Ornamental chicken breeding clubs have emerged in Indonesia, Thailand, North America and even European countries such as the UK and France. Malaysia is however the epicenter of this cultural phenomenon. These chickens are prized for their build, size, behavior and showmanship by their owners and competitions or beauty contests as they are often described are held almost every week in at least one village in Malaysia. Judges sit around a square table inspecting each chicken for a few minutes trying to determine a champion specimen in its own weight class based on its stance, temperament and physical assets like wings, tails and comb. The walk or strut by an ornamental chicken in a beauty contest, much like a runway model, constitutes a large part of the scoring system. (Photo by Ernest Goh/2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

Farmer Zhang Xianping rides his pig "Big Precious" during an interview with the media, in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China, November 2, 2015. Zhang, a pig breeder, instead of killing it, decided to keep the two-year-old "Big Precious" as pet when its weight reached 600 kg, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Birds made of recycled tires are displayed in a shop located on the Panamerican highway near Catarina town, May 7, 2015. Salazar recycles used tyres to make bird figurines and sofas to sell in his shop located on the Panamerican highway. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)

People carry their pets before the start of a pet blessing at Greenhills shopping mall in Manila October 3, 2015. Pets were blessed on Saturday in a celebration honouring the patron saint of animals Saint Francis of Assisi. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

A woman carries a piglet as she runs on ice during a running challenge in Changsha, Hunan province February 8, 2015. A total of 20 people participated in the challenge requiring them to choose a pig ranging between 15 kg and 115 kg in weight, and carrying it while running on a 20.15-metre-long ice track. The participants that complete the challenge will be rewarded with the pig they carried, local media reported. (Photo by Darwin Zhou/Reuters)

Hindu devotees, their bodies pierced with lemon and paladai, or bowl with a spout mainly used to feed milk to infants, wait to participate in a procession to mark Shivratri, or the night of Shiva, in Chennai, India, Wednesday, February 18, 2015. Such processions are held as an offering and show of devotion by devotees on the day dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. (Photo by Arun Sankar K./AP Photo)

Girls of the Long Horn Miao ethnic minority group wear headdresses as they prepare gather for Tiaohua or Flower Festival as part of the Lunar New Year on February 6, 2017 in Longga village, Guizhou province, southern China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A Thai villager runs with a bullock during a catching a bullock competition as part of the annual bullock cart racing festival in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, 21 February 2016. The annual bullock cart race festival held to celebrate the end of the harvest season. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)