Marshall County Had an egg-cellent 4-H Chick Chain Show and Sale!

Marshall County Had an egg-cellent 4-H Chick Chain Show and Sale!
By Kaylee Layton
On Saturday, August 5th, members of the community gathered to support the Marshall County 4-H program and the participants of the 2023 Chick Chain Project.
The 4-H Chick Chain Project is designed to teach youth responsibility and hard work by letting them raise and care for their own flock of chickens. The project started at the beginning of the year when 4-H’ers chose between three breeds of chickens, Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, and Black Australorp. They attended a workshop in February to prepare them for their chicks’ arrival. They learned about topics such as nutrition, shelter, and the need for heat in the first few weeks of a chick’s life. They were given record-keeping journals to help them track the expenses and profits made while doing the project. The chicks arrived in March and
4-H’ers were invited to come select their new flock. It was then up to them to raise the chicks and get them show ready.
The show and sale were held at the UT AgResearch Center and the day started out as a beautiful summer morning. With summer days come summer storms and as the 4-H’ers and volunteers got all the chickens checked in, dark crowds started rolling in. With the help of everyone there, the chickens were moved to shelter, and the show continued. Over twenty-five 4-H’ers brought their chickens to show off their hard work.
The show was judged by Karl Purdem, Poultry Superintendent for the Bedford County Fair, and aided by 4-H’er Savannah Davidson. When Purdem announced the winners he stated, “I can see the incredible care and hard work that has gone into these Chickens”. Chickens are judged based on their ability to produce eggs, things such as pigmentation, handling qualities and abdominal capacity determine that ability. It was a tough decision, but a Grand Champion and Reserve Champion was named for each breed. The Reserve Champion for the Barred Rock breed was Weston King and Grand Champion was won by Anthony Brindle. For the Rhode Island Red breed, Reserve Champion went to Hallie Stubblefield and Grand Champion went to Leah Warf. For the Black Australorp breed, Reserve Champion went to Henry Hearnsberger and Grand Champion went to Ember Bruce. The staff at UT Extension are extremely proud of all the 4-H’ers’ hard work.
The 4-H Chick Chain Auction followed the show and gave 4-H’ers the opportunity to sell some of their chickens. Buyers attended to show support and were sure to get quality chickens.
The staff at the UT Extension office are already looking forward to next year’s 4-H Chick Chain Project. This project and all other 4-H projects are
open to all youth in Marshall County in the 4th -12th grades. If you are interested and would like more information, you can contact the UT
Extension office at 931-359-1929.