There's no winging it in the show ring for these chook fanciers

The couple are happily "addicted" to breeding chickens, which they have been doing for 17 years. Even their children - Sophee, 10; Noah, 8, and Willow 6 - have caught the bug and are just as 'eggcited' about their hobby as their parents.

The family lives on Bective Station, west of Tamworth, where Mr Kneipp is second in charge of the feedlot.

The Kneipps have always "loved" working with chooks, importing many breeds early on, including the Brahma, one of the largest breeds available in Australia.

At one stage they were running up to 48 different poultry breeds.

"We eventually realised we had nowhere else to go but into the show ring, which we've been doing for the past five years," Mrs Kneipp said.

"The kids are just as heavily involved in showing and love coming out - but they have to prepare their own chooks for the show ring.

"They have to get out and wash and scrub their own chooks to get them pen ready - even sort out the feeding program leading up to the show."

Mr Kneipp described poultry showing as a "social gathering", and said Tamworth Show, to be held on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2, would be a "nice practice run" leading into Sydney Royal, which runs from March 22 to April 2.

"A lot of the chooks we take to Tamworth Show will be among the team we also take to Sydney for the fortnight," he said.

Tamworth district poultry fancier Peter Smith, Loomberah, helped encourage the Kneipps into the show ring.

Mrs Kneipp said Mr Smith, known locally as "Mr Sussex", had been, and continues to be, the family's chook mentor, helping to select the family's show team and provide breeding advice.

The Kneipps breed between 500 to 1000 chickens a year, across about 10 breeds, which are predominantly soft feather. Willow is the only one to breed a hard feather variety.

The Kneipps' show season starts with Tamworth Show, where they will take a team of 22 birds this year, and finish with Tamworth Poultry Club Show in July. In between there will be about 13 additional agricultural and club shows across NSW, including Sydney and Brisbane Royals.

The schedule means the family will select and prepare more than 100 chooks for the show ring this show season.

So far, the best the Kneipps' chooks have achieved in the show ring is a reserve bird of show at Quirindi Show, along with placing across numerous classes at Sydney Royal.

Preparations for the Tamworth Show team were well underway when the Leader visited the Kneipps on Friday, February 16, for some tips on chook grooming.

Each chook destined for the show ring will be groomed twice before it is displayed for the judge. An initial wash at will be done at home, which is a major grooming session, followed by a second mini groom once at the show ground.

The grooming process can take anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour depending on the size of the chook.

Shampoos, whiteners, nail clippers, scissors, emery boards, hair dryers and oils - the tools used are not far removed from what you encounter in a beauty salon.

The Kneipps start with the feet - a quick pedicure to clean the dirt from under the toenails and a bit of a trim.

Once the worst of the dirt has been removed, it's into the tub, for a bath using a range of cleaning products, from special shampoos to whitening products, and another scrub of the feet with a nail brush, and then a rinse.

"Washing the chickens removes all the dirt and poo," Mr Kneipp said.

"White chooks in particular need a good wash because they easily show the dirt."

Let's admit it, we all look a bit like a "drowned rat" when we first step out of the shower with wet hair, and chooks are no different. But who doesn't look amazing after a great blow dry, and again, chooks are no different.

It can take about 20 minutes under a drier to fluff up a small chook's feathers, and Mr Kneipp said most birds sit quietly.

"They don't struggle, enjoying the warm air, although we keep their head covered to keep them calm until they get used to the feeling," he said.

Once the blow dry is done, it's time for the finishing touches, including an eyebrow trim, and a beak 'tipping' if it is overhanging.

From this point, the job is nearly done, with a rub of a little oil into the comb, wattles, ear lobs and beak to enhance the colour, as well as some Vaseline into the legs and feet to bring up the yellow.

"Once chooks have been through the process a few times, they tend to like it," Mr Kneipp said.

Now beautifully clean, Mr Kneipp sets the chickens into a cage on the lawn in the sun to totally dry their feathers. Later the chooks are transferred to a separate, above ground cage, to keep them clean until its time to head to the show.

Mrs Kneipp said grooming the chickens at least four days ahead of a show also gave the birds time to preen themselves and ensure their feathers were "in line".

"The grooming process in the lead up to a show can be very time consuming when you have a big show team," she said.

"Then, when you get there - after they have travelled up to five hours or so in the trailer - you almost need to start again.

"In some instances it may just need a minor wash or just a blow dry to knock off any dust or straw, then freshen up their comb and feet to make them show shine and sparkle - it's all about the fine details."

The Kneipps transport their show team in a specially modified trailer, which also has storage for all their show preparation products.

Like other stud animals, chooks for the show ring are bred along bloodlines, and each year the Kneipps select their top birds for breeding.

"It's not easy breeding a show chook," Mr Kneipp said.

"You need to start with the best genetics you can afford - and then it's up to you and the [Australian poultry] standards book from then on.

"You also need to go to shows first, get to meet people and learn from the right people, like we did with Peter Smith - who comes out every year to help us go though our Sydney team."

Tamworth is renowned as a poultry centre, and home to one of the largest poultry club shows, drawing about 1000 birds, outside Sydney Royal which draws 2000.

Mrs Kneipp said interest in poultry among people in the Tamworth district was growing, assisted by a growing social media presence.

"Word about poultry events is no longer spread by word of mouth by old guys talking in a show shed," she said.

"People tend to get their information via social media posts."

Mr Kneipp has also noticed a increase in more younger people taking an interest in poultry in recent years.

"It's hard to say why - they come in waves - but at the moment there seems to be a lot of people in the 25 to 30 year bracket," he said.

"If you get kids interested in poultry at a young age, they might walk away from it for a few years or more but they will always come back."