Basic Selection, Nutrition and Care of Show Poultry
The championship potential of a chicken is determined by genetics. Genetics are the traits inherited from its parents. The chicken’s environment dictates if the genetic potential can be met.
4-H and Poultry Showing
Poultry resources for 4-H youth, leaders, and other exhibitors. Find additional help with general flock care (feeding, housing, health, and egg production) on the Backyard Poultry page. For club, project, and show information, visit the Utah 4-H Small Livestock Program page.
Discover 4-H Poultry Guides
Downloadable Curriculum for Poultry Production and Showmanship Clubs
These two Discover 4-H guides help youth learn to raise and care for chickens. The Poultry Showmanship guide covers selecting, grooming, training and exhibiting chickens at shows. The Poultry Production guide teaches egg grading, meat processing, and marketing poultry products. Both guides include outlines for six club meetings with hands-on activities.
Download the Discover 4-H Guides
Basics for Raising Junior Market Turkeys for Junior Turkey Show
This fact sheet is constructed to be used by 4-H and FFA youth for training or as a tool to aid in the growing of market turkeys for the Utah Junior Turkey Show or for local turkey shows.
Biosecurity Principles: Protecting Your Investment
A guide on disease prevention for exhibition poultry, covering biosecurity practices like flock isolation, sanitation, equipment disinfection, and quarantine procedures.
Handling Baby Poultry
Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl, and game birds can harbor and transmit certain agents that might infect people. These practices will help minimize the chance for disease transmission between you and your poultry.
Hatching and Caring for Chicks
Essential guidelines for hatching eggs and raising chicks, covering topics such as egg collection, incubation, candling, hatching, and chick care.
Information for the Poultry Showmanship Judge
A guide for judges evaluating youth poultry showmanship competitions, covering how to assess exhibitors' stewardship skills, bird presentation, and poultry knowledge.
Organizing a Poultry Showmanship Contest
A guide to organizing a poultry showmanship contest, including eligibility, class divisions, equipment, location, timing and judge qualifications.
Preparing Your Bird for the Poultry Showmanship Contest
Careful preparation prior to the show is necessary to be an effective show person. The calmness of the chicken is a reflection of how much the bird has been handled and worked with prior to the show.
Selecting and Preparing Broilers for Show
Raising meat-type chickens at home can be a rewarding and productive experience. Not only does it put meat in the freezer, it can also be a great 4-H project for young poultry enthusiasts.
What is Expected of the Poultry Showman?
Poultry showmanship is the opportunity for you as a young exhibitor to demonstrate your abilities as a poultry steward and to communicate your knowledge of the poultry industry.