"Although unfortunately in the world today if a dog barks or a rooster crows we get a visit from the council to say, ‘hey you were keeping your neighbour awake at 4.30 this morning’," Mr Woods said.
He was in Dunedin at the weekend judging game fowl and game bantams at the 42nd annual Dunedin Poultry, Pigeon and Cagebird Club Show.
Mr Stewart is based in Greenvale, on the outskirts of Melbourne.
He started judging at the age of 20 at the Adelaide Royal Show, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
Now he is one of the experts and his knowledge has taken him to the United States and Britain.
On his property he has about 200 breeding fowls.
Unsurprisingly, poultry is often on the dinner menu.
"I have chicken soup most nights. Sometimes for breakfast."
Through the decades Mr Woods has met some temperamental birds.
"Yesterday, while I was judging, there were about six or seven fowls in a small pen. I couldn’t catch them — they were too smart for me at my age.
"Some fowls are frightened of the judge — they don’t want to be caught; they will fly around the pen."
Because of some vicious birds which would "whack" judges, he always carried a few bandages in his pocket.
Competitions used to last much longer, but now most in Australia were done in a day, he said.
"No-one wants to stand around and talk these days."
It was an honour to be judging in Dunedin and he met many "great people" in New Zealand, he said.
He was surprised at the quality of the birds, as there had been no legal imports of new breeds into New Zealand for about 60 years, he said.
Club assistant secretary Phil Hill said it was a successful weekend, with almost 700 birds from Marlborough to Invercargill on show.
Dunedin locals had a strong showing, including Kaye Sangster, who won best bird in show for the fourth year running with her black Pekin bantam.
Dunedin man Gary Cardno came in second with his white Leghorn hen.
