More than 40 years after that fateful Royal Melbourne Show Mr Ferguson has reached the pinnacle of poultry achievements, taking out champion bird of the show at the breed’s national show in Albury last weekend.

The winning hen was a twoyear- old Columbian wyandotte bantam.

Mr Ferguson and his wife Diane breed and sell a collection of Colombian wyandottes at Chiltern.

While he was initially attracted to the black and white feathers of the bantam birds, Mr Ferguson has found more to love over the years.

“They are a very placid breed of fowl,” he said.

“And they have such a variety of colour — 14 to 16 different colours.

“They are also very good layers and excellent mothers.” Aged 54, Mr Ferguson has nearly been involved with poultry for 40 years.

“My father Frank got me started,” he said.

“He worked on a poultry farm when he left school at 13.” Mr Ferguson grew up at Balldale before moving to Melbourne at 12 and returning to the country at 20.

Poultry was Mr Ferguson’s childhood passion and his wife of 34 years, Diane, is also a chook enthusiast.

“She had to share everything with poultry,” he said.

“But Diane loves them.

She even gives them knicknames.

“I’d be lost without her.

“We do everything together, it’s a real partnership.” Their children also showed birds regularly before moving to Melbourne as adults.

Shows take them across the country, with increasing success.

They breed a lot of chickens in an incubator and cull heavily for faults.

“We end up with half a dozen really good birds,” he said.

“You can’t keep them all as show birds.” The others are sold off to people looking for a hen for the backyard.

“You’d be surprised at the amount of people who want backyarders,” he said.

Mr Ferguson credits Brad Anderson from the NSW Central Coast and his bloodlines for their success.

“The last couple of shows I’ve done him,” Mr Ferguson said, of beating his competitor.

Mr Anderson remarked to the Fergusons on the weekend, “I think I’ve helped you too much”.