Poultry shake their tail feathers at ‘Crufts-style’ event

On Saturday morning a competition took place at St John’s church hall, where over 30 different breeds of poultry were judged on a variety of categories.

The autumn show organised by the Guernsey Poultry Club, had over 130 entries.

‘This is a chance for members to showcase the birds they’ve bred this year,’ said organiser Sarah Brouard.

‘We prep them, we have to make sure they are completely clean and they have symmetry of feathers, most of them have been washed and blow-dried, which is interesting.

‘We’ve got a judge come over from England, he’ll be looking at all of the birds and judging them on how close they are to the breed standard.

There were some impressive breeds on show including large Saxony ducks which are bred specifically for the table, so are much larger than your standard pond dwelling species.

Each breed which comes first in their category was then entered into ‘champions row’ with the potential of ultimately winning the best in show prize.

‘The reason we brought our club together is because we wanted to be affiliated with The National Poultry Club of Great Britain and bring over English judges who have done judging exams,’ said Mrs Brouard.

‘As on island sometimes it is quite difficult as there is only ever a certain amount of people who can judge.

‘It is good to get an opinion from people who have seen the very best.

‘In the beginning of December some of our members will be going to compete in the national show against everybody in Great Britain.

‘We hope the event attracts the public, who may be interested in keeping some of these species as they can make great pets. ‘