The event marks the start of preparations for poultry contests at county, district and state fairs in the fall. It’s part of the Poultry Chain program organized by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The program’s goal is to educate Arkansas 4-H youth about poultry management and animal husbandry.
Members of Arkansas 4-H and the National FFA Organization from 69 counties each received flocks of 15-16 two-day-old chicks. Scharidi Barber, extension poultry instructor for youth programs for the Division of Agriculture, said 2,260 youth will receive chicks this year— the largest number of participants in the program’s more than 40-year history.
“It has really taken off, and I think a lot of that has to do with egg prices, and everyone is wanting to raise their own,” Barber said. “I just hope they took into consideration the feed prices and that you don’t get eggs for five or six months. But when they do, they’ll have an awesome project in their backyard that they can expand on later in their program.”
Barber said participants learn and practice many skills through the project, but “the biggest thing is responsibility.”
“You now have a life you’re taking care of. It’s not like a plant that you water every now and then, it has a heartbeat,” Barber said. “It takes daily feed and water, and you have to provide the right environment, which we call husbandry. The husbandry that you provide will really show in the end. You’ll see the kids who win these competitions are the ones that had the best environment for their birds.”
Participants will raise Lohmann White chickens, a year-round egg layer that can begin laying eggs around 18 weeks. Barber said this breed is “more feed-efficient,” making them a cost-effective option for the program amid high feed prices.
“You can feed your birds less, and you’ll get higher egg production,” she said.
Level playing field
An additional benefit of all participants raising the same breed of bird is that this creates a level playing field for poultry competitions, Barber said.
“The cool thing about this project is that it’s probably the fairest project, as far as livestock and poultry goes,” she said. “It’s not like Mom or Dad could afford a better steer than somebody else. For this project, they are all the same genetics and all from the same hatch. At the end of the day, we find out who can raise the best bird using husbandry, environment and your feed program.”
Kaitlyn Caswell-Mogish, 15, a 4-H member in Lonoke County, began participating in the Poultry Chain at age 7 and said she looks forward to it every year.
