The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Fowl race takes place at Lorain County Fair
Guiding your bird is a key component of the race, which takes the form of a small obstacle course.
Jelly Bean is getting a bit too old to compete, and he’s not the most disciplined runner, but he came to the 2016 Lorain County Fair to win and he tried his hardest at the fowl race Aug. 26.
Jelly Bean is a Rouen duck, and is the pet of Nicole Maitino, 12, of LaGrange. He became her companion four days after hatching from his egg and has stuck by her side in the four years since.
Sitting on the grass near barn 15, where the race was to take place, Nicole held Jelly Bean close; trying to keep the excited bird from escaping.
As he playfully snapped at the silver sequins on her shirt, Nicole said that at 4 years old, Jelly Bean is getting a little long in the tooth for competition.
“I’m pretty sure (he is old for a duck),” she said. “Everyone is saying, ‘oh he’s a senior.’ But I don’t know how long a duck is supposed
to live for his breed.”
Nicole had entered the race before, but never clinch the title. This year, she didn’t hold out much hope for winning, but she was just looking to have some fun with Jelly Bean.
“I’m not that fast, because
he doesn’t do directions,” she said.
Guiding your bird is a key component of the race, which takes the form of a small obstacle course. Participants were tasked with leading their fowl through the course which included
weaving around coffee cans, passing through the thin slots of a rabbit breeding enclosure, circling an overturned bucket, jumping into the center of a coiled hose and then a mad dash to the finish line.
As the competition began, the racers and their handlers were lined up. Jelly Bean was the largest by far, which wasn’t surprising as the Rouen is described by ashtonwaterfowl.net as an imposing bird.
The three chickens and one other duck, christened Duck Norris, which served as Jelly Bean’s competition, seemed far more at ease in their handler’s arms as he continued to squirm and snap at Nicole’s sequins.
Each bird ran the course separately, and due to Nicole being the first to sign in, Jelly Bean was to start the race and set the pace.
Jelly Bean did not get off to a good start. As soon as Nicole released her grip on the bird, he moved with uncharacteristic grace toward the boundaries of the course; escaping the girl’s control briefly.
As he progressed through the course, Nicole would struggle to control him with her feet as the judges had told her to do. He finished the course in one minute 58 seconds.
The rest of the competitors seemed less interested in the rules. Each of the handlers bent over and used their hands to guide their birds through the course.
Jelly Bean came in dead last.
The lead fowl, and extremely poofy chicken named Fluff, finished the course in nearly half the time it took Jelly Bean to complete it.
Nicole did not challenge the decision, viewing the whole event as more of a good activity for the birds than an actual competition to be won.
“It’s good to exercise them,” she said.
As for Jelly Bean, he seemed totally indifferent to the race results. He continued to waddle off from Nicole and his fascination with her sequins was not abated by the bitterness of defeat.
Perhaps he didn’t need a trophy to feel secure, according to Nicole, he already is a star in the barn.
“He has a new girlfriend in the cage next to him in the barn,” she said with a laugh.