Carly Borchers stood before a row of empty cages Saturday at the airy exhibit building at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, trying to stitch together a happy face.
The 17-year-old Borchers worked hard through the year to prepare her chickens for show at the Boulder County Fair. She specializes in growing poultry at her family farm in Byers and was looking forward to displaying her best chickens at the fair.
But the highly contagious avian influenza forced county fairs around the state to nix all poultry exhibits, Borchers said. She was left standing near the small vacant cages with attached pictures of various chickens and explained their absence.
“I am very disappointed,” Borchers said. This was supposed to be her first year showing her chickens at the fair, which she looks forward to every year.
“I love the Boulder County Fair, there are so many things going on here and such good exhibits,” said Borcher, who also showed off her goats at the fair last weekend.
“I mostly raise chickens for production but there is also a group of chickens I wanted to show,” she said.
Veterinary and state fair officials banned poultry shows at the 150th annual Colorado State Fair in Pueblo blaming the avian flu. In March, the state suspended all poultry shows, including meets, swaps, sales and competitions to halt the spread of the flu.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza - or HPAI - has affected more than 40 million domestic birds nationwide and more than 3.5 million chickens in Colorado alone, said Colorado State Veterinarian Maggie Baldwin in a June news release.
In June, the Colorado Agricultural Commission agreed to lift the ban on poultry shows. But Baldwin recommended that all poultry shows remain shut down to prevent further spread of the pathogen, the news release states.
Borchers has participated in the fair for five years. But COVID restrictions over the past five years have prevented traditional exhibits.
Borchers was hoping this year would be a breakout moment for her chickens. Then came the avian flu.
“I will be back next year,” she said. “I will work hard and bring my best next year. I hope anyway.”
Next door to Borchers at another exhibit building, Sheridan McBee of Firestone was spending some quality time with her prized lamb, Ricky Bobby.
McBee, Ricky Bobby and her other lambs had already collected ribbons during this year’s fair. Today, the 17-year-old McBee was preparing for Junior Livestock Sale Day.
McBee said doing in-person shows was far better than in the previous two years, where shows were conducted on-line. “Here you can get a connection to the people and the animals that you can’t over the computer,” McBee said. “There is just no comparison.”
