‘Highlight of our summer’: Youth face challenges, gain confidence in small-animal barn

Kids and teens milled about between rows of small cages, some taking out their rabbits and guinea pigs to brush them and do last-minute posing practice. Others tidied their shirts and hair.

Among the rooster crows and bustling children, the anticipation was tangible in the Lane County Fair small-animal barn on the morning of Wednesday, July 23.

Competition day was finally here. 

The 4-H and Future Farmers of America youth would be judged on their showmanship and their animal’s breeding. The stakes? Colored ribbons, which are awarded based on the quality of the youth’s work and several “Best-of” titles based on age group, breed and competition.

It’s Emma Branson’s last year showing in 4-H. The 18-year-old from Springfield won first place in showmanship in the senior division and best overall in show with her guinea pig, Oscar. He’s an Abyssinian, which means he has a special fur pattern that features “rosettes,” the guinea pig version of a cowlick.

“They’re supposed to have eight rosettes, four on the saddle, two on the rump and one on each hip, and if they have less than eight clear rosettes, that’s actually a disqualification,” Branson said.

Branson got her first ribbon at the fair when she was 3 and showed her pygmy goat in the open show. Since then, she’s shown rabbits, goats, chickens, ducks and guinea pigs and helped mentor young 4-Hers along the way. That morning, she helped a girl trim her rabbit’s toenails.

“They were way too sharp,” Branson laughed. “But getting to help out with those little things that they don’t always know — and even the parents, the parents are always stressed out — it’s nice to be able to reassure them and give them some knowledge for their future.”

The fair offers a challenge for both the youth and the animals, testing their months of preparation against unpredictable temperatures and crowds of people, with several species packed into one room. 

But the kids keep coming back, year after year, to see friends, improve their showmanship and share their knowledge of small animals with others who love them just as much as they do.

Show-day challenges

Every competition was a serious undertaking: A judge in a white coat stood in front of a long table and kids and teens lined up on the other side with their guinea pigs or rabbits. 

Their eyes followed the judge, who tested the young people’s knowledge of the animals with questions. Their hands adjusted the curious animals, centering tiny paws again and again on their carpet squares.

Daisy the rabbit was not in the mood to show her stomach.

Izabelle Watkins, 8, stood tall at the showing table, her blond hair Dutch-braided back into two plaits, holding Daisy’s ears as she tried to flip the rabbit into the crook of her arm in front of the judge. 

It was hot, and Daisy was struggling. She refused to be flipped.

The teeth inspection was another matter, though. As the judge came back around, Watkins turned Daisy over with ease, holding back the rabbit’s lips for the judge to inspect the pearly whites. Watkins beamed.

It was only the second time Watkins had shown a rabbit competitively. After the show was over, she put Daisy back in her cage, hung her blue ribbon (signifying excellent work) on Daisy’s cage and ran over to her mom, Kristen Watkins, for a hug. 

“It’s too hot to live right now,” Izabelle Watkins said. “I’m taking off my boots.”

Even after months of preparation, the fair’s environment presents curveballs for animals and handlers.

Izabelle Watkins’ sister, Adyson Watkins, 13, has a male rabbit named Auggie who gets distracted around female rabbits and needs essential oils rubbed on his nose and mat in order to focus during shows.

Auggie also has a sign on his cage that says “Hi! I’m Auggie, me and my owner bite.”

“I’m tired of people sticking their hands in cages,” Adyson Watkins said.

Sal Reynoso, 10, brought his turkey, Hamburger, to show at the fair and said Hamburger has been nervous since he got there the night before because of the noise of the other birds.

“He’s used to no loud noises at night,” Reynoso said. “He’s used to his beauty sleep.”

The Gustafson family, who show rabbits, poultry, pigeons and guinea pigs, puts electrolytes in their chickens’ and roosters’ water bowls to help them stay hydrated and calm amidst the stress of heat and crowds.

“It’s a lot for chickens that are just used to living in the country,” said the mother of the family, Danielle Gustafson.

Building community and confidence

Showing their birds, rabbits and guinea pigs at the fair is the pinnacle moment of the year for small animal 4-H youth, but their regular meetings help kids build important skills and friendships.

Adyson Watkins said 4-H has helped her learn how to take notes and criticism.

“The judges don’t lie to you like how most people will,” she said. “They tell you, like, honestly, ‘You could fix this,’ instead of other people who are like, ‘Oh it’s good, it’s good,’ but you never improve. 4-H forces you to improve.”

Youth also learn animal husbandry skills in 4-H that are far from glamorous. While rabbits and guinea pigs stay off the chopping block because of their pet status, turkeys are not so lucky.

Reynoso knows exactly how to butcher a turkey and can recite the steps without flinching. There’s a 4-H adult who helps butcher 4-H animals that get auctioned off at the end of the fair, Reynoso said. His turkey Hamburger will be in the mix this year.

“I’m gonna take my two turkeys down, and then we’re going to have him butcher them,” he said. “And I’m going to help him with ducks and stuff.”

Everybody seems to know everybody in the small animal barn, and for many, the fair feels like a homecoming event.

Kristen Watkins, mom to Izabelle and Adyson, showed rabbits in 4-H when she was growing up in Pleasant Hill and knows three other parents in her daughter’s 4-H group who used to show rabbits as well. 

“I went to high school with her dad,” Kristen said, pointing. “And one of the other girls who’s on the table, her mom.”

Branson, the 18-year-old guinea pig handler, also feels at home at the fair. 

Her mother and aunt are co-superintendents for the small-animal barn and her older sisters are still very involved in 4-H. She plans to come back and help out in some capacity, even after she begins college at the University of Oregon in the fall as a journalism major.

“I definitely love the community,” Branson said. “My family has been so involved with it. It’s the highlight of our summer.”