Alternative Activities for 4-H Poultry Shows
A Poultry Picture Show
• Have each 4-Her take photos of their birds, and then mount the pictures to a poster board. Posters can take the place of bird cages. Encourage the 4-Hers to be creative and decorate their posters. If judging is still a goal, specify specific angles/shots of the birds.
Biosecurity Poster
• Have 4-Hers make posters showing how they practice biosecurity at home.
Bird Handling/Showmanship
• Place toy (plush) birds in cages and have 4-Hers demonstrate good poultry handling techniques by taking the toy birds in and out of cages. Toy, stuffed, lifelike poultry may be found on Amazon for around $20 at: http://www.amazon.com/Standing-Chicken-Plush-Stuffed-Animal/dp/B00OOC24R2/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1432826485&sr=1-1&keywords=toy+chickens
Bird Breeds
• Display pictures of different bird breeds in the poultry barn, number each picture, and then quiz the 4-Hers on the bird breeds. The public can be invited to participate.
Poultry and Educational Activities
• USDA’s “Don’t ‘Borrow’ Bird Flu” activity: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/downloads/GrabandGo.doc.
• Encourage 4-Hers to participate in the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference, November 18-19, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. At this conference 4-H youth have the opportunity to participate in a number of different events. For more information go to: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/national4hpoultry/.
• The American Egg Board’s (AEB’s) “Virtual Field Trips” feature Indiana’s Creighton Brothers Egg Farm: http://www.aeb.org/educators/farm-to-table-virtual-field-trips. In addition AEB’s “EGGucation Resources” lists lesson plan, activities and “eggsperiments”.
• The United States Poultry and Egg Association offers a wide range of educational activities: http://www.uspoultry.org/t_resources/index.cfm. Towards the bottom of the web page at “Poultry”, the interactive “Anatomy of the Chicken Learning Resource” is great interactive activity for visitors at the poultry barns: http://www.poultryhub.org/physiology/anatomy-of-the-chicken-learning-resource/
• Indiana State Poultry Association (ISPA) Bird activities may be found online at: http://inpoultry.org/forkids.cfm.
Order free avian influenza and poultry health posters at: http://inpoultry.org/hpaiinfo.cfm
Biosecurity Activities
• Biosecurity Educational Activity Kit. http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/doc/education-programs/cafm/education-biosecurity-eak.pdf
Poultry Health Workshop
• During the regular poultry show day, host a bird health workshop for 4-Hers and backyard bird enthusiast. This workshop is an opportunity to educate bird owners (and potential owners) about biosecurity, disease issues, health and nutrition resources, as well as NPIP.
• Introduce Indiana State Poultry Association’s T-12 program and have copies of the T-12 flyers to distribute. T-12 Flyers are at: http://www.inpoultry.org/documents/T-12.pdf
• Great online resources at: http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov/.
Fair Auction/Sale
• Instead of offering up birds for sale at the auction, 4-Hers could offer a basket of poultry-themed items (like an egg timer, stuffed bird or chicken calendar) or a stuffed hen. Of course, offering a photo of the bird is always an option.
