FORT KENT, Maine — Fame is such a fleeting thing, but even on Rusty Metal Farm there is always the chance for those 15 minutes of celebrity status.
This week, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s the Rusty Metal chickens’ turn to shine in the spotlight and strut their stuff.
The federal agency has put out an open photo call for submissions to its annual Biosecurity For Birds calendar.
And if that does not scream, “too sexy for my feathers,” I don’t know what does.
It’s a fun campaign run by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to draw attention to the serious issue of poultry health.
With more and more bird-raisers-of-a-feather flocking together with backyard poultry, the USDA wants people to be educated on the signs of deadly poultry diseases and know the basic steps to protect their birds.
“By following good biosecurity practices, you can reduce the chances of an infectious disease being carried to your farm, your backyard, your aviary, or your pet birds, by people, animals, equipment, or vehicles either accidentally or on purpose,” according to the USDA’s website. “Biosecurity is the key to keeping your poultry healthy — ‘bio’ refers to life, and ‘security’ indicates protection.”
A lot of what the USDA recommends is common sense — keep the birds’ areas clean, keep your birds away from other birds outside the flock, know the warning signs of a sick bird and report any unusual signs of disease or unexpected death to your local agricultural agency.
The calendar has been one of the ways they get that message out and, if I may say, we here on Rusty Metal Farm are all about education and lifelong learning.
Since all that is needed to enter the USDA photo contest is filling out a simple on-line submission form and including a photo, I figured why not? This could be our big break.
It’s not like I’ve not tried before.
Back when I was first raising chickens, I had a flock of stunning and robust golden comets.
Around that time I was dispatched by the BDN to cover the annual Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle and any veteran fair reporter knows to head straight to the animal barns for the best photo ops.
There, I noticed the chicken display and — more to the point — the chicken competition.
As I looked in the cages, it struck me that none of those chickens were any better looking than my prized comets, so why not enter them?
All the way home I was planning the special transportation and display cage I could construct and what I’d do with our winnings.
As I was deciding which of the birds would make the trip back to the fair, my friend Kim came over and I began to explain, as I held up what I considered the best looking bird in my bunch, my plans for fair fame and fortune.
Kim looked at me, blinked and uttered the now famous line, “Julie, you do realize that competition is for kids, right? Not adults.”
Crestfallen, I clutched the golden comet to my chest and let that overt example of agism wash over us.
I was crushed, watching the chicken wander back to her buddies. Frankly, if the fair had used my emotional age at that point — which I fear was that of a toddler getting ready to throw a tantrum — we’d have been shoe-ins.
But now it appears we have another shot without any silly age limitations.
According to the USDA’s submission guidelines, entries must be a specific size and you can enter three photos a month leading up to the Oct. 31 deadline.
The photos must not be altered beyond cropping, cleaning and reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast.
The images must be appropriate to the contest subject and “inappropriate entries will not be considered.”
So much for my idea for a “nude chicken descending the staircase” photo.
I will be the first to say chickens do not make the most cooperative of runway models, so getting that perfect shot can be a bit of a challenge, but we are set to give it a go.
Of course, should one make it into the calendar, it won’t be the first time a Rusty Metal Farm critter has hit the big time.
Years ago, when my second Harlequin Romance novel was published, the art crew at Harlequin was looking for ideas for the cover.
Since the book included a dog as a fairly important character, I suggested putting one on the cover, but not a little, fluffy, yappy dog.
“What do you have in mind?” they asked.
“Well, something like my dog,” I replied.
They asked for some images, so I started sending photos of everyone’s favorite house dog, Corky the Shusky.
Several emails later, the art editor called back saying, “Please stop sending photos of your dog.”
But it worked. When the book came out, there was Corky on the cover, front and center.
I think she’s been lording it over the chickens ever since.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have some backyard wardrobe and lighting designs to address.
Julia Bayly of Fort Kent is an award-winning writer and photographer, who writes part time for Bangor Daily News. Her column appears here every other Friday. She can be reached by email at jbayly@bangordailynews.com.
