He's had a lot of experience, having set foot in the poultry competition at Maitland Show for the first time when he was just 14.

Showing is something that he adores and so after 65 years of it he is coming back to his beloved show to do it all again.

He's pretty excited about the chance to take part after the competition was called off last year due to COVID-19.

"This is the first show for this year, I only did a couple of shows in 2021 because of COVID," he said.

"I usually show about a dozen birds and sometimes 15."

Mr Mills, of Oakhampton, has been breeding Anconas and Langshans since he was seven-years-old and he has managed to continue the same blood line.

"I like them the best, I love showing birds, it's like people who love bowls or play golf, for me it's birds. I show canaries and budgies as well," he said.

Poultry Chief Steward Brod Vallance said he had only received a few entries so far and entries closed on Monday. He urged anyone with purebred poultry to enter the competition, even if they only had a few chooks in the backyard to give them fresh eggs.

"Usually a lot of the breeders leave it until the last week so hopefully more entries will come in. Usually we get about 120 birds, and usually we get a lot of heat on the day so I'm hoping that won't be the case this year," Mr Vallance said.

"Later in the year when everyone is in full feather we would see about 400 to 450 birds at a show."

He said the poultry section's location next to the animal nursery gave children access to a wide range of animal encounters.

"They come through the animal nursery and straight into the poultry exhibit so I hope they enjoy it and develop an appreciation for it," he said.

"I hope poultry in this area doesn't die out because of the high-density housing in this area. I know it can be a bit difficult for people to keep poultry."

There will be a poultry exhibit on February 18 for the school children and the competition will be in full swing on February 19.

Mr Vallance breeds his birds earlier than usual so he has a show team in full feather for the event.

"It is a bit of an advantage doing that. I try to do all the little agriculture shows around our area," he said.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the Maitland Show website. Entries close on February 14.

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