A tight-knit group of young entrepreneurs will participate in the upcoming Butler County Farm Show despite the difficulties presented by ongoing state regulations that aim to curb the spread of bird flu.

Members of the Butler County 4-H poultry club, ages 8 to 18, have worked “around the cluck” to prepare for competition and will for the first time in the past few years be able to have their birds on the farm show grounds for a short span of 72 hours or less.

The club members are slated to compete in the poultry portion of the junior livestock auction, part of the Butler Farm Show, which runs the first week full week of August.

All birds on the farm show premises this year will be designated for market, to be sold Thursday, Aug. 8 event and sent for immediate processing. The event provides a fiscal incentive for group members, while also giving the public a chance to support the future educational opportunities of youth in the county.

Lily Williams, a rising sophomore at Butler Area High School, thought she would be in the clear to compete with both show birds and meat birds this year. After all, Lily has yet to show a live bird at the farm show in her three years of participation with the poultry club.

“It hurts to not have the (show) birds on-site,” Lily said.

Mandates imposed by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture clipped aspects of the 2022 and 2023 farm show, while shutdowns stemming COVID-19 prohibited the show entirely in 2020. Market turkey sales were canceled outright this year.

When junior farm show judges awarded Lily with a grand prize in 2022 for her Silver Phantom ducks, they made evaluations based on portraits of her birds. She’s been drawn to ducks since her childhood farm show days as a spectator. Chickens, geese, quail, and even emus all are poultry eligible for the farm show, and all are equally difficult to get camera-ready.

What Lily has gotten the chance exhibit in her poultry club tenure is leadership and resilience. She sits on the board of 4-H’s youth council, which meets twice monthly. Naturally, the group experienced a drop-off in participation when past members learned they wouldn’t be able to show their birds in the flesh.

“We’re hoping a lot more people stay (in the club) this year,” she said.

Bird flu was confirmed in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in the state in April 2022 for the first time since an outbreak occurred in 1983.

Poultry club treasurer Matthew Bauer, 14, who attends Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh, has an even-handed viewpoint on state regulations, and larger issues related to commercial farming. Matthew recognizes the larger context, which is that poultry farming is one of the state’s largest industries. His authority on poultry extends further into agriculture, evidenced by a recent first-place finish at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences competition for his experimentation in growing arugula.

Ashley Bauer, 10, was led gently by her big brother into poultry club membership. The Bauer siblings take the responsibility of raising 10 birds with the same caution and diligence as the big farmers are required to. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to chickens is cleanliness.

“I’ve seen pigs cleaner than these birds,” added Lily’s father, Jim Williams.

The daily bathtime regime for chickens requires Dawn dish soap and plenty of patience.

But an emotional investment in “terminal birds” is discouraged. A good-rule of thumb, Jim added, is to “not make friends with your food.”

The harsh, yet prudent reality in poultry farming today is that if one bird tests positive for bird flu, the entire flock must be eradicated.

All farm show birds will have undergone testing prior next week’s farm show.

4-H in Butler County operates within Penn State Extension – the university is involved with mitigation planning with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Future farm show restrictions and state mandates for the poultry industry “all depend on the fall and spring migration on the East Coast,” Jim said.

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center focuses on testing migratory birds like ducks, geese, and swans to help detect the virus.

But poultry club members have pivoted to complying with farm show rules, as state regulations are “baked in.” In the last week leading up to the farm show, Lily, Matthew and Ashley will weigh their birds two to three times a week. Birds are to weigh no more than 10 pounds, but not less than 6. In pacing the growth of chickens, farmers must walk a fine line – an increase of 2 pounds per week is ideal.

A pen of four birds can be disqualified by the noncompliance of just one bird. Unlike years past, no alternate birds are permitted.

However, the daily grind in raising poultry hasn’t changed.

“It means waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning,” said Lily. “They don’t care if it’s your birthday or Christmas Day. They need to eat.”

Next week, judges will be looking for uniformity from bird to bird, cleanliness, overall health of birds and showmanship. For poultry club members, the junior farm show fosters a competitive spirit but also pragmatism.

Many have entered into agreements with their parents, wherein market earnings, minus expenses, are set aside for future farming and personal goals, whether educational or otherwise.

Public participation in the junior farm show auction is key to achieving that end, and willingness to pay a premium for poultry has long been part of an informal agreement with youth producers.

Other 4-H facilitated club groups and their members will show bunnies, goats, pigs and steers at the junior farm show.