Organisers of this weekend’s Invercargill Poultry Show will be hoping they don’t get themselves into too much of a flap, with more than 600 entries registered.

Held at the Kennington Kennel Club, life member Jill Maxwell-Strang said before Covid-19 they used to get even more entries – coming from all over the South Island.

“We used to get bigger numbers when everything was cheaper and people kept more birds,” she said.

Many of those involved in the industry started when they were children and then got hooked.

Bailey Sanford (27), who owns Hens at Clifden, first started his hobby at 12 and then moved onto breeding them.  After a break of a few years he came back into the industry when the country had an egg shortage.

He once had 12 different breeds of poultry but after selling thousands off last year he reduced his family to just four breeds – which produce 450 eggs a day.  Every Tuesday he drives to Te Anau where he’s built up a huge client base, selling to both businesses and the local community.

What he loves about poultry is the variety of colours that the different breeds have.  Bailey has been to about 10-12 shows in his lifetime and now has pekin and game bantams as well as light Sussex and old English chickens.

“People think there are just chickens, but what they don’t realise is just how many different types there are.”

Jill said the poultry fraternity is keeping some rare breeds from becoming extinct,  which was important because people can no longer import them into New Zealand.

“You have to keep the best of the best to keep that line pure,” she said.

This weekend’s show will have eight categories: heavy breed poultry, light breed poultry, game bantams, fancy bantams, water fowl, homing pigeons, fancy pigeons and caged birds.

“You have no idea who has chooks in their backyard.”  One lady in Invercargill has a Muscovy duck, which was quite rare.

Come along on Saturday and see for yourself – from 1pm-5pm and again on Sunday from 9:30am to 2pm,  where it’s all about ‘fun, feathers and fancy’ – as it has been in the south for more than 112 years.

Where: Kennington Kennel Club, 120 Kennington Road, Kennington 9871
When: Saturday 15th June, 1pm-5pm, Sunday 16th June, 9am – 2pm
Door Entry Prices: Family $10, Adult $5, Child $2
Cash only No Eftpos

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