Kyle Topp of Sidney loves animals, and birds in particular. 4-H is a perfect fit for her to not only enjoy the animals but also learn as much as she can about them, and how to care for them. The daughter of Kevin and Colleen Topp, 12 year old Kyle has been a member of the Richland Rockets 4-H club for 5 years, including 2 years in Clover Buds. This year she will take a steer, her horse and several chickens to the Richland County Fair.
Topp got her start in the chicken project when her brother bought her Mom some chicks for Mother’s Day 4 years ago. She has been raising and breeding chickens ever since. “I like animals,” Topp explained, “and birds are just plain cute.” She raises purebred Buff Orpingtons, Bantams and Rhode Island Reds. She’ll take the purebreds to the fair for show, but she’ll use a 2 to 3 year old cross Bantam/Rhode Island Red for the showmanship competition. Although she prefers to use a rooster in the showmanship competition because they are more colorful, this year she will use a hen.
Showing chickens is serious business. The birds must be clean, in good health, and not bony or skinny Topp explained. She bathes the chickens and cleans their legs, wattles and combs with baby wipes. Roosters must have their spurs clipped prior to showing to reduce possible injury to the 4-Her, the judge and other chickens. Claws on either sex are clipped a couple of times a year.
As a showman, Topp is judged by how the bird looks and how she is showing the bird. She must present the birds correctly and show that she knows about her bird. One year, the judge asked how many different kinds of feathers there are in a chicken’s wing. Topp looked at the wing and answered 3. The correct answer was 8, so she gladly gained some more knowledge about her bird.
The 4-H’er must wear a long-sleeved button-up shirt and jeans. A cowboy hat is optional. The judges prefer no dangling earrings or necklaces, as they distract the birds.
Topp says raising chickens is a lot harder than she thought it would be. They require plenty of food and fresh water daily. She also has ducks, which muddy the water frequently, making her watering chores more time consuming. She collects the eggs daily and has found that happy, healthy chickens lay more eggs. She sells those eggs for $1.50/ doz. She lets the chickens roam around the yard allowing them to get more protein by eating grass, and cleaning up on bugs. Topp has incubated 2 batches of chicks fairly successfully and has had 3 hens hatch clutches of chicks. The ducks also end up hatching out chicks when a hen takes advantage of a temporarily empty nest. Both hens and ducks end up a bit confused!
Topp has been able to use her chicken project in other ways outside of 4-H. Her science fair project was to find out which feed makes a hen lay bigger heavier eggs. Using the chickens made the project more interesting because there are so many variables when working with live birds. She took first place in Sidney, then 2nd place in Billings. She also entered a Broodmasters.com competition on line and was accepted for competition, winning a T-shirt and a gift certificate. Grand prize in the contest is a trip to Washington, DC. She will get the results of the national competition August 15.
Topp also entered an original story in the national magazine Backyard Poultry, and won 1st place in her division. She was the only entry from the state of Montana, but came away with a stuffed chicken and a one year subscription to the magazine. Topp also used her chickens for her 4-H Demonstration, taking first place with how to make a chicken waterer.
Be sure to check out the poultry division at the Richland County Fair, and take in the showmanship competition as well. These kids work hard all year and are proud to show their skills and knowledge in front of the judges and you!
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