2 March 2023 - Flipbook - Page 36
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NEWS
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
POULTRYPEN
By Caroline Fullerton
LEFT: Daniel
Heron with his
Best Large
Game at the
Balmoral Show.
RIGHT:
Daniel with
his Reserve
Champion Old
English Game.
ABOVE: Daniel Heron’s Best Old English Game at the Balmoral Show.
Young breeder focus: Daniel Herron
D
ANIEL Heron is 16 years
old and lives outside
Broughshane, County
Antrim. He currently
attends Cambridge House
Grammar School where he is
studying for AS Levels in Maths,
Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Daniel’s family has been
associated with showing and
breeding poultry since his
grandfather was a young man.
His grandfather was also
successful in showing his pedigree
cattle and poultry.
Daniel’s uncle Drew and mother
carried on this tradition, showing
various breeds at many shows
with varying degrees of success.
This is how he became involved in
breeding and showing poultry.
In fact, Daniel can not remember
life without poultry and has been
attending shows since he was able
to walk.
He said he didn’t really get a
choice – keeping poultry was just
part of everyday life. As he has
grown up he has become even
more interested.
Showing was always something
he was involved in with his mum
and late uncle Drew.
The rst time he entered birds
in his own name was when he was
approximately ve years old and
put forward some Pekins.
Through the family connection
Daniel’s entries were mainly soft
feather but he always admired the
game birds.
This is where his main interest
lies today.
Over the years the family has
kept many breeds of Hard and Soft
Feather and Waterfowl. He thinks
about 40 different breeds.
He has always enjoyed the strong
competition and great craic among
the competitors.
Daniel’s favourite breeds are
the Large Carlisle Game and Old
English Game bantams. He loves
their colour, character and stature.
He says they are a very selfsufcient breed. They require
basic poultry needs – fresh water,
feed and clean bedding. The only
challenge is their temperament,
as the roosters can get very badtempered, especially at breeding
time.
A memorable year was 2018, his
rst showing independently. At
every show he competed at he was
placed on Championship Row with
the game birds.
Daniel’s advice to anyone starting
out in poultry would be to try and
buy the best quality birds you can
and breed from your best stock.
Quality not quantity.
People he admires include
Austin and Robert Shaw, Raymond
Armstrong and Jonny Blaney for
the quality of birds they produce
every year.
These people have helped Daniel
immensely along the way by
showing him the points to look out
for.
A thought to end with: Daniel was
always taught from a very young
age to congratulate the winner as it
is only the judge’s opinion.
LEFT: Daniel’s uncle
Drew with his winning
Black Orpington
cockerel.
RIGHT: Daniel’s
uncle Drew with his
Champion Brahma.
ABOVE: A young Daniel Heron with a
winning Large Game.
ABOVE: Daniel
holding his
winning Fawn
Runner drake
with his family
also winning
Best Carlisle
and Old
English Game
bantam at the
Ballymena
Show.
ABOVE: Paper clippings of winning birds
at both Ballymoney and Lurgan shows.
LEFT: Daniel
Heron with
one of his Old
English Game
bantam males.
ABOVE: Daniel with his Champion Hard Feather with Geoff
Hurst and his Champion Rare Breed.