Guernsey Smallholders will hold an egg show contest at La Viaer Marchi in Saumarez Park, Castel on Monday 6 July 2015 (see below for the photo gallery, results and judge's comments from last year - thanks to Agnès Perry for some of the images).
This event is open to poultry keepers from any parish to show their own eggs, and is free to enter. Each contestant can submit two entries per class and the entries will be judged by local enthusiast Roger Burton - there will be small cash prizes for the winners.
This event is open to poultry keepers from any parish to show their own eggs, and is free to enter. Each contestant can submit two entries per class and the entries will be judged by local enthusiast Roger Burton - there will be small cash prizes for the winners.
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There are eight classes of entry, each exhibiting six eggs;
Class 1 - 6 Bantam eggs Class 2 - 6 Fowl eggs, white Class 3 - 6 Fowl eggs, brown Class 4 - 6 Fowl eggs, tinted or any other colour Class 5 - 6 Duck eggs Class 6 - 6 Turkey eggs Class 7 - 6 Goose eggs Class 8 - 6 eggs, any other poultry, named |
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The rules for entry are as follows;
- Eggs can be submitted for showing in two ways; taken directly to the show by 6.00 pm, to the Guernsey Smallholders tent, or delivered the day before the show to La Vieille Ecole, Church Lane, St Sampson's (it's the last house on the left before the lamp post). Please deliver your eggs in egg boxes taped closed, with your name and telephone number inside. There will be a box by the door marked with a sign for you to leave your eggs.
- Judging will take place at 6.15 pm, so if you're bringing your eggs to the show please get them there in good time .
- Your eggs will be allocated to an entry class and given an entry number (remember - you can submit up to two entries per class).
- The eggs will be identically staged by a member of Guernsey Smallholders at La Viaer Marchi for judging. One egg may be cracked open by the judge.
- The names of entrants will not be available to the judge until he has made up his mind.
- Prizes will be awarded of £5.00 first prize, £3.00 second prize and £1.00 third prize.
- If you wish to retrieve your eggs after the show, this can be done during the event, or at the above address the following day.
Judging Criteria
The judge will be looking for eggs that are a nice "egg" shape, uniform in colour and size. They should be smooth, without pimples or blemishes, and should look fresh with a healthy bloom.
He will crack open one egg from each of the better entries, looking for quality in the shell and contents. There should be a rich golden-yellow rounded yolk, sitting proudly in the centre of a thick clear albumen with a definite outline. Smashing.
He will crack open one egg from each of the better entries, looking for quality in the shell and contents. There should be a rich golden-yellow rounded yolk, sitting proudly in the centre of a thick clear albumen with a definite outline. Smashing.
This will be the second all-island egg show held by Guernsey Smallholders, and will be repeated each year. Judging is serious, but not stuffy - for example, if the judge thinks your eggs are in the wrong class, he won't disqualify, he'll judge them against the eggs in the more appropriate class. The Poultry Club of Great Britain has a set of judging criteria, which you can use as a guide for your entry - click here to read more.
No matter what your experience, why not have a go? It's great fun.
No matter what your experience, why not have a go? It's great fun.
Gallery from 2014 show
The results from 2014;
Class 1 - Six Bantam eggs (there were two entries):
First - Julia Burton; Second - Julia Burton
Class 2 - Six Fowl eggs, white (there was one entry):
First - William Coleman
Class 3 - Six Fowl eggs, brown (there were ten entries):
First - Gill Bailey; Second - Janey Unitt; Third - Marcia Rosamond
Class 4 - Six Fowl eggs, tinted and other colours (there were eight entries)
First - Katherine Paine; Second - Sarah Sarre; Third - Alizah Coleman
Class 5 - Six Duck eggs (there were four entries)
First - Julia Burton; Second - Julia Burton; Third - Sue Watson
Class 6 - Six Turkey eggs (there were two entries)
First - Janet Unitt; Second - Janet Unitt
There were no entries in Class 7 - Six Goose eggs or Class 8 - Six Other Poultry eggs, named. The judge reclassified two entries from Bantam to Fowl Tinted as they were larger than the standard size criterion for Bantam eggs, and two from Fowl Tinted to Fowl Brown.
Best Eggs in Show - Katherine Paine for her winning entry in Class 4.
Class 1 - Six Bantam eggs (there were two entries):
First - Julia Burton; Second - Julia Burton
Class 2 - Six Fowl eggs, white (there was one entry):
First - William Coleman
Class 3 - Six Fowl eggs, brown (there were ten entries):
First - Gill Bailey; Second - Janey Unitt; Third - Marcia Rosamond
Class 4 - Six Fowl eggs, tinted and other colours (there were eight entries)
First - Katherine Paine; Second - Sarah Sarre; Third - Alizah Coleman
Class 5 - Six Duck eggs (there were four entries)
First - Julia Burton; Second - Julia Burton; Third - Sue Watson
Class 6 - Six Turkey eggs (there were two entries)
First - Janet Unitt; Second - Janet Unitt
There were no entries in Class 7 - Six Goose eggs or Class 8 - Six Other Poultry eggs, named. The judge reclassified two entries from Bantam to Fowl Tinted as they were larger than the standard size criterion for Bantam eggs, and two from Fowl Tinted to Fowl Brown.
Best Eggs in Show - Katherine Paine for her winning entry in Class 4.
Judge's comments from 2014 show
Roger Burton, the egg show judge, made the following comments after the show;
- the quality of entries was much better overall than expected for the first show;
- two sets of eggs were moved from the Bantam class. As a guide bantam eggs should not exceed 1.5 oz. (eggs over this size in the UK would usually be ignored in judging). The eggs from a standard pullet starting to lay are around 1.75 oz and increase quickly to 2 oz, exceeding that after several months. There is another increase after the first moult;
- some yolks were a little small and pale, especially in the Brown egg class. This can be improved with more sunshine and greens;
- some eggs could have been cleaner for the show;
- some eggs had shells with lines, others with excess lime pimples;
- eggs generally were well matched, i.e. the six were of similar size, shape and colour;
- some eggs were slightly less than ideally shaped, although they matched in colour;
- some eggs were moved from Tinted to Brown (this is difficult to describe, except that light brown eggs go in Tinted so Brown is darker than light brown!) I think the judge's discretion is preferred here rather than disqualifying entries. Mottled or speckled eggs are shown according to their ground colour. Note: Regular mottles or speckles are preferred;
- one entry had eggs with thin shells (easily remedied by offering oyster shell to the chickens);
- the albumen was generally very good, i.e. clear with no signs of blood spots, just a couple were a little cloudy.
Thanks to the exhibitors for their support and a particular well done to the first prize winners of the Tinted and Brown egg classes. They were clear winners in their classes.
