Annual Chicken Festival

Cackle Hatchery Annual Chicken FestivalOctober 2nd & 3rd, 2026

The Cackle Hatchery® Annual Chicken Festival is a free, family-friendly event we’ve been putting on for more than a decade. There’s a little something for everyone — hatchery tours, a crowing contest, duck races, horse-drawn rides, a costume contest, and a poultry showcase. You can even take an animal home through our grown-fowl silent auction, and we’ll have vendors on site all weekend.

Free, family-friendly fun — Tours · Magic Show · Silent Auction · Face Painting · Egg Eating Contest · Duck Races · Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides · Costume Contest.

Download the Festival Itinerary & Map

Festival Events

  • Hard-Boiled Egg Eating Contest thumbnail

    Hard-Boiled Egg Eating Contest

    Current record: 125 eggs — Molly Schuyler (2025). Amateur and Professional divisions with cash prizes and trophies.

    AmateurProfessional
  • Costume Contest thumbnail

    Costume Contest

    Come dress in your cluckin’ best to take part in our costume contest.

    Sign Up
  • Annual Silent Auction thumbnail

    Annual Silent Auction

    We auction off chickens with proceeds going to organized youth poultry groups. A traditional silent auction with bid sheets.

    Learn More
  • Clucking, Cackling or Crowing Contest thumbnail

    Clucking, Cackling or Crowing Contest

    Cock-A-Doodle your way into winning with a crow.

    Sign Up

Welcome to Lebanon, Missouri

Downtown Lebanon, Missouri

Make a weekend of it — explore everything our community has to offer during festival weekend.

Explore Our Community →

Festival Sponsors

A huge thank you to the sponsors who make this free event possible:

  • Cackle Hatchery logoCackle HatcheryFlagship Sponsor (Event)
  • MFA Lebanon, MO logoMFA Lebanon, MOStraw and Pen
  • Clay Hempel — Hempel Dairy Farms logoClay Hempel — Hempel Dairy FarmsCorn Stalks
  • Heritage Tractor — John Deere logoHeritage Tractor — John DeerePartner
  • Bruce Fulkerson Excavating logoBruce Fulkerson ExcavatingHay Bale Chicken
  • First United Methodist Church logoFirst United Methodist ChurchPumpkins
  • Kalmbach logoKalmbachFeed
  • Noble Hudsons & Sons logoNoble Hudsons & SonsPartner
  • Omlet logoOmletChicken Coops
  • Purina logoPurinaPartner
  • Brian Dampier logoBrian DampierHorse and Wagon Ride
  • Tom Frazee logoTom Frazee"The Rooster Car"
  • Russell Farms logoRussell FarmsPartner

Past Chicken Festivals

View the full 2025 photo gallery →

  • Festival Highlights
  • Magic Show
  • Wagon Ride
  • Duck Race

Area Attractions

Make the festival part of a larger trip — here are a few notable destinations close by:

If you’re travelling to Lebanon, Missouri for the festival, it’s just one of many activities happening within a four-block area of downtown that weekend — from Boat Town Brewing’s Oktoberfest to Downtown Lebanon First Friday. Make a weekend of it.

Become a Festival Vendor

Want to join us as a vendor? Fill out the application below and our team will follow up about booth availability.