Big wins for Adam Byer Koi Farm at the 2024 BKKS National Koi Show
The BKKS National Koi Show is one the major UK shows, and one of the most established in the world. And this year, our customers won lots of awards, including one customer winning big at the BKKS National Koi Show with a koi grown from our fry! And another, with a koi grown from our 4-5 inch koi mixes! In both case, significant competition was beaten off to win first places on both counts!
Since 2017, we've been a regular at the show supporting it by taking a dealer stand, and our customers now carry the mantle of our koi. This year they've done us proud. We have awards in Go Sanke, Kawarimono and Asagi/Shusui.
We finally have an award with our Showa, and it's from our MGS line. A great award placing 1st in the very competitive size 2. More on that shortly.
Our Asagi's continue to make their presence known on the show circuit with another brace of awards - again, beating off significant competition to win a 1st and a 2nd in sizes 2 and 3.
And finally, an Oakly chagoi - purchased as a jumbo tosai 2 years ago has made it's presence known and placed in size 5 (55-65cm) again, beating off stiff competition.
The full set of results for Adam Byer Koi Farm:
BKKS National Koi Show, June 2024
1st Size 2 Showa, Craig Caldwell (out of 6 koi)
1st Size 5 Kawarimono, Nigel Pinfield (out of 6 koi)
1st Size 4 Kawarimono, Nigel Pinfield (out of 6 koi)
1st Size 2 Asagi/Shusui, Matthew Savage (out of 6 koi)
2nd Size 4 Asagi/Shusui, Matthew Savage (out of 7 koi)
3rd Size
More on those awards, including video footage, below:
Asagi's
Matthew Savage won 1st in size 2 and 2nd in size 3 Asagi/Shusui. Both these koi bred at Adam Byer Koi , and were purchased from our sales room - one as a £50 tosai tateshita and the other as a small Nisai for £125. They both pack quality , and Matthew has developed the bodies on both very well. Clean with good skin , great fukurin , and beni developing in the right places and with good quality - the matsuba is developing well on both as well so expect this pair to be back to win more awards at future shows! Some great koi keeping - and also good selection skills from Matthew, picking koi with the right body shape to do well in his pond.
Matthew picked these koi from our sales room stock - keeping an eye on our released, and then visiting to take a look himself. Neither of these Asagi's were expensive koi, but with a good eye and husbandry at Matthew's pond - both have done very well, and are also great prospects for the future.
Kawarimono
Nigel Pinfield has now accomplished what so many koi keepers dream to do - to win big at the National with a koi grown on from fry!
Nigel took a box of fry from us a few years ago, from our Asagi spawning. That spawning also produces some Aka Matsuba's. He's developed one of those extremely well over the last couple of years and it's now a significant size and has a fantastic body shape. It's very easy to over feed and end up with fat fish - or to underfeed and end up with koi that falls short of it's potential body volume. Nigel has managed to thread the needle through that particular challenge and has done so with both the Aka Matsuba and also a Page Matsukawabake which I'll talk about in a moment. The fact Nigel has done the same job with two different fish means his husbandry is very good. Sure, the koi need to have the genetic potential to generate those bodies - and that's for us to deliver, and Nigel has quite clearly showed the quality in our genetics. But to then also make it happen is not always straight forwards. So, this is a partially good achievement that we want to call out.
On that brace of awards from Nigel - the other was with a Kage Matsukawabake from our Takigawa Chagoi line. I've already mentioned the body Nigel's developed on this koi - and there's something else to credit him with , which is selection. He picked this koi out from our sales vats at the BKKS National in 2022.
When we get koi with quality but not the target variety from a spawning - I'll often take them on for a certain amount of time. And then, our tank space is at such a premium, that when the times comes to decide on what to keep for a second summer - we have to be really careful to fill tank space with koi that we have great confidence on, and where we see the market too.
This can present opportunities to the hobbyist, perusing our tanks! Nigel's taken on a koi with good skin, but what would have looked like a quirky and risky option - and has delivered big time!
Check out this pair of very high quality Kawarimono , in their show vat:
We also scored another fantastic award in size 5 Kawarimono for our Oakly Chagoi at the 2024 BKKS National Koi Show - with Kyle Weaver scoring a 3rd in size 5 Kawarimono with a stunning Oakly Chagoi. Kyle purchased this chagoi from us as a jumbo tosai 2 years ago for £125 and has grown it on exceptionally well , developing its qualities including fantastic fukirin … and I feel there’s more to go for with this koi in the future. Well done Kyle ! (and thank you for the picture)
We're thrilled about this award, with a Showa bred from our female showa 'MGS'. This Showa line tends to develop sumi quite slowly... but when it comes through, the quality can be extremely good. The tosai Craig exhibited still has underlying sumi which would usually hold it back against other Showa's with more finished sumi. The skin quality is superb and must have seen off the competition! And, with bags of potential, as the sumi comes through at finishes over the next few years, Craig could be on for some additional awards too. We wish Craig well with this Showa, and look forward to seeing how it gets on at other shows in the future.
