By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
One local girl sure knows what it takes to manage a flock of poultry.
In fact, she loves managing Buck, her Amber Link rooster, and her Belgian Bearded d’Anver show chickens so much she is lending her passion to the community.
Aneesa Berryer, a ninth grader who is home schooled in Orion Township, has been an active member of the Oakland County 4-H Poultry Club for six years, and has honed her poultry management skills for even longer, one year shy of a decade.
Occasionally the 4-H Poultry Club meetings are hosted at the Orion Township Library, but to learn more Berryer invites interested and passionate 4-H wannabes to Discovery Days on April 25 held at Springfield Oaks County Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to meet feathered friends first hand and learn about the club hands-on.
Springfield Oaks is located at 12451 Andersonville Rd. in Davisburg. Just in case interested participants can’t make it out there, Berryer and the Poultry Club will also be at the Lake Orion Flower Fair May 8 and 9 selling handmade chicken pin cushions, pet blankets and baked goods. Another option is her highlight of the summer, the Oakland County Fair in July.
‘Regardless of where you find us, we would love to talk poultry with you,? she said.
Berryer has managed different breeds of birds for the past nine years, and says 4-H is more than what people think.
‘Did you know that more than 200,000 kids aged 5-19 are in Michigan 4-H?? she asked.
Not only has 4-H taught her responsibility, she has made tons of friends along the way all while growing her passion for fowl.
Among her duties is taking her Belgian Bearded d’Anver chickens to 4-H shows to compete against birds of the same breed, but not without a thorough cleansing.
‘I would first separate them from other chickens, dust them for parasites, give them a bath, trim their claws, and give them sunflower seeds to promote shiny feathers.?
Winning trophies, ribbons and sometimes cash prizes, poultry management is her passion.
She has 28 hens, three roosters, four turkeys, 18 meat chicks with two ducklings’on the way.
It all started when her family found a nest of abandoned Mallard duck eggs in 2006, and decided to hatch the little guys. Of the nest, one hatched, and she named it Howard. From there on out, Berryer grew her flock, adding different breeds along the way.
Apart from showing her chickens, Berryer also shows in the Sweepstakes where she must demonstrate her ability to care for eight species of livestock, including alpaca, calf, hog and horse.
Berryer has also been named the Poultry Princess for three years while participating in the 4-H Royalty Club, which allows her to volunteer for the Oakland County Fair and serve the community.
What more could an outdoor-loving teenage girl want?
For more information visit their website at thepoultryclub.wix.com/thepoultryclub. The OC 4-H Poultry Club meets every first and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m.