When Margaret Day retired and started breeding champion Indian Runner ducks, her kids were surprised.
"Even my own children said they can't believe our mother's breeding ducks," she said.
Mrs Day is always on the lookout for a champion. They need to be a very clean white, with no yellowing in the feathers, she said. The feathers need to be tight against the body, which should be shaped like a wine bottle.
"You just have almost an extra ability, personality wise, or the way that they stand to impress. I think that's true for a champion. They've got to have that extra X-factor," she said.
Indian Runners are also not like other ducks.
"The thing about the Runners is they're quirky. I mean they're not typical of a duck. You know, you think of something low slung and that waddles along, whereas these run and they're quite interesting to watch when they're running," she said.
Her friend Peter D'Arcy had given her six eggs and they hatched into ducklings. It might have caught her children by surprise, but it set Mrs Day on a competitive path.
"As they grew and I was wanting to learn more about them, Peter said, 'Why don't you come along to a show and talk to other like minded people?'," she said.
Now Mrs Day is a poultry show regular. She will enter eight ducks in the Royal Canberra Poultry show this long weekend, where more than 3500 birds will be on display.
The ducks are sprayed, washed, rinsed and dried with a towel before the show. Mrs Day will moisturise their beaks and feet to make them "nice and shiny".
Mr D'Arcy will also be there, in the hopes of winning an award for one of his Australorps or Old English Game birds.
"The show in the past few years has been a bit smaller, but this year people wanted to have a much bigger show and so a lot of effort has been put into it by many clubs around the ACT," he said.
Mr D'Arcy has been going to the show for about 25 years. Neither her nor his chickens felt nervous before the show, he said. The poultry community is competitive but tight knit.
"I don't get nervous before the show. You put your birds next to other birds to see how you're going in your quest to breed a better bird. And if someone else wins, that's fine," he said.
Adelina La Vita, the chief executive of the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society, said there would be biosecurity measures and protocols to keep both birds and people safe this weekend, amid an increase in cases of bird flu globally and in Australia.
"Anyone who has a sick bird is asked to leave it at home and if they have more than one bird, then we ask them to stay at home and not come to the show," Ms La Vita said.
Ms La Vita said there were more than 3500 entries for this year's show, and it is an excellent opportunity for breeders like Mrs Day and Mr D'Arcy to showcase their birds.
"They take great pride and a lot of care in rearing these wonderful birds, and so the show provides an opportunity to be acknowledged and recognised amongst their peers," Ms La Vita said.
- The Royal Canberra Poultry Show is on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 at the Budawang Pavilion in Exhibition Park. Entry is $5 and is free for children under 16.
