SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - A rooster beauty contest was held in Sulaimani’s Baziyan district on Friday.
Poultry enthusiasts gathered, showing off their roosters.
Roosters were judged based on their breed, size, color, feather quality, and body conformation.
The roosters must be clean, healthy, and well-maintained, with particular emphasis on the shine of their feathers and their overall vitality.
Calm and composed roosters are often favored, as they better display their beauty and traits.
To prepare for the competition, owners spent weeks grooming their roosters, making sure they are fed a nutritious diet, and sometimes even training them to stand still for judging.
“I brought this rooster today to this festival. It [My rooster] won first place and got 96 points. And it gained these points based on its facial features, its eyes and the depth of its eyes, its black feathers, and its height. I love my rooster more than my kids,” Gharib Mohammed, a poultry enthusiast, told Rudaw.
Lalo Hawleri, another poultry enthusiast, said he would not sell his roosters.
“I have brought these two roosters only for showcasing. These roosters are costly and expensive. Their quality is high. I'm not willing to sell my roosters; I was offered $4,000, but I didn't sell them,” he said.
