Arkansas 4-H teams from Izard and Sebastian counties tested their knowledge of poultry production, studying eggs inside and out, at the 4-H Poultry Judging State Contest, held April 1.
The contest took place at the Pauline Whitaker Arena in Fayetteville. One team of senior 4-H members from Izard County and one team of junior 4-H members from Sebastian County competed in several judging events, including parts identification and assessment of the interior of eggs through a process known as candling.
“Candling eggs is when you hold a light source to the egg to see inside of it,” said Andrew Bolton, extension poultry instructor for youth programs for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “We do this to check the air cell in the egg, which is an indicator of freshness and quality. It starts tiny when first laid and grows as the egg becomes older.”
Judging events also included Past Production Hens, where participants assessed how productive a set of hens had been at laying eggs, and Ready to Cook Carcasses, where they graded whole carcasses looking for cuts, missing meat and other defects that could lower a product’s grade. In the Broken-out Eggs event, participants judged the quality of the yolk and albumen, or egg white.
“The markers they look for are the size and thickness of the albumen,” Bolton said. “A smaller and thicker egg white is an indicator of a fresh egg.”
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Bolton said participants also argued in defense of their placing judgments.
“Participating in the Poultry Judging Contest is a great way for our 4-H’ers to learn about the poultry industry, learn skills that are used daily in the industry, as well as build their confidence in public speaking,” Bolton said.
Junior individual winners from Sebastian County:
First place: Beckett Allen
Second place: Finn Payne
Third place: Anakin Payne
Senior individual winners from Izard County:
First place: Makaelynn Wood
Second place: Kennedy Manacke
Third place: Delilah Montalbo
Fourth place: Sage Wells
The Izard County team will move on to compete at the National 4-H Poultry Judging Contest later this year, which is held as part of the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference in Louisville, Ky. The conference will be held in November, according to the website .
Bolton said the contest is a great opportunity for 4-H members interested in pursuing a career in the poultry industry, but it has benefits for all participants.
“I would say this contest is a great hands-on experience in the poultry field,” he said. “I believe that it offers a leg up for anyone interested in poultry but holds invaluable lessons for anyone to practice and compete in.”
For more information about 4-H poultry programs, contact Bolton at abolton@uada.edu or visit 4h.uada.edu/poultry/plant-animal/poultry.aspx. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
Rebekah Hall is with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
