4-H Poultry Team Forming - Youth with an interest in animal science and poultry are invited to attend the upcoming 4-H Poultry Team Informational meeting and consider joining the team for the 2024 season. The 4-H Poultry Team is open to youth ages 8-18. Families can attend the Poultry Team Kick-Off meeting on Monday, February 5 at 5:00 p.m. at the Agricultural Resources Center. The 4-H Livestock Club meeting will follow starting at 6:30 p.m. Families may remain for the meeting to learn about that club option. The Poultry Team sample activities will be the topic for the club meeting program.
The Poultry team will be meeting on the first Monday of each month at 5:00 pm at the Agricultural Resources Center to prepare for the Poultry Judging and Avian Bowl contests, which will be held in July at NCSU. Additional practices will be added as the contest gets closer. Avian Bowl involves youth working in teams of 2-4 individuals to answer questions about poultry topics, such as breeds, cooking poultry, caring for poultry, and more. It is much like a quiz bowl based on poultry with youth competing by junior and senior age divisions. Poultry Judging has several different components including judging live birds, judging eggs for quality, and chicken part identification. Senior winning teams in each contest will have the chance to advance to the National contest in Louisville, Kentucky in the Fall.
According to Donna Mull, 4-H Agent, the poultry contests provide youth with a way to learn more about a leading NC agriculture industry (poultry), explore a personal interest and develop life skills that come from being part of a team. Kaytlin Thompson, age 16, said “I joined the team in 2023 to meet like-minded peers, gain animal science knowledge and skills, and be part of a group competition. Throughout my time on the team, I enjoyed learning poultry facts, learning how to grade eggs, as well as learning about some of the unusual ways eggs are used. The team and the contest provided me with public speaking skills, confidence in my knowledge, and the ability to judge individual objects based on a set of factors.” Robyn Townsend, a parent and team coach, valued the way the poultry team learning experience made their family better poultry owners. She explained, “as we learned, we were able to notice deficiencies in our eggs and made adjustments.” Even at only eight years old Ben Townsend was able to get an introduction to a possible career path in the poultry industry by being part of the Poultry Team.
To learn more about the Poultry Team or register to attend the Kick-off Informational contact Donna Mull, 4-H Agent, at donna_mull@ncsu.edu or 828-465-8240. 4-H is a volunteer-led youth development program offered through Cooperative Extension for ages 5-18. For a complete list of clubs or to get information about starting a club, contact Cooperative Extension. There is no cost to join 4-H, but families may be responsible for travel costs associated with participating in the state contest.
Picture: Isaac and Sarah Carter, Catawba County 4-H’ers, prepare to compete in the state Avian Bowl Contest which is an annual competition offered by NC each summer at NCSU. 4-H is now taking registration for youth who would like to be part of the 2024 4-H Poultry Team with a Kick-Off Informational Meeting planned for the evening of Monday, February 5.
