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Gary Borders: Titus County Fair livestock show rekindles memories of 'Lambo'

Titus County Fair Facebook

I wandered through the livestock arena at the Titus County Fair recently. Participants were grooming their steers, fluffing up their hair with industrial-strength blow dryers. It was warm and aromatic, a familiar smell of bovines and sawdust wafting through the afternoon. Being at a livestock show evokes fond memories of my two older daughters — both now in their 30s — and their forays into animal husbandry.

Kasey, the oldest, started by raising chickens at 9 years old. I built a nice chicken coop, about 12-feet square, on our 6-acre place just outside San Augustine. The county agent provided much-needed advice on where to get the chickens, what type of feed and how much, and other details.

Unlike four-legged creatures, one does not exactly bond with chickens. Little yellow chicks are adorable, of course, but after a few weeks one has gangly teenage chickens that are definitely not huggable. We raised eight chickens, with two ultimately being chosen for judging.

After two months, the San Augustine livestock show approached. It was time to bathe the chickens — a decidedly unpleasant task, chickens being short on hygienic habits and averse to water. But we managed to bathe all the chickens in a No. 10 washtub. Soon, the county agent was examining our now fluffy-white chickens, pinching their thighs and other parts to gauge the meat potential.

“Take those two,” he said. I couldn’t tell much difference from one chicken to another but knew to rely on his expertise. On the day of the show, Kasey stood nervously in a line with the other participants, holding two chickens upside down. Chickens likely are not fond of being held in this manner, but it somehow immobilizes them.

The judge went down the line feeling the chickens. Poor Kasey was riveted in place, afraid to move a face muscle, holding on to those comatose chickens with all she had. Soon, the judging was concluded. Amazingly, Kasey’s chickens were crowned Grand Champion Broilers.

She received a nice trophy, and the chickens sold at auction for $700 to a generous local businessman. That is one of the cool things about livestock shows. The young men and women can often “win” enough money at the auction to put away a decent amount of money for college, or a car, after the expenses are paid.

Her next project was a lamb that took reserve champion the following year. Lambs are a lot cuddlier and generally friendly. We later entered animals in Lufkin, where the competition was considerably stiffer. Meredith, three years younger, decided to raise rabbits because she thought they were cute. And they were cute but rather surly and uninterested in being cuddled. She quickly lost interest in raising rabbits, especially after one escaped and was promptly dispatched to the animal kingdom by Dixie the beagle.

Kasey decided to try raising another lamb. The county agent and I headed to the Louisiana State Fair. He said that was a good place to find a strong prospect. We brought the lamb back in the back of his Chevy Blazer. The lamb did not enjoy the trip. We named her Lambo because of her rambunctious nature.

We never could settle that lamb down. Even after two months or so of daily walks, Lambo acted more like a mountain goat than a domesticated lamb. Out of desperation, on the day of judging, I gave her a healthy shot of Everclear down the gullet with a syringe to mellow her out.

I guess I overdosed Lambo with that grain alcohol. She was a bit wobbly on her feet during judging. Kasey’s lamb finished dead last in the competition. I will never forget that stricken look on her face.

Our days showing livestock were over.

Gary Borders has been an East Texas journalist and editor for more than 40 years. He works now as a freelance writer, editor and photographer. You can see his work at garyborders.com. He has written for World Wildlife magazine, Texas Monthly, Texas Observer and Airstream Life.