Dubbo poultry to compete in Sydney Royal Easter Show 2023

Bradley O'Leary will be taking 15 Belgian Bantams to Sydney and said he would be "pretty stoked" if he could take home a blue ribbon.

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"If they end up going any further than that, that would be an absolute bonus," he said.

Mr O'Leary has been breeding fowl as a hobby for 15 years, but it all began after attending a local show.

"We were at the Dunedoo agricultural show and had a look at the poultry section there and saw some interesting, quirky chooks there - they were Belgian Bantams and that's the first breed I ever got," Mr O'Leary told the Daily Liberal.

He enjoys the camaraderie and social aspect of the agricultural show circuit, and has since gone on to become a judge - and he likes that just as much as showing birds.

"We still have day jobs, family and children. It's a bit of balance having that hobby as a bit of down time and to meet like-minded people on the show circuit. Whether you win, lose or draw, it's about catching up with great mates every year," he said.

"Judging is very much part of that. I enjoy getting to the shows and seeing what others are benching and having the opportunity to judge their fowls and examine them which helps me know where my fowls are at."

Preparing a bird for the show begins "literally when you're hatching it".

Belgian Bantams need to be hatched around August to compete in the Sydney Royal, and providing consistency through their growing period - including with fresh food and water, and enough room to run - is important to their development.

The type of food they are given will change closer to the show to keep them in peak condition, and the birds will be placed in training pens to encourage them to be "calm and present" when the judges walks past.

"No-one wants a fowl that sulks in the corner or doesn't want to be there - you want a bird in the pen that shows itself and is quite proud."

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Mr O'Leary said there is "a breed for everyone" - from the "pretty, soft chooks" to the "ugly dinosaur-looking chooks" - and there is a mix of male, female and child competitors.

At last year's Sydney Royal, Mr O'Leary came home with a Champion Belgian Bantam, Barbu D'Anvers Bantam and Quail.

Fellow Dubbo breeder and agricultural show judge, Ryan Harris, will be bringing two breeds to the show - Modern Game Bantams and Orpington Bantams, a total of 23 chooks.

The bloodlines of the birds have been sources from all over the east coast, and preparation begins days out from the show.

"Their legs and heads have got to be clean, and depending on the breed of chook, it'll get washed and then blow-dried and sat out in the sun. Then I'll put olive oil on the legs and heads to shine them up," Mr Harris told the Daily Liberal.

At last year's show, Mr Harris received a Champion award for his Bantam Orpington Blue.

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Weather can play a part in the condition of the bird, and with lengthy rainy periods coming and going, they are more prone to disease.

For Mr Harris, showing birds is satisfying: "It's getting the chooks to lay the eggs that are fertile enough that they hatch in the incubator or under a hen, then you watch them grow from baby chickens to adults, and see how you go with breeding of excellence through every year, and how they change over different years."

Mr O'Leary and Mr Harris are members of Dubbo Poultry Club.