Damon Sherriff to be at Rare Breeds Poultry Club 20th anniversary show

Bridport bird lover, fish taxidermist and fitness instructor Damon Sherriff has been sucked in by silkies.

Known for breeding pigeons, poultry and parrots, Damon has decided to concentrate on the unique Asian breed of chicken, famous for its fluffy, fur-like plumage, black skin and bones, and for having five toes instead of the typical four on each foot.

At Saturday’s Rare Breeds Poultry Club 20th anniversary show at Longford Showgrounds he’ll add his favourite silkies into the mix of more than 400 birds covering 51 breeds of chickens, turkeys, ducks and Guinea fowl .

Damon has been attending the show for about 13 years with his Japanese bantams and Sebrite bantams, but he’s sold the Sebrites and opted for another breed that doesn’t rely so heavily on the feather markings to score well with the judges.

“The silkies are a straight colour and I don’t have to cull just because they haven’t come out with a particular pattern - with silkies the colour is a small part of the overall score,” he said.

“The judges will be looking for a “cobby” round-shaped bird with a short neck and a big pom-pom crest on their head.

“They also need to have five, not four toes like most chickens and ideally they have feathered feet.”

Two judges at the show will pick the best of each breed and also judge the egg competition.

All up there’s more than $4000 in prizes on offer, 20th Anniversary trophies for the champions, medallions for all Best of Breed winners, commemorative certificates for all entries and a special Champion Junior Exhibitor trophy.

Another highlight will be the silent poultry auction which runs concurrently, where anyone can put in a bid on their favourite feathered fowl or dapper duck, plus there will be a raffle, merchandise and plenty of food and refreshments.

In the days before the show Damon will have his lounge room full of chickens in cages after being bathed in shampoo with a touch of lemon juice in the water to make them especially bright.

Each chook is partially blow-dried with a hair dryer before finishing off in front of the heater.

The white birds have some Blu-o added to the rinse which makes them look even whiter than they actually are - as long as it’s not left on too long.

“I learned that one from experience - and ended up with blue birds and that’s how they stayed for the year,” Damon said.

“I go to a fair few shows each year but this rare breeds show is my favourite - it’s really cool to see all of these different breeds and find something that really stands out.

“I’ve had some success over the years, having won Champion Japanese and Champion True Bantam a couple of times - mainly with my little white ones.”

Damon started off showing pigeons when he was just 10.

Because the pigeon shows were often on at the same time as the poultry at agricultural shows he was tempted to get involved and just two years ago he fully transitioned and sold the last of his pigeons after a 40-year stint.

Contributing to the change was the dedication required for another bird-based challenge with his parrots.

After years of trying he’s finally been able to breed the state’s first two Catalina Macaws, a cross between a blue and gold (the dad) and a scarlett macaw (the mum) with the offspring inheriting the stunning, fiery red-orange chest of the scarlet and the striking blue-and-yellow hues on the wings and back from the blue-and-gold parent.

One baby has already been sold to a lady in Launceston and the other, a boy named Flame, is being kept by Damon as a pet.

He is hoping the parents re-lay in spring.

“It’s a big job, between work and feeding them every few hours and training them every day.

“It’s like having babies, they totally rely on you and it’s stressful when you know if you do something wrong they could die.

“The next hatch I get I’m going to keep a catalina and cross it back to a scarlett macaw, which will breed a camelot macaw that features vivid red and orange coloration across their bodies, often with beautiful yellow and green highlights on their wings.”

Camelot macaws fetch upwards of $20,000 as pets.

In the meantime Damon is continuing to strive for the best possible result with is poultry.

Entry to the Rare Breeds Show in Bulwer St, Longford, on July 18, is free with the public welcome between 8am and 2pm.