No chickens at the Stanislaus County Fair: Disease discovery leads to canceled shows

In light of the so-called virulent Newcastle disease being discovered in Northern California, the board of the Stanislaus County Fair has decided to cancel all poultry shows for this summer’s livestock program.

The shows include birds exhibited by small children and 4-H and FFA members, as well as the poultry dress-up contest. In that one, chickens are dressed as cowboys, hula girls, 4-H members and in other attire.

Last year, the poultry shows included 120 exhibitors and 450 entries, fair spokeswoman Adrenna Alkhas said. The fair’s livestock department is informing $-H and FFA advisers, she said, so youth have time to enter other small animals, like rabbits, instead of poultry.

The decision comes after California Department of Food and Agriculture and the USDA recommended all fairs evaluate their poultry shows because of the disease, according to a news release from the Stanislaus County Fair. Newcastle “seems to be impacting a narrow population of poultry, making some poultry gatherings higher risk than others,” the release says.

Newcastle does not affect meat or eggs but is almost always deadly to poultry. Virus particles can spread quickly from feathers and the clothing, shoes, vehicles and equipment used when working with poultry, according to the CDFA. Birds can look healthy but still be shedding the virus, the fair’s news release says.

A veterinary clinic in Redwood City diagnosed the disease in a backyard chicken late last week. The owner has a Hayward address, but the CDFA as of Monday had not yet determined where the chicken had been housed.

Matt Cranford, CEO of the Stanislaus County Fair, said in the news release, “We understand the impact this decision will have on the youth in our livestock program and wish we had other alternatives. But in accordance with recommendations by CDFA, we will have to postpone our show and hope that this disease is quickly eradicated in our area.”

The fair also canceled poultry shows in 2003 amid an outbreak of Newcastle.

Infected poultry can be reported to the CDFA Sick Bird Hotline, 866-922-2473. More information is at www.cdfa.ca.gov.

This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 11:19 AM.