THE gawking and squawking, crowing and clucking reached new heights with the first Tasmanian Rare Breeds Poultry Show ever held at Longford on Saturday attracting an incredible 583 exhibits, 24 of which were beautiful collections of eggs in many colours and sizes.
From the times the gates opened throngs of people squeezed through the narrow isles of the pavilion at Longford Showground to see 39 different breeds of chooks and ducks, with some of the finely feathered fowls barely recognisable compared to the average backyard bird.
The coveted Champion Rare Breed of Show award went to Dysart breeder Mathew Short with his gold partridge Brama pullet, reserve went to Jo Gatehouse of Sassafrass with a Belgian Barbu d’Anvers quail pullet.
Champion Rare Variety of Show was a gold Sebright owned by Rachel Jaeger of Woodsdale and reserve champion was won by Joel Stingle of Westbury with an Indian runner trout drake.
Rachel, a top junior exhibitor now ruffling feathers in open competition, had a great show, taking home a flock of prizes including Champion Rare Variety Bantam and Champion Rare Variety of Show with a gold Sebright pullet, Champion Junior Exhibitor of Show and Reserve Champion Exhibitor of Show with an Araucana hen, Champion Plate of Eggs with four bantam eggs, Best True Bantam, Champion British and Best Sebright.
Michelle Carpenter of Railton did extremely well to win the Novice section and Champion Australian Game Bantam in her first show.
And her three-year-old son Toby was awarded the Youngest Exhibitor prize with his Belgian barbu d’Uccle lavender pullet, which he washed all by himself in preparation.
Tasmanian Rare Breeds Poultry Club secretary Jo Gatehouse said that the auction attracted plenty of attention too, with 34 lots featuring mainly pairs and trios of breeds like Brahma, Cochin and Light Sussex as well as game birds and call ducks.
A trio of of Welsummers anonymously donated to the club fetched the highest price of $550, closely followed by a Brahma price pullets and cock bird trio at $510. Only five lots were passed in.
“This annual show, often held in the south of the state and occasionally Devonport, is a great way to promote the breeding and showing of rare breeds, and unlike most breed shows you get to see all the weird and wonderful examples of poultry in the one place,” Ms Gatehouse said.
“If we can continue to educate people and encourage people to take on breeding of rare breeds it’s the best way to preserve those breeds in the future.”
Kelvin Strickland of Longford, vice president of the Poultry Club of Tasmania and secretary of the Rhode Island Red and Sussex Club of Tasmania, is more of a soft feather fowl breeder but he entered five big white Pekin Ducks.
About five years ago Hagley duck breeder Robert Weldon gave his son some eggs and one managed to hatch in the incubator.
It won a waterfowl championship at its first show and he’s kept a few ducks around ever since – especially for their eggs which are large and perfect for sponge cakes.
“Pekins are hard to breed, they don’t like incubation and I usually put the eggs under a Muscovy duck or a fowl,” Mr Weldon said.
“They also only lay for about 10 weeks per year and it’s always at first light – you’ve got to be up early to beat the crows to them.”
For full results visit the Tasmanian Rare Breeds Poultry Club Inc website.