Judges comb through to find the best bird

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THEY puffed out their chests proudly.

They even stood still gracefully while being judged by their curves and overall appearance.

The Malaysian ayam serama is not your average chicken from the coop but a special breed of bird that certainly knows how to flaunt its stuff!

Prize posses sion: Syed Nazra Syed Putra, 40, with his ayam serama named Seri Bidong.

About 200 of these pint-sized birds were put to the test during a contest held at the state Sports and Youth Complex hall in Ipoh last Saturday.

Organising chairman Mohd Ridzuan Ahmad, 32, said each contestant was judged according to its style, feathers, comb and overall appearances.

“Judges first look at its distinctive arrogant posture before giving points according to the markings on the feathers, body shape and comb,” Mohd Ridzuan said, adding that the behaviour of each bird was also noted.

According to him, there were several types of ayam serama that were differentiated by the shapes of their body.

Taking care: Aziz Che Kob, 52, cleaning his ayam serama’s legs.

“There are breeds like Husin, Seri Bidung, Tok Uban and Geliga, ranging from chicks to adult birds, being contested today,” he said.

Each bird, he revealed, could fetch between RM350 and an astounding RM30,000.

“There is currently only a small following of these birds in Perak and we are still quite new to such competitions compared to Kelantan and Terengganu.

“But I believe, the trend will catch up,” said Mohd Ridzuan, who plans to rope in Perak Tourism to hold an even bigger event next year.