.” She went on to say, “I think I’ll be ready when the fair comes.” Aliza, in her third year of 4-H, is only one of 15 to 20 Boulder Outlaws participants preparing for the fair in Boulder.
Eight of those kids are entering animals: one steer, two hogs, five lambs and 15 or 20 birds – including chickens, turkeys and peacocks. “Cloverbuds,” club participants younger than age eight, will also have “pocket pets” such as gerbils and guinea pigs entered. Animal husbandry is only one part of 4-H, and Aliza and her club mates have also been spending time on projects involving leatherwork, photography, canning, veterinary science, needlework, cake decorating and more.
Aliza’s projects have also included the ranch horse category, which requires her to demonstrate her riding ability but does not require showing at the fair, and cowboy poetry. “I just wrote a poem last night about the oldest mule deer,” she shared. While club members have taken part in fairs before, this is the first time they will host a full-blown 4-H fair as part of the Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo.
Group leaders pursued that option to help the kids as well as the local fair, they said. Their hope is that it will grow. Getting ready for this first year has required them to get new pens that are more kid-friendly, clean barns, reorganize the poultry and rabbit exhibit area, buy ribbons and more. The animal exhibit area will have “kind of a different look that should make it more exciting,” said Lindsey Hays. She also said the club members will have barn duty throughout the fair, waiting at the ready to answer questions. “We invite people to go in and ask questions any time,” she said. The club leader said the fair board has been “really supportive” in getting this first 4-H event ready. The group is excited about showing Jefferson County folks what a 4-H fair is and what it could grow into, organizers said.
The 4-H schedule calls for a beef show on Wednesday, August 23, at 6 p.m.; a hog show at 9 a.m. Thursday; a lamb show at 6 p.m. Thursday; and a 6 p.m. poultry show on Friday, followed by a 7 p.m. rabbit show. This time, instead of chasing Runner all over town, Aliza hopes to chase down a few ribbons with a hometown crowd watching.
