You are right that this event is a Chickenstock and not a poultry show. It was scheduled around the local 4-H calendar and the availabilities of the facilities at the County Fairgrounds. It is too bad that the Chickenstock is the same weekend as the RMPF, but as you mentioned, the RMPF is in Hamilton MT which is 250+ miles north of Idaho Falls and I am sure that our event will not hurt attendance at the RMPF in any way.
As far as the proceeds from the raffle, I am hoping that we bring in enough to cover all of the costs of putting on the event, which right now are coming out of my pocket. If you have ever been involved in putting on an event, you know that there are many costs involved including liability insurance, rentals, advertising, etc. We are not charging admitance to the event and are not planning to charge anything of breeders that want to bring birds or eggs to sell or trade.. Our only revenue will be from the raffle and possibly cash sponsorships.
One of the goals of the Chickenstock is to get more local youth involved in 4H and in poultry.. Idaho Falls just approved an ordinance this past summer allowing 6 hens to be kept within the city limits. This opens up opportunities in 4H to thousands of youth who previously may not have been able to participate. So far we have had a great response to the Chickenstock from both BYC members and our local 4-H clubs. This is the first poultry event besides the County and State fairs to be held in East Idaho and already is well on it's way to be the biggest poultry event here.
