General News
17 October, 2025
Show time for a Silkie superstar
Lisa Mitchell couldn’t believe her ears when the announcer called her name at the Royal Melbourne Show. Her fluffy black Silkie chicken, Buddy, had just been crowned champion bird - a feathered feat that beat out competitors from across the state. Although this is her second show, Lisa’s love for chickens began long ago after being introduced through her husband's family.
“I got into chooks about 15 years ago - my husband's been doing it for 30 years” she says.
“I came across the Silkies and fell in love with them, and I've been pretty much showing Silkies on and off since.”
A Chinese breed of chicken known for its soft, fluffy plumage, Buddy undergoes thorough preparations before puffing out his chest for display.
“He gets a good bath and a blow-dry and he gets a really good clean up. He loves the bath - he just sits there and relaxes and enjoys it.”
“He loves a good scratch, and I give him kisses, he's very, very affectionate.”
Vastly different to a typical ISA Brown chicken, Lisa was drawn to the Silkies unique features and beauty.
“Their eyes are on the side of their head, they've got these beautiful blue earrings on the side, and all of them have the white or black fluff” she says, proudly showing off her award-winning chook.
As a pleasantly distracting hobby, Lisa has her eyes on the future - hoping to claim more award-winning titles through Buddy’s offspring.
“He’s been very fertile this year, so far I've got about 20 chicks out of him.”
“We usually have two incubators going, but we’re sort of at the end of breeding now.”
Lisa's first place rosettes are proudly hung upon the chicken cage, although the title of best Silkie was the most prestigious award up for grabs.
“That was all I was after and I got it and I was very happy with that, so he did a very good job - he gets a lot of love”