Bird Flu Changes How County Fairs Live Chicken Shows

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, January 1, 2026…

• The fall bird migration in California typically peaks from September through November.  And this past year, scientists discovered a new wave of avian influenza – or bird flu. Two farms in Sonoma County fought new outbreaks. State officials have been taking steps to mitigate the spread of infection, since major outbreaks were seen in dairy herds in August of 2024. That includes at county fairs.
• A new children’s book from a Los Angeles author is inspired by her own childhood translating for her parents.

Chickenless Chicken Shows? Bird Flu Reshapes County Fairs And 4-H Kids Make Do

A swarm of kids peered into the pen of a huge sow nursing a row of piglets. They watched a teenager milk her goat, then petted a sheep named Taylor Swift. The usual refrain of oinks and bleats tumbled through the livestock stalls at the Santa Cruz County Fair in September.

But over in the poultry barn, not a cluck to be heard. Kids sporting their white 4-H uniforms, green ties and green berets sat on a cluster of hay bales, empty-handed, ordered to leave their chickens at home this year. “It’s because the bird flu is going around and they don’t want everybody’s chickens to get sick,” said 8-year-old Caleb Perez, from Gilroy.

Perez was one of three competitors in the youngest age group of the annual chicken showmanship contest, the local Super Bowl for 4-H kids, where they get to show off their animal husbandry skills. But instead of glossing their chickens’ beaks and prodding them to stand up straight, the kids lined up on the stage in front of the judge, each holding a stuffed toy chicken.

California’s state veterinarian banned all live chicken shows starting in January 2025, in an attempt to limit the spread of the highly contagious and often fatal avian influenza among poultry. More than 182 million birds have died in the U.S. since 2022. During the  fall waterfowl migration in California, scientists saw a new wave of outbreaks at commercial farms, including two in Sonoma County. But as was the case with COVID-19 precautions, some people wonder if the tradeoff to kids’ education is really worth it.

Many Children Know What It’s Like To Translate For A Parent. This New Book Shares That Experience

This year, as South Gate librarian Stephanie Lien reviewed new picture books for the LA County Library’s shelves, she found a story that reflected her own childhood. Little Bird Laila is the story of a young girl with a big job — translating between the English in her everyday life and the Chinese her parents speak.

“ I know every kid who may be like a first-generation immigrant who has parents who don’t speak English that well — they’ve done the same thing,” Lien said. “I know I did it as a kid.”

In California, an estimated 1.8 million children are part of a family where at least one parent has difficulty speaking English. The experience of kids translating for their family members is called “language brokering.” It can feel burdensome but also build empathy.

Author Kelly Yang said learning two languages is something that should be celebrated. “I have been writing for many, many years — pretty much since I was a little kid — but wasn’t really sure if I could do it as a profession. I would go to the library, and I would look at the back of books, and I didn’t really see anyone who looked like me, so I didn’t really know if this was a possibility for someone like me,” she said. “I loved telling stories. I come from an immigrant background, and my parents and I moved here [from Tianjin, China] when I was 6 years old. Stories were really big in our family, as a way to keep ourselves motivated and paint a brighter future for our lives.”

Yang said books like hers create an opportunity for families to learn together.