Bird Bans Expanding

Michi­gan and Ohio have joined Indi­ana in ban­ning all live bird exhi­bi­tions in an attempt to help pre­vent the spread of the so-called bird flu. The Ohio ban affects all county and inde­pen­dent fairs includ­ing the Ohio State Fair. Also affected will be bird gath­er­ings for show or sale. Michi­gan State Uni­ver­sity Exten­sion and Michi­gan 4-H have devel­oped pro­gram­ming to allow poul­try enthu­si­asts to demon­strate their knowl­edge at fairs and exhi­bi­tions this sum­mer with­out exhibit­ing live birds. No avian influenza has been detected in Michi­gan.

The Michi­gan rul­ing extends beyond poul­try and includes game birds, such as quails, pheas­ants and pigeons. MSU Exten­sion will not allow the dis­play of any live birds as a part of any 4-H project. That includes canaries, par­rots, para­keets, macaws and other species that are part of the 4-H small ani­mals pro­gram known as ‘pocket pets’.