JEFFERSON, Wis. — A highly anticipated poultry show and swap set for this weekend was canceled this week over fears of spreading bird flu.
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The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced Thursday it was suspending all poultry shows, swap meets and movement of poultry in Jefferson, Waukesha, Walworth and Rock counties through the end of the year. The decision came after the H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, was found in two commercial flocks in Jefferson County.
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The cancellation dealt a devastating blow to organizers and those planning to attend the Beaver Pigeon & Bantam Club Poultry Show, which was scheduled for this weekend at the Jefferson County Fair Park. The event features all different types of birds up for competition.
"Our birds are on lockdown. They're not even allowed to go outside," said Noelle Reagan, who was planning to show her Serama chickens and serves as president of the Serama Club of Wisconsin.
Watch: Jefferson poultry show canceled over bird flu; exhibitors call it 'huge blow'
Reagan had been coordinating some of the competition for Serama chickens, with participants and judges traveling from across the Midwest and beyond.
"We had people coming from Kentucky as far as Florida, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio," Reagan said.
She had been working on the show since last October.
Setup for the event was already well underway on Thursday when organizers received news of the mandatory cancellation.
"It was a huge blow. It was, you know, we had over $4,000 into it so far," Reagan said.
Dan Schwandt is the organizer of the entire show and the leader of BPBC. He told TMJ4 he found out just after two hours of unloading a semi full of cooping.
"A week notice would have made a huge difference. It would also save us a lot of money, just because it's the very last minute we were setting up," said Schwandt.
The impact extends beyond financial losses, particularly affecting young participants who form close bonds with their birds.
Noelle told TMJ4 the club's youth president, Hannah Jacobson, had been working very hard on preparing her birds and gearing up for the show.
Reagan's granddaughter Dolly had also been preparing to show her bird, Flurry.
"My granddaughter will tell you, she only loves Flurry. That's her bird, you know. And he'll follow her around. And nobody else they get very one on one bonds with these kids," Reagan said.
Participants typically spend dozens of hours training and grooming their chickens in preparation for these competitions.
Despite the frustration, Reagan understands the importance of protecting the birds from potential disease spread.
"Some place like this, it would be devastating for us. We put so many years into raising our lines. You can't replace that," Reagan said.
Reagan hopes to host the show for the one-of-a-kind breed of chicken next spring.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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