Bird flu impact: Ashland County Fair bans live poultry. Will consumers be hit next?

Rachel Karas, Ashland Times Gazette
·4 min read
Chickens and cartons of eggs were required for some classes in the poultry show at the Wayne County Fair.
Chickens and cartons of eggs were required for some classes in the poultry show at the Wayne County Fair.

Animals are a big part of just about every county fair each year.

From steers to rabbits — and everything in between — Kids (and adults) work year-round, many through 4-H groups, to raise their animals and show them at the fair.

This year, bird flu cases found in Ashland and Defiance counties will impact poultry shows at the Ashland County Fair, which opens Sept. 18, as no live birds will be permitted.

In Defiance County, some 3 million egg-laying hens were recently being culled following discovery of avian influenza at a commercial farm.

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After talking with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ashland Fair Board President Marty Wesner said they decided it was best to keep the birds away from the fairgrounds for their own safety.

Fairgoers in Wayne (where poultry shows went on as usual) and Ashland counties share their thoughts as state officials comment on the larger impact the virus could have.

Jayley Steen listens to her judge in the poultry show judging at the Wayne County Fair.
Jayley Steen listens to her judge in the poultry show judging at the Wayne County Fair.

What will the 2022 Ashland County poultry shows look like?

Although the open class of the poultry show is canceled, Wesner said, the junior fair members will still get the chance to present their projects, but they will look a little different.

Students who signed up for the poultry show were still required to attend the move-in day on Saturday — just like their fellow animal exhibitors — but not bring their birds. Instead, they will show a presentation to the panel of judges to get their rating.

Even though the birds are not at the fairgrounds, Wesner said, the students will still get to sell them during the auctions that will be held Thursday, Sept.  22.

Wesner said the fair board wanted to set a good example because viruses like bird flu are contagious and can easily spread.

“This is something to take very serious,” Wesner said. "We don't want to spread it across the state of Ohio. ... There are a lot of people around Ashland that have just backyard flocks for their chickens to raise a few eggs or just have as a pet (and) those can be contaminated.”

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Wayne, Ashland fairgoers share their thoughts

Ryan Sullivan was aware of the bird flu outbreaks in Ashland and Defiance counties, so when he received an email from the Wayne County Fair Board about the illness, he wasn't surprised.

A poultry judge works a chicken meat pen class at the Wayne County Fair.
A poultry judge works a chicken meat pen class at the Wayne County Fair.

The email described the symptoms of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in birds as fatigue, lack of appetite, sleeping and losing weight, he said.

"We're here for the first time," he said about the poultry show at the Wayne County Fair. "They seem to be on top of it and are informing people, so I'm not worried about it."

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Ridge Meyer, a sixth grader from Mapleton Middle School, was sad to hear he won't be able to show his two chickens — a blue Cochin named Henrietta and a Polish bird named Peaches — at the Ashland County Fair.

While Meyer was excited to show his chicken breeds for the first time this year, he agrees that keeping the birds away from the fair is the best thing to do so they don't risk getting sick.

His mom, Kelly Meyer, said they were waiting to hear what else the poultry show will entail. Meanwhile, she is happy to see the lessons her son has learned while raising the birds.

Impact of bird flu beyond fairs

If avian flu outbreaks continue or grow worse into fall, it could have a concerning impact on the price of eggs, chicken and turkey ahead of Thanksgiving when demand is strong.

The Ohio Poultry Association’s Executive Vice President Jim Chakeres said bird flu can be detrimental to farms.

“Their passion is raising safe, wholesome food and taking care of their birds, and oftentimes these kinds of diseases are out of their control,” Chakeres said. “It can be very frustrating and financially there is that loss to the farm.”

While there is some compensation farmers can get from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies, Chakeres said, that doesn’t help cover the downtime a farm may experience as they clean their farms and build back their flock.

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When it comes to looking at how this loss affects buyers and consumers of chicken products, Chakeres isn’t too worried about those products still being available, but the prices may change.

“We have a situation where there's an increase to transportation costs, increased feed costs, everything is increased,” Chakeres said. “... There's many different things happening right now that would affect the price of any of our agricultural products. And so, it all comes together, and we may see some ups and downs in prices.”

The Daily Record reporter Bryce Buyakie contributed to this report.

Reach Rachel at rkaras@gannett.com.

Twitter: @RachelKaras3

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Avian flu: No live birds allowed at Ashland County Fair poultry shows