INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Thousands of Indiana children who raised and doted on chickens, turkeys and other poultry for 4-H projects are feeling the sting of a statewide ban on bird shows.

But it also means youngsters who raised poultry and pigeons for 4-H projects won't be able to bring their birds to county fairs or the Indiana State Fair this summer to compete for ribbons.

Phoebe Beheler, a 13-year-old from western Indiana's Warren County, is among nearly 6,800 4-H participants across Indiana who raised birds but now cannot show them at 4-H events.

She says she's “really disappointed'' by the ban although she understands the virus is “very dangerous'' to birds.