DeKalb County 4-H members recently traveled to Lebanon for the Central Region Poultry Judging contest.  The junior team of Cali Agee, Olivia Gilley, and Laura Magness placed 6th overall.  Will Mathis competed as a Junior High individual.  Cody Robinson, Caleb A. Taylor, Caleb P. Taylor, and Jacob Williams placed 4th in the Senior High division.  The senior team qualified for state level competition that was held at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  During the awards banquet, they were announced as the 5th place winners. 

During the contest, there are three classes where eggs are graded on quality: candling, broken out, and exterior.  Contestants must know the parts of an egg and how it deteriorates over time when candling.  A light is held to the eggs in order to see the interior.  The shell is then graded in the exterior quality class, and contestants look for defects and abnormalities.  A class of four, live White Leghorn hens is judged on their egg laying ability.  This is determined by the pigment of their skin and abdominal capacity.  Senior High members must give oral reasons on this class to defend their decision.  Finally, meat parts are identified and carcasses are graded in the ready-to-cook poultry classes. 

Although 4-H members do not have to own chickens or have any previous experience, many of our poultry judgers do, so the knowledge gained through this contest will help them better care for their birds and market their eggs.  Congratulations to these young people on a job well done! 

If you are interested in poultry judging or any other 4-H activity, please call 615-597-4945. 4-H is a proud part of UT Extension, the UT Institute of Agriculture, and TSU Cooperative Extension.  UT/TSU Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment through the cooperation of county, state, and federal governments.