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 name is Dean Kay and we show under the name of 'John Kay and Son'. My first judging appointment was at the age of 15, judging hard feather classes, that was a few years ago.

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

A fit well presented bird, showing the correct type of tilt and stands showing themselves off in the pen.

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

Long and narrow bodied birds and lack of broadness across the front. Poor fitness, loose wings, broken foot feather, quality of feather and tilting the wrong way.

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

I don't mind what colour I judge, I just get pleasure from judging Pekins in general - especially if it is a good class.

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?

You just have to look back to the old photographs to see how much the Pekins have changed. All of the new colours coming from abroad that are attracting the attention of so many people, especially the newcomer and those just for the garden are a different shape as well.

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

There are far too many exceptionally good Pekins that I have judged over the years - to just pick one out would be hard to do - but when you see one it is a nice and very satisfying feeling.