The 4-H Turkey Program provides a unique opportunity for youth to experience the poultry production industry from start to finish. At the end of the project youth will have processed turkeys just in time for Thanksgiving.
Utah’s State Junior Turkey Show is unique in that 4-H and FFA members raise their birds to market age just like other shows, but then the birds are processed in a state inspected poultry processing plant, cooled in stainless steel tanks, and judged for quality and conformation. The top 30 toms and top 30 hens from the judging are then sold at the Utah State Junior Turkey Show auction. Remaining birds are often sold at county auctions through out the state. Youth are required to submit a record book on their turkey project and are eligible to compete for scholarships sponsored by the show.
MAY
The first step in the Turkey Project is ordering your turkey poults. Poults are baby turkeys. This is done by completing the Poult Order Form and submitting it, along with your payment ($4.00 each) to the Jr. Turkey Show.
Before your form can be submitted it must be signed by the County 4-H Agent (Corianne Topham). The Agent can only sign the form if the following requirements are met:
- Youth are an "active" member of 4-H for the current year. This is done by registering online at 4h.zsuite.org.
- If you do not have a club you are already participating in you can sign up in the North or South Utah County 4-H At Home Club.
- Youth are in at least 3rd grade and 8 years old by the date of poult order forms are due (May)
Participants are allowed to order a max of 15 poults. It is important to consider the following before ordering your poults.
- How much space do you have? Your turkeys will get big (between 15 and 30 lbs when fed correctly) and will need a clean space that predators cannot get into.
- Who are you going to sell them to? Each youth is responsible for selling their processed birds. They may show one tom and one hen in the show however, only the top 62 birds in the State Show will qualify for the auction. It is important to think about your buyers, because some buyers prefer smaller birds. Hens tend to mature smaller than toms.
Please Note: All birds received as part of the Utah State Jr. Turkey Show must be processed at the poultry processing plant in Bothwell, Utah. If birds are supplied by the Utah Jr. Turkey Show to individuals who do not process their birds at the turkey plant in Bothwell, Utah, they will be on probation the following year. If the violation is repeated, they will not receive poults thereafter. Any exceptions must be approved by the UJTS Committee.
Turkey Order Forms must be received at the Turkey Show Office (Box Elder County) no later than May 2rd. Please mail them along with your payment as soon as possible.
Rules for the show can be found online HERE.
The second step in the Turkey Project is picking up your poults.
Poults arrive near the end of July. Because we work with transportation, the exact time of poult arrival will not be known until the night before. Reminder emails and texts will be sent from the 4-H Office. Please pay attention to your email leading up to poult pickup.
To sign up for our Text Remind System, please text @turkey4h to 81010
Is it important that poults are picked up promptly from the 4-H Office to your home brooder to set them up for optimal growth and development.
From July to November you will experience raising market turkeys.
For more information on how to raise your turkeys check out this USU Publication.
All 4-H participants must complete and turn in a 4-H Portfolio in order to participate in the Jr. Turkey Show.
A 4-H Portfolio consists of a single page Cover Letter and 1-2 page Resume detailing their 4-H experiences.
The cover letter should address the following:
- Summarize your project for the current year and specifically outline the skills you have developed, knowledge you have gained, and goals you have achieved.
- Describe your 4-H leadership experiences and how you have grown as a person.
- Provide details on the impacts of 4-H community service and how these experiences have affected your community.
- Explain how your involvement in the Utah 4-H State Turkey project has impacted your life and challenged you to grow and push yourself outside of your comfort zone
For more information on creating your 4-H Portfolio visit the State 4-H Website.
OCTOBER
Before you can participate in the Jr. Turkey Show and complete your Turkey Project by processing your birds you must submit your Processing and Registration Form.
This form is where participants designate if they will be participating in the show, and how many birds they will be processing total. It is important to remember that all birds ordered through the Jr. Turkey Program MUST be processed at the Bothwell plant. This was an agreement you made when you ordered the poults.
For example:
- Participant 1 ordered 7 toms and 6 hens. One of their hens died early in the project. They would like to participate in the Jr. Turkey Show. This means they would select 1 tom and 1 hen for the Jr. Turkey Show and the other 6 toms and 4 hens for the extra processing day.
- Participant 2 ordered 10 hens. They do not wish to participate in the Jr. Turkey Show so they select 10 hens for the extra processing day.
Processing and Registration forms, along with processing payment ($8.00 per bird), must be submitted to the Jr. Turkey Show.
Processing forms and payments must arrive at the Utah Turkey Show Office (Box Elder) by November 1, 2021.
All forms must be signed by your County 4-H Agent. Youth are responsible for mailing their own forms.
It is best if your sell your turkeys prior to the Jr. Turkey Show. This can be done in a few ways. If you are stuck here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Pick a price per pound ($3.00 per pound is average).
- Market them the right way. People love to purchase meat that was locally raised by 4-H members.
- Contact friends and family.
- Post it on Facebook Yard Sale Sites. It is a great way to reach a lot of people at one time.
Other things to consider:
- It is best to give an estimated weight range when selling them to your customers. That way it provides you with flexibility after they are processed.
- Weigh your birds prior to processing. This gives you an idea of what size the birds will be which is helpful information for your customers.
- Remember: Estimated Dressing weight is 70%-80% of live weight. This means if your bird weighs 25 lbs live they will weigh 17.5-20 lbs after processing.
Be sure to provide a "Thank You" note to anyone who purchases your bird at the auction.
The Jr. Turkey Show usually takes place the 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving. The following timeline is very important as it is the participants responsibility to transport their birds to and from the facility.
The facility is located in Bothwell, Utah which is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes from Provo.
Wednesday Prior to the Show:
- The day before your show birds (1 tom and 1 hen per participant) go to the show they must be tagged. Participants will receive an email with tagging details from your County Ag Agent.
- Once birds are tagged, participants must fill out the Google Form with destination location and bird information.
- To help make processing cleaner, please withhold feed from the birds the night before/morning of processing.
Thursday (Show Day 1 - Processing):
- Show birds must be delivered to the Bothwell Plant by the participant. (7:00 am delivery)
- Birds are processed this day by the show Committee.
Friday (Show Day 2 - Judging):
- Show birds are judged by the Jr. Turkey Judge.
- If your bird is one of the top 62 birds and has qualified for the auction you will be notified by the show committee.
Saturday (Show Day 3 - Auction/Bird Pickup):
- If participants birds have qualified for the show they must be present in order to participate.
- If your birds did not qualify for the auction, youth must pick up their birds from the facility that day. Participants must wear 4-H Livestock Dress for the auction
- A long or short sleeve shirt, which fastens down the front with a collar, is mandatory. Shirts must be solid white in color and need not be Western style. Black or blue pants are to be worn. There is to be a 4-H emblem or patch on all 4-H member shirts. (This can be purchased at the 4-H office for $1.00).
- The top 62 birds are auctioned in the following order
- 1st: Grand Champion Tom and Hen
- 2nd: Heaviest Tom and Hen
- 3rd: Reserve Champion Tom and Hen
- 4th: First Place Tom and Hen
- Thereafter, the next 27 show toms and 27 show hens will be auctioned in order of their respective placings.
Tuesday Following the Show (Processing Day):
- All other birds must be delivered to the Bothwell Plant by the participant. (7:00 - 9:00 am delivery)
- Participants are expected to stay and take part in the process.
- Duties include plucking, weighing, bagging, tagging, etc.
- If the participant stays they have the opportunity to take their birds home that evening after processing (Approximately 6:00 pm)
- Note: It is important to ensure you have the necessary equipment to transport your birds (tarps, coolers, etc.) to keep them at the optimal temperature.
Wednesday Following the Show (Pickup Day):
- Participants must pick up their processed birds from the Bothwell Plant.
- If birds were not taken home after processing they must be picked up between 8:00 and 10:00 am the next day to make room for the next counties birds.
Note: Many people schedule customer drop off the day they bring their birds home from the processing plant to ensure they have freezer space available.