LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Bird flu is impacting more than just egg prices. The Nevada Department of Agriculture has implemented a ban on all shows for poultry (birds and eggs) and dairy cattle. Friday, FOX5’s Kim Passoth met with students who raise, care for, and show chickens.
Blake Haftel, 13, who has been with the Clark County Silver State Wranglers 4H for nine years, shows a prize-winning rooster named Texas.
“This is his right eye and there are no signs of cloudiness or blindness and then this is its comb and there are no signs of scaling mites,” shared Blake Haftel showing the bird to FOX5.
“I got into 4H because of my mom and my aunts… They have been a part of this club for 24 years and my grandma was also a part of this club,” Haftel reported. Haftel, like all the kids in the club, won’t get a chance to show off all the hard work they’ve put in this year.
“It was really upsetting because I was looking forward to showing this year. Last year, when I was showing I got first place and I was really excited and I was looking forward to doing it again this year,” Hatfel confessed.
“This would have been my first year in fair,” revealed Riley Seeberg. The 13-year-old had prepared to show her white silky hen, Evermore.
“It is just really sad that I put in all that effort and I don’t get to show her,” Seeberg stated.
The six chickens there when FOX5 went to meet with the kids are normally housed together. The shows have been cancelled to ensure that the birds aren’t exposed to other birds that they normally wouldn’t be interacting with. The club also cannot hold regular meetings with all of their chickens right now for the same reason, though the kids are still in charge of their care at different locations throughout the valley.
“For me, 4H means to me like your own little family, because you know you can count on them like to help you when you need them,” explained Seeberg.
There is a plan for the kids to still be able to show at the county fair this year. They are switching from showing chickens to rabbits. The Clark County Fair & Rodeo will be held April 9-13 in Logandale.
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