This project will introduce you to the poultry industry and how to select, raise, care for, and exhibit poultry. Interested in learning about chickens, turkeys, ducks or geese? Would you like to raise chickens to exhibit, or use for egg and meat production for your own small business? If so, check out the poultry project!
Show Your Skills
- Exhibit at your county 4-H show / fair
- Give a 4-H talk or demonstration about poultry
- Junior Poultry competition at the IL State Fair
- Invite members of your 4-H club to your home to show them how you care for your animals
Service and Leadership
- Develop a biosecurity plan for your county 4-H poultry members
- Build an incubator and hatch chicks for your 4-H club or other youth organization
- Volunteer to help at the county fair poultry show
- Organize a poultry exhibit /showmanship clinic
- Invite 4-H members to tour your poultry operation; conduct an egg judging event
- Lead a poultry workshop(s) on poultry handling, selection and/or feeding
Entrepreneurship
- Design a business card or marketing brochure for your farm or imaginary farm
- Visit and then order eggs from a hatchery and hatch your own chickens or other poultry
- Market eggs from your chicken project – first call IDOA and ask about any permits needed
- Write a business plan for managing hens and selling eggs to local businesses and individuals
Technology Connection
- Sensors that monitor temperature, ventilation, or ammonia and carbon dioxide levels in hen houses
- Robots that assist with repetitive tasks like cleaning or collecting eggs
- Read about presentations at Poultry Tech Summit Connecting with a Mentor
- Job shadow a local veterinarian
- Visit with the University of Illinois Animal Science or Veterinary Science at https://ansc.illinois.edu/
- Attend a poultry show and observe the judges and their techniques
Events
- 4-H workshops, SPIN clubs and shows
- Illinois 4-H Poultry Judging Content
- State 4-H Junior Livestock Conference
- Events hosted by local FFA chapters
- U.S. Egg & Poultry Association and American Poultry Association events
- Farm Progress Show
Project Manuals & Exhibit Requirements
- LEVEL 1: Scratching the Surface
- LEVEL 2: Testing Your Wings
- LEVEL 3: Flocking Together
Purchase manuals on the Shop Illinois 4-H Store.
View exhibit requirements and scoresheets on the Illinois State Fair page.
Fuson, Leigh. Let’s Learn About Chickens! An Introduction to the Poultry Project. Tennessee 4-H Youth Development
Beyond the Barn Door. (2020, April 17) Illinois Ag in the Classroom
University of Florida Extension
University of Wyoming Extension
University of California Extension
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Michigan State University Extension. 4-H Project Sheets. Retrieved on 2020, May 22.
University of Illinois Extension staff that contributed to this resource include Carissa Davis, Patty Huffer, Amy Hyde, Sharon Lounsberry, Annette Reese and Amy Zepp
4-H Spark Sheets are a collaborative effort of 4-H staff, volunteers, alumni and teens from across Illinois. A big thanks to the many contributors and reviewers!