Club president Theron Tapp, his fellow competitors and judges explained why old-fashioned bird breeds persisted in a world where highly refined, trademarked commercial breeds supplied all the eggs and meat the markets could hope for.
"I’ve been showing poultry for about ten years," Mr Tapp, who exhibited six birds, said.
"We really just breed for show and bragging rights and to preserve the old heritage breeds which could have become extinct since the commercial, standardised breeds took over."
"We look for overall condition which is weight, cleanliness, temperament — lots of things, and the standards are very high," judge Cameron Taylor said.
"There’s a great community around bird shows.
"It’s good to catch up with people and Milton puts on a great show."
Mr Taylor and others had plans to travel with a selection of their prize-winning birds to the National Bird Show in Hamilton later this year.
"Of course, you start out with just a few birds ... now I’ve got about 30," Mr Tapp said.
"They are fun and friendly, cheap and easy to look after.
"As well as making you proud with how fit and healthy you can get them, you’ll always have plenty of eggs no matter what the breed."
