Flock of Chickens Wins USDA Cutest Bird Photo Contest
(PRWEB) April 15, 2014 -- A group photo of a mixed bag of chickens, guarded by a wary rooster named Maynard, won the USDA sponsored Cutest Bird Photo Contest for March. Tammy Searles of Rindge, New Hampshire submitted the photo, which won in the category of “Cutest Bird Family.”
“This was my ‘glorious barnyard mix’ of 30 free range chickens,” Searles says. “I incubated and raised them myself and they always gathered round whenever I came out of the house.” The flock includes Golden Range Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and Araucas. The photo was taken in Clinton, ME where Searles lived at the time.
She has since moved to Rindge where her neighbors are closer, but she still maintains a smaller flock of 12 coop chickens.
The photo is featured on the Biosecurity for Birds website http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov and on campaign ‘spokesbird’ Healthy Harry’s Facebook page.
Searles, 43, said she grew up on a farm where there were always chickens. “I think my parents, who still live in Aroostook, ME, are proud that I’ve carried on the tradition,” she notes.
She learned about the contest on the Facebook page maintained by campaign spokesman Andy Schneider (AKA ‘The Chicken Whisperer’). She often visits the page to learn more about keeping her birds healthy.
“I make sure that my birds receive antibiotics for Marek’s disease as soon as they are hatched,” she notes, “and I’m careful that they get the right mix of feed.”
The Cutest Bird Photo Contest ran December through March. The winners are considered for inclusion on the 2015 Biosecurity For Birds Calendar. Be sure to check the website and Facebook regularly for an announcement about the beginning of our next contest.
The Biosecurity For Birds program, begun in 2004, is designed to educate backyard poultry owners and bird enthusiasts about highly contagious poultry diseases and other threats to birds. The program helps inform bird lovers how to prevent disease and tells them what to do if they suspect their birds might be ill.
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Media representatives may contact Joelle Hayden at joelle(dot)r(dot)hayden(at)aphis(dot)usda.gov (301) 851-4040 or Pam Goldstein at pgoldstein(at)diversitymc(dot)com 973-377-0300, Ext. 14.
Pam Goldstein, Diversity Marketing & Communications, http://www.focusonfishhealth.org, +1 (973) 377-0300 Ext: 14, [email protected]
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