Guiding the Flock: Rex Nelson Shares His Expertise as a Poultry Judge

 By Emily Bontrager 

Ever since Rex Nelson was a little boy, he has loved birds. His love for birds took flight, and now he owns around 400 chickens, 200 peafowl, and 150 ducks. 

Rex’s hobby of raising birds started out with four ducks that his family purchased from a neighbor. 

“Somehow the button hit, and I liked birds. Two of those ducks were my first bird love and then it went into chickens,” Nelson said. 

Rex Nelson, 81, grew up around Williamstown, MO. He attended school at the Williamstown School and graduated in 1961. After graduating high school, he continued his education at Hannibal- LaGrange College and then he went to Kirksville and obtained his teaching degree. In 1968, Rex completed a master’s degree. 

By the time Rex was in college, he had collected different birds here and there, but he started to slow down on adding to his flock. 

“In 65’ or 66’ I still had birds, but then I had to finally say enough, and I got out, but never lost the love. I had to make a living and raise a family,” Nelson explained. 

For two years, Rex was a science teacher at Moberly. The principal encouraged Rex to apply for the open guidance counselor position and Rex jumped on the opportunity. 

For 34 years, Rex worked at multiple schools as a guidance counselor and later as a high school principal. Over the years, he worked at Canton, Macon, Atlanta, and Highland schools. 

As time passed by, Rex was invested in raising a family and making a living, but he never forgot about his love for birds. 

His hobby of raising birds is very dear to him and became a big factor in why he and his wife, Charlotte, bought 30 acres outside of Palmyra, MO after they retired. 

“There was no question when we retired, we were going to the country, because I had suppressed my love for farm life and birds,” Nelson stated. 

“When I retired, the best thing I did was buy these 30 acres.” 

In fact, one of the buildings, which houses some of Rex’s birds today, was built before the Nelson’s own home. In January of 2000, the two moved into the house and Rex began raising birds again. 

“We built the first building and of course immediately you get some chickens, and then you get more chickens, but of different kinds,” Nelson said. 

“Once I landed, then my bird thing exploded. As I had more time, I added peafowl and ducks.” 

Pretty soon, Rex started hearing about bird sales and as the sale market increased, it gave him the ability to raise and sell birds at these sales. 

Like all markets, prices fluctuate, so Rex doesn’t always make a lot of money selling his birds. 

“I don’t make a nickel on a lot of them, but I make enough. If you have ten of them you make ten nickels and that is kind of my approach,” Nelson laughed. 

Typically, Rex tries to travel to eight sales a year. He has traveled to sales in Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois. 

He raises many different varieties of chickens, peafowl, and ducks. Some of the breeds of chickens he raises include Polish, Cochin, and Silkies. 

Rex raises peafowl as well. The peahens, which are the females, are a lot smaller than the males, which are peacocks. The peacocks have longer tail feathers which fan out to create a beautiful display. 

Rex also raises Call ducks, which are one of the smallest duck breeds. Colors of the Call duck can include, apricot, bibbed, black, blue-fawn, dark-silver, magpie, pied, silver, and white. 

One day, someone approached Rex and asked him if he would consider judging a poultry show at a county fair. Rex decided to become a judge and has continued to judge at local fairs for the last 10 to 15 years. He has been a poultry judge at fairs in Clark, Lewis, Marion, Sullivan, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Adair, and Putnam Counties in Missouri. He has also judged in Illinois in Adams, Pike, Schuyler, and McDonough Counties. 

As a judge, Rex’s job is to know what traits each bird must have. He has read a lot of books about birds and has experience selling and raising them. He encourages 4-H and FFA kids to do the same thing and research what characteristics a chicken or duck should have to be shown at the fair. Certain chickens may have different features, including feathers on their legs, four toes instead of five, or different combs on their heads. 

Rex tries to educate exhibitors as much as he can when he is judging their 4-H and FFA projects. 

“That’s the schoolteacher part in me,” Nelson stated. 

His favorite thing about judging at the county fairs is seeing the kids show their own birds and seeing them learn about their projects. 

“I hope when a kid has a bird project under me, they go home with more knowledge than they came with,” Nelson said. 

In the past, Rex has shown some of his own birds in open shows. He has shown his birds in the states of Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. 

When Rex was a young boy, his love of birds took flight, and his hobby has grown over the years. 

Rex loves raising birds and as long as he is able to, he intends to be a judge at local fairs to help educate 4-H and FFA exhibitors and will continue to share his love of birds with others.