Harrisburg farm show - poultry show... :(

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
Hannah,

I understand completely with your view on the subject. I knew the risk I took at showing at any show I attend. This sort of thing does happens and I was just really upset that my birds got sick. I am practicing safe biosecurity and won't let my show birds come in contact with my other birds for at least three weeks and I will make sure they get the medications that they need.

As to my actions, yes, maybe they were a little hysterical. Some people told me that the situation of the birds was worse than it actually was. I should have gone to the actual soure and found out the whole story prior. I was just very worried about my birds because they are basically like children to me.

 

[SunAngel]

Quote:
I was at that show first thing Sunday morning. The amount of chickens that I saw sick and with the way they looked, that did not happen in one day. There is no way they got so stressed that in one day they were puffed up, bubbles in their eyes and looking so bad. Specially as there were sick birds from one side of the room to the other. I have had chickens get sick before and they do not get to that stage in a matter of hours. So whoever brought their birds in like that, had to have known they were sick and didn't care. And it must have been totally overlooked at check-in. As for the scaly leg mites, some of the chickens could barely walk around their cage! Their legs looked gross and had to be painful! If someone brings something to a show like that, then they deserve to get criticized for it by others. If they don't like it, maybe they should have kept their entries at home! What kind of examples are those for all the kids who came through that show? That its ok to keep your birds like that, show them and expect awards?

I have watched many people post about poultry/farm shows all over the country. Not one person has mentioned viewing sick and diseased poultry. Not one has mentioned birds dying or having to be isolated. Not one said anything about having to cull their entrants due to 'stressed' birds contaminating their birds. So aparently this does not happen at every event like this.

Whoever was in charge this particular year, obviously did not keep up the standards of previous years...plain and simple. If this gets overlooked, accepted and brushed under the carpet...next year will likely be the same. How is that fair to the entrants? There will also be a lot less birds entered next year if people aren't reassured that those in charge will take better measures next time.

I am sure if the same amount of Cows, Goats, Sheep, Pigs or Horses died all heck would have broken loose! Just because they are chickens, doesn't make it acceptable. I am sure lot of the owners of the chickens shown care about them a great deal and have invested time, money and love in their pets!

As for the 'Factory" hens....is 'accept it' how we should deal with everything? Oh who cares, thats how it is, just accept it? If thats what everyone believed, nothing would ever get fixed, solved or changed. Thank goodness not everyone follows that line of thinking!!

 

[Brownleghornluv]

Im done responding to the Farmshow. But i do have issue with the "Factory hens". That is not my view it is the worlds view. I am a lifelong vegetarian and has never eaten eggs other than my own. It is my deepest wish to end factory farming and batery caged hens but I feel that no one that eats eggs or chicken has a right to criticize that method when you support it everyday!

 

[pips&peeps]

I have attended several shows the past year and only once did I see a sick bird. It was kind of hard to notice, but I did because it was next to one of mine. I reported it to the show secretary and it was removed right away.

Any sick bird in a show should be removed right away. The State should be contacted right away regarding this disease outbreak to see what it is, not just guesses because of the number of birds exposed. I personally would have taken my birds home in a situation like that.

This is not a common thing to happen at a show.

 

[Msbear]

Quote:
Great post, sunangel. I don't care how many birds have been put together, there has to be some standards set by management concerning diseased and infested birds or showing as we know it will be gone. Don't make her feel guilty for getting so upset about her adored birds.

I wonder how many birds were at the Ohio National? I wonder how many losses they had?

 

[19hhbelgian]

pips&peeps :

I have attended several shows the past year and only once did I see a sick bird. It was kind of hard to notice, but I did because it was next to one of mine. I reported it to the show secretary and it was removed right away.

Any sick bird in a show should be removed right away. The State should be contacted right away regarding this disease outbreak to see what it is, not just guesses because of the number of birds exposed. I personally would have taken my birds home in a situation like that.

This is not a common thing to happen at a show.

I'm glad this is uncommon. I care very much for my animals, and would never expect to "come home short a few". I also think it's sad that they are brushing it off - it should have been handled in a professional & timely manner, all they did was try to push it off as being nothing to worry about, probably so no profit is lost next year

Also wanted to say that I think it's time to stop this discussion

 

[Msbear]

I totally agree about dropping it. Everything that needs to be said has been said.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have to ask if you enter a bird into these shows, do you have to pay an entrance fee per bird? if so, i would suggest to contact those in charge of running the farm/poultry show and voice your concerns, money is income to them and is very important to keep it coming in to run the shows. mention that you will not be entering animals next year if conditions of other poultry being entered are not being monitored from the moment they come in the door. sick animals should NOT be allowed no matter what the situation. i have helped out at my local fairground and know many people who help to run ours. many own farms and are very cautious about letting sick animals into the exhibit/pen areas.

there is a reason that you condition birds for shows, it lessens the possibilities of stressing them out by people passing by their cages and also being crammed into a smaller space than they are used to. these poor sick birds probably were not conditioned long enough, if at all, to be in such a stressful situation. unfortunately, battery hens have been conditioned to it a majority of their lives, and i no longer support those conditions and i don't think a show should really be promoting that by showing live birds in those cages. that should be through a video viewing area with information about their plight. (edited to mean many battery birds in one cage at the show)

i've never shown any of my birds but i am thinking about it and have seen a lot of info on how to prepare for it. it does scare me to hear about this happening but it is good to know that there is a preference to go to ABA/APA sanctioned shows instead of fairs.

 

[pips&peeps]

Well, I'll make sure and contact the PA Dept of AG on Tuesday so they are involved.

I don't want the same thing to happen there that happened here a couple years ago when ILT was spread through a couple of counties and chickens were shipped out of State.

 

[Msbear]

Chickie'sMoma :

i've never shown any of my birds but i am thinking about it and have seen a lot of info on how to prepare for it. it does scare me to hear about this happening but it is good to know that there is a preference to go to ABA/APA sanctioned shows instead of fairs.

just wanted to say many fairs and such are run just as tight as an APA sanctioned event. The difference, mainly, is the name. You know experienced members of the APA are throwing the event. Many fairs have the same experience in running events and take proper precautions. I do not want to bash non-sanctioned shows at all. Just use your head and, if you see sick birds that aren't yanked out right away, remove your birds like brownleghorn suggested.
The biggest difference, I believe, is the amount of time. An APA show is typically a day or two. Week long events can be extremely stressful to the birds as they cannot sleep/rest and get worn down over time.

No matter where you show, there will always be a possibility of something bad happening. It's our job as a breeder to be as cautious and observant as we can.​