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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Cages usually filled with chickens, geese and other birds are sitting empty this week at the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair in South Bend because of the ongoing threat of bird flu.
Instead of showing techniques for handling their birds, 4-H members had to take a written test and post pictures of their animal in the empty cages. The 4-H members also replaced their roosters in the Rooster Crowing Contest on Monday by attempting their best imitation of crowing.
"We thought the kids would enjoy that," said Ronnie Foulks, superintendent of poultry for the Rabbit/Poultry/Cavy Club of St. Joseph County. "We want to keep the mood light."
It's not what the kids are used to, and many were disappointed they had to leave their feathered friends at home. But they're complying with a statewide ban imposed by the Indiana Board of Animal Health on the transport of birds because of a contagious strain of bird flu.
Marshall County resident Hannah Vazquez, 12, said she and her two younger stepsiblings were looking forward to the fair because it was the first year they were able to show.
"We were kind of down. A lot of work, time and money went into our birds. But we understand why it has to be this way," she said. "The birds might get sick."
The ban, imposed May 29, was in response to the virus that has killed millions of chickens, turkeys and other birds across the county. Indiana is among a handful of states that have instituted such restrictions.
So far, there has only been one confirmed case of infected poultry in Indiana, the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/1CnhLjt ) reported. A flock of 77 birds in Whitley County tested positive for bird flu on May 9, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
The bird flu doesn't pose a threat to food safety and little health risk to humans, according to experts.
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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com
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