In the chicken and rabbit barn, the Nickerson family made up of Raelyn, Brogan and Kierdan Nickerson showed rabbits, chickens and ducks, with Kierdan Nickerson coming away with a Reserve Grand Champion award for her Khaki Campbell duck, Jane Bond.

“I think ducks are fascinating because they have smaller teeth so they don’t bite as hard as chickens,” she said.

Kierdan Nickerson also brought her rabbit, Genevieve, to the fair. Genevieve is a Mini Rex rabbit and acts a lot like her owner.

“My favorite thing about her is that she acts just like me,” Kierdan Nickerson said. “She’s kind and sweet but will still bite if needed.”

Kierdan Nickerson’s sister Raelyn Nickerson also had a Mini Rex rabbit named Amber Lee Rose.

“I like to have her interact with other rabbits,” she said.

Brogan Nickerson had a rabbit named Chris and a White Crested Black Polish chicken named Eve. He said he decided to show chickens to try something different and that showing chickens involves many different steps.

“You have to hold the chicken the right way,” Brogan Nickerson said. “You have to tell the judge their breed and their name and answer questions like about their body parts.”

He added that he likes to show his rabbit because they are “sweet and kind.”

In the sheep barn, Addison Damcott has a market sheep named Donnie. She said her favorite part of showing is hearing from the judge.

“I like getting the information from the judge and interacting with the other sheep,” Damcott said.

Damcott participated in the open class sheep show on Tuesday, where she won reserve champion in the ewe and lambs purebred class. She has more upcoming shows later in the week.

The Ellsworth family made up of Logan, Landen and Raelynn Ellsworth all had pigs and chickens at the fair this year.

“I have two male pigs, Wolverine and Mimic,” Logan Ellsworth said. “I showed in the market class and open class and got ribbons across the board.”

Landen Ellsworth also brought two pigs this year, Professor X and Rouge, winning first in his weight class with one, third overall in the barn, and sixth overall in the market show.

“I like the competition because it’s fun to compete with other kids,” Landen Ellsworth said.

Their father, Joe Ellsworth said that this is their seventh year at the fair and that everyone showed both pigs and chickens this year.

“It’s a family affair,” he said. “From a father’s perspective I’d rather have them be with the pigs than on their devices.”

4-H and open class animal shows continue throughout the rest of the fair week.