Even without live poultry, 4-H’ers will still show their knowledge and participate in different poultry events at the Mower County Fair this week.

An outbreak of the bird flu earlier this year caused the Minnesota Board of Animal Health to announce that all state and county fair poultry shows would be canceled. Though many 4-H’ers were disappointed by this, they understood it was necessary.

“It’s kind of sad, but it had to happen,” 4-H participant Katrina Andree, 14, said.

Students still have the opportunity to compete in poultry events, just without live poultry.

Many participants are making different projects, like equipment for their chickens and posters, and others will compete in a chicken barbecuing contest. A showmanship competition will still be held as well, but chicken stuffed animals will be used instead of live ones.

“They go through same thing but with a stuffed chicken,” Richard Andree, 4-H poultry superintendent, said.

Katrina plans to participate in the chicken barbecuing contest, showmanship competition, and will show two exhibits. Though 4-H’ers have several options to participate without their live chickens, the number of participants in poultry events are down from previous years, according to Richard. Many participants, like Katrina, had already started raising their chickens and preparing for live poultry events.

“We tried really hard to raise a bunch of chickens this year,” she said.

However, the show must go on at the poultry building.

“We gotta do what we gotta do,” Richard said.