Avian flu concerns prompt atypical poultry show at Westmoreland Fair

The Westmoreland Fair’s poultry show was missing one thing: poultry.

Birds were absent from Monday’s show because of the avian flu outbreak. Instead, exhibitors produced pictures of their chickens and turkeys, which were then judged.

Judge Harvey Noel said he did his best to examine the birds, but it was difficult to fully scrutinize their characteristics from photographs.

“You can’t really see what the bird really looks like in a picture,” said Noel of Penn Township.

Having judged poultry at the fair for 25 years, Noel typically considers a bird’s feathers, color and type when making his determinations.

The show’s traditional structure requires exhibitors to handle their birds and keep them under control. Obviously, that couldn’t happen Monday.

The fair went birdless after Pennsylvania initiated a ban on poultry shows in light of the flu, according to entry office secretary Leanna Landy.

4-H Poultry Superintendent Tina Danser hopes for more birds and increased exhibitor attendance in 2023, assuming the flu doesn’t get in the way again.

The 2014-15 avian flu outbreak prompted the same response from the fair in 2015, she said.

This year, only seven exhibitors showed birds. In previous years, the poultry/rabbit building would be filled with hundreds of feathered fowl from many exhibitors, Noel said.

The 2022 U.S. outbreak was first detected in February. As of Aug. 19, over 40 million birds have been affected nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Pennsylvania, most cases have been in the eastern side of the state. A CDC map shows that over 4.2 million animals have been affected in Lancaster, Berks and Northampton counties.

The most recent Pa. outbreak was reported on Aug. 11. According to the CDC, 90 birds owned by a Northampton County backyard producer contracted the flu.

The flu impacts both poultry and wild birds. According to Penn State, infected birds can experience respiratory problems, decreased egg production, swelling of the head, lethargy, diarrhea or even sudden death.

Once one bird is infected, the disease spreads quickly to others.

Kara Lechman, who showed a chicken Monday and earned the title of champion showman, said biosecurity is of the utmost importance to animal owners.

“That’s why we didn’t bring them to the fair, so we can keep all our birds safe where they are and prevent it from spreading,” said Lechman, 17, of Unity.

Monday’s competition was Lechman’s ninth show. She’s been helping her family take care of chickens since she was 4 years old.

“They’re really cool animals, and they produce a lot of stuff you can use,” Lechman said. “We sell our eggs and meat, so I make profit off of it.”

In both the 4-H and open categories, best-in-show was awarded to Jacob Polinski of New Stanton.

One girl made waves in this year’s open category. Seven-year-old Marissa Mulheren earned reserve best-in-show at her first competition.

Mulheren and her family have raised chickens at their Unity home for five years. She said her favorite part about caring for the birds is “eating their eggs.”

Danser praised the young handler.

“Don’t ever stop,” Danser said to Mulheren. “Keep on learning and keep working on everything. You did a phenomenal job.”

The fair continues throughout the week in Mt. Pleasant Township.

This article was updated to reflect that the fair was following the state’s ban on poultry shows.