Lithgow Poultry Club chief steward Margaret Latty was very surprised at the Leura Harvest Festival on the weekend when 48 chooks turned up to be considered for the ‘Best in Show’ award.
The scene was very different from last year, when Harvest Festival publicist, Michelle Grima, said only six chooks were entered in the pet chook show event.
Ms Latty said she the feathered friends “just kept on coming” when they opened up the event at 10.30am on Sunday May 6. Ninety minutes later they had numerous winners, battling for “very generous” prizes that included a new chook house from Sun Valley Produce, as well as vouchers from Western Produce and Mt Vic and Me store.
“It was brilliant and wonderful and also to see so many children so interested in their pets.”
The Best in Show winner Eduardo, a little Belgian D’Uccle, “obviously gets a lot of handling, he was very happy to pose for photographs,” Ms Latty said. Another rare breed, a Polish Frizzle won best standard and leghorns and a speckled Sussex also featured in the prizes.
Thousands attended the regional festival this year, entering other popular events including the chocolate cake competition and the scarecrow competition and trying produce from the Chef’s Table.
The event celebrates seasonal fresh food and sustainable living within a 100-mile radius of Leura. There were 70 stalls of organic produce and products, micro-farming information, solar-powered vehicles, herbs and spices, apple ciders and local wines, to repurposed clothing, art, homewares, and organic beauty products.