Something to cluck over: Competitors rise to the top of the pecking order at poultry show

HAILEY SMALLEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 54 minutes AGO

Emmett Hembd, 7, holds his duck named Marshmallow before the start of the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Donald Barger, a licensed judge from the American Poultry Association, describes the feathers on a genetic hackle chicken which can be used to make fly fishing flies, during the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Liam Ball takes his genetic hackle rooster named Fly Guy out of a cage used for judging during the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Donald Barger, a licensed judge from the American Poultry Association, describes the feathers on a chicken during the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Jesse Juhl, right, pets Dylan Goeden's chicken named Brownie before the start of the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Ashley Kleffner takes her silver-laced Wyandotte chicken named Shadow out of a cage used for judging during the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Colton Oedekoven and Logan Ball hold their chickens before the start of the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Liam Ball's genetic hackle rooster named Fly Guy stands inside a cage used for judging during the 4-H Poultry Show inside the Small Animal Barn at the Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 13. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

When she first joined 4-H, Ceiley Jensen, 16, figured chickens would be a good logical first step toward showing larger livestock like pigs or steers.

Seven years and two dozen chickens later, she found herself once again perched in the bleachers of the small animal barn at the Northwest Montana Fair, a dove-gray chicken nestled snugly against one thigh.

At five months old, the dark Brahma hen — which Jensen’s brother had named Optimus Prime after the “Transformers” character — was one of the newest additions to the flock, but Jensen thought she already had the makings of a prime showbird.

A calm and docile nature is paramount to showing chickens, Jensen said. During shows, a judge or showmanship competitor might fan out a bird’s feathers or splay each of their four taloned toes for closer inspection. Jensen prepped Optimus Prime and her brood mates for those interactions with early and frequent play sessions.

“We had them in the living room sometimes,” she said. “Me and my brother just brought the chicks everywhere.”

The early attention paid off; Optimus Prime hardly moved a muscle as Jensen literally ruffled her feathers in search of stray mites or dust motes. The 4-Her hoped the hen’s easygoing nature would give her a leg up on her competitors, many of whom had opted for rarer breeds.

“Some of these, you’ve never seen a chicken like that before,” Jensen said, gesturing toward the two-tiered row of pens that intersected the Small Animal Barn.

Sure enough, there were chickens of every size and coloration in the Small Animal Barn at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. Luxurious black and gold tail feathers spilling from the cage of a genetic hackle rooster were perfect, the judge later said, for crafting fishing flies. In another pen, two naked neck chickens tussled for space. Lush russet feathers ringed the base of their eponymously bare throats, almost as if the birds were wearing an avian version of an airplane neck pillow.

The rich variety in breeds is one reason Bronson Ironside, 13, settled on showing chickens for his own 4-H project. His showbird, a porcelain d’uccle named Peaches, craned her head to examine the competition as more owners and birds clustered into the bleachers.

“She’s really playful. She’s also curious,” Ironside said. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t peck.”

Ironside used his fingers to comb through Peaches’ cream-colored plumage. He paused to point to some feathers on the bird’s leg, which had snapped about halfway up the quill. Ironside wasn’t sure how the feathers had been damaged, and he worried about what the judge might say.

A half-hour later, Ironside beamed as Licensed American Poultry Association Judge Donald Barger laid a blue ribbon across the top of Peaches’ cage. Even with the broken feathers, the hen received top marks.

True to her name, Optimus Prime walked away with a best-in-class ribbon for Asiatic breeds, with extra commendations for her uniformly speckled patterning and dove-gray color.

Chickens weren’t the only poultry on show at the Northwest Montana Fair. A handful of turkeys, geese and pigeons clustered in the back corner of the small animal barn, while, in the bleachers, Emmet Hemd struggled to keep a good grip on his 15-pound jumbo pekin duck Marshmallow.

At 8 years old, Emmet hardly surpassed the Marshmallow in size, and he had to make frequent, often clumsy adjustments to see around the bird’s snowy white plumage. Marshmallow dribbled a bit of warning spit at some passersby, but she appeared unfazed by her owner’s vice-like grip.

“They’re kind,” Emmet said of the 35 ducks his family keeps. “She doesn’t really care if I push her or pick her up.”

Emmet grew up around poultry, but his mother Sarah Hembd said it was the family’s first time taking their passion to the Northwest Montana Fair. She had never competed in 4-H or FFA, so breed competitions and showmanship were a whole new world for both her and Emmet.

A few months in, Sarah said the 4-H program was already helping both Emmet and his older sister build independence and responsibility.

“It gives him a purpose, you could say,” she said. “The kids, they love their ducks.”

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.