Class to teach lessons in fowl

SUPERIOR - A class to take place before the Mineral County Fair which starts August 3 will be designed to educate the public about why they should take an interest in the care and raising of fowl.

The class, taught by two longtime 4-H volunteers, aims to raise awareness of the benefits of raising birds and what the effort entails for those interested. Virginia Chaffin and Laura DeNitto have over three decades of poultry experience between the two of them and they will be bringing that expertise to the fair and sharing it with interested parties.

Organizer Marlys Schwaderer said the number of birds at the fair in the last few years has gone down significantly but people have expressed an interest in raising them so she decided to put on a class. She said in order to raise awareness, people need to know what birds have to offer.

“We want to get the word out about this class,” Schwaderer said. “The instructors who are coming have been involved with 4-H for a long time. Their gift is teaching. There are a lot of people that want to have birds of their own and they need information. This class is for information purposes.”

Schwaderer said the goal is to encourage people to grow and raise their own birds and to recognize raising birds can have a variety of benefits for people. She said raising fowl not only feeds people but can also save them some money in the long run.

“We want people to grow these things,” Schwaderer said. “With the economy the way it is, people are growing their own meat. Poultry is not a terribly expensive way to put meat in your freezer. You control your meat source. Plus, you are getting eggs and meat out of one animal.”

The instructors teaching the class have lengthy resumes when it comes to poultry. DeNitto has been the Superintendent of the poultry barn at the Western Montana Fair since 2004. She is a member of the Montana Poultry Fanciers Club, the treasurer for the Rocky Mountain Poultry Association and a judge at poultry fairs in Montana since 2011.

Chaffin has been a 4-H volunteer since 1989. She has been the Superintendent of the poultry barn at the Ravalli County Fair since 2000 and an active member of the Montana Poultry Fanciers Club and Rocky Mountain Poultry Association.

The curriculum for the class will include care of chicks and adult birds. Feeding, housing and general health of birds will be taught. What type of birds to get and how to house them will be part of the class including how much space they will need. When and how to introduce new birds to the existing flock and how to prevent predators from harming birds will also be included in the curriculum.

Schwaderer said she hopes people will take advantage of the free class and the class will foster an interest in fowl.

“It’s an interesting hobby,” Schwaderer said. “I think it will be nice for people to hear this information. It’s just the basics. Anyone who is interested will know how much space they need, what kind of building you need, what do you need to feed them and how to water them.”

The class, which is free to the public, will take place July 31 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the green space at the fairgrounds between the barn and the 4-H building.