by Wendy EN Thomas from Lessons Learned from the Flock

Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest recently gave a great list of tips for visiting a poultry show. Here are some additional tips you might not initially think of, but that will help make your experience a bit more enjoyable and um, survivable:

• There is tons of dust at a poultry show. Dust dries. Pack water – lots of it. Keep a bottle with you and keep plenty in the car. Drink regularly.

• With regard to the dust – if you use an asthmatic inhaler, be sure to bring it with you. By the end of the day, it will look like there is haze in the room due to the dust particles. Use your inhaler as needed, change your clothes, and shower when you get home.

• Bring a canvass bag – often there are giveaways. You’ll be happy you brought something to carry them in (and don’t be afraid to make a trip or two to the car, those feed and grain samples can get heavy!

• Wear comfortable shoes. You are going to be spending hours on your feet, wear the most comfortable pair of shoes you own.

• If you can, leave your coat in the car. A short, brisk walk in the cold is worth it, if it means you don’t have to carry a coat for the rest of the day.

• Put a crate and/or a small box with bedding in the car *in case* you decide to buy (or win) a chicken or chick. You might come home empty handed, but at least you’ll have the supplies if you make a spur of the moment decision.

• If you are bringing children – give them a task. At the Northeastern Poultry, I printed out a list of the different kinds of chicken combs and I sent my daughter on a scavenger hunt to find and photograph an example of each type.

• It can be a long day, especially for kids. Be sure to pack a book or activity so that they can go to a corner to occupy themselves when they have “chicken overload.”

• Poultry shows are noisy. They are incredibly noisy. By the end of the day, although you may have blocked out the noise, your body and brain still feel it. A few pain relievers for the end of the day (or a beer in a local restaurant) will go far to help calm that inevitable “Chicken Show Headache.”

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Wendy Thomas is an award winning journalist, columnist, and blogger who believes that taking challenges in life will always lead to goodness. She is the mother of 6 funny and creative kids and it is her goal to teach them through stories and lessons.

Wendy’s current project involves writing about her family’s experiences with chickens (yes, chickens). (www.simplethrift.wordpress.com) She writes about her chickens for GRIT, Backyard Poultry, Community Chickens, and Mother Earth News.