MYRTLE POINT - You can walk a dog, walk a horse, even sometimes walk a cat. But walk a chicken?

Yes, as part of a poultry showmanship event at the Coos County Fair, several kids showed off their chicken-walking skills Tuesday.

In addition to guiding a bird across a table with a stick, each student must be able to control the bird while taking it in and out of a cage and examining it.

Showmanship is a required element of all 4-H animal projects. Poultry competitors are judged on their personal appearance, their answers to questions and their ability to safely handle, examine and walk the bird.

Questions vary in difficulty based on the contestants’ age group. They cover the type of bird being shown, what the student feeds the bird and bird diseases.

Cameron Wright, 12, said he practiced with his Plymouth Rock, Karen, a few minutes each day in preparation for the fair. The work paid off: He won the novice-level championship.

Intermediate-level champion Kasey Dixson, 15, has been showing chickens for three years. In the walking event, she calmly guided her Leghorn bantam, even though he wanted to turn around.

Junior champion Kimmie Mathew, 9, has been showing for three years and likes raising chickens because “they look cool.” She easily handled the bird, even though it was larger than many of the others being shown.

As the competitors stood behind the carpeted table, parents took pictures and former 4-H’ers swapped memories. The students answering questions competed with a cacophony of crowing roosters, bleating goats and chattering visitors.

It was the younger chicken wranglers who showed they truly had been working with their birds. Some older competitors’ birds had to be coaxed down the table, but Kimmie and Camaron’s chickens strutted and posed like old hands.

Herding the bird is just one aspect of winning a ribbon. Judge Natalie Rooke of Cornelius said she also puts a lot of weight on the competitors’ preparation and knowledge -- “rather than if their chicken decided to walk that day.”