Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us, firstly can you tell us
a bit about yourself – how long have you been a judge?

My first judging appointment was Mirfield and District Poultry Society Show in 1976. I first judged eggs in 1977 at Pendle and District Egg Show.

What makes a Pekin stand out above the rest of the class for you?

Pekin tilt is essential - without it the breed characteristic is not there. The tail should be slightly higher than the head - too many birds exhibit the opposite. Obviously fitness and feather quality is important but type is the overall thing I look for.

What are the most common faults you see when judging Pekins?

• Head way above the tail (no tilt)
• Poor eye colour
• Poor Leg colour
• Split wings
• Off colours poorly marked and devoid of type
• Lack of beetle green sheen in blacks

Do you get more pleasure from judging the Blacks and Whites or the Any Other Colours
and please explain why?

As I've shown blacks and whites I tend to get asked to judge those colours at the Club Shows. Personally I'm not bothered - a good Pekin is a pleasure to judge no matter what colour.

Over your years as a judge, how have Pekins changed? For example has the size changed,
are you finding different colours are now more popular?

Fashions do change - I can remember our former Chairman John McNeil who imported birds from Europe and the USA causing quite some conflict. The birds were well feathered but poor type and far too big but had immense feather. By his determination he nearly changed the type of the traditional Pekin, thankfully many Club Members stuck to their guns and our traditional typed birds survived.

Colour wise blacks and whites are as popular as ever show wise. Off colours tend to have ups and downs in popularity and success in the show pens - I tend to feel that we encourage some new off colours at the expense of others and type is often not good. Internet sales of off colours are very buoyant but be aware quality is often poor and prices often very high for the quality obtained.

Can you recall the best Pekin you’ve ever judged and explain why you liked it so much?

I've judged many nice Pekins - a black bird of the late Pekin Club President, Tom Corner stands out in my memory as do a few of David Mann's birds in the early 1980s. Their type and carriage was outstanding and they epitomized the logo on the front of the Pekin Club cards, this is the type any new member should strive for.