South Burlington--Sixteen Vermont 4-H club members took part in this year's Vermont 4-H Poultry Day.

The event was held April 2 at the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H office in South Burlington. It featured a number of fun activities including an ice breaker, skill-a-thon and quiz bowl, all designed to teach about and test the poultry expertise of the participants.

The 4-H'ers played a memory game that required them to match breeds of chickens before participating in a skill-a-thon. For the latter, they visited several stations to complete a task or answer questions on chicken breeds; comb types; wing parts; coop predators; parts of the chicken; feather patterns; and ducks, geese and turkeys; and other types of birds.

For the quiz bowl contest, the 4-H'ers were divided into groups, based on their level of poultry knowledge and experience. They competed in several buzzer rounds, scoring points for being the first to correctly respond to questions on chicken anatomy, breeds, chicken husbandry and chicken showmanship, among other topics.

The top four finishers in each division were awarded a rosette ribbon. All other competitors received Danish participation ribbons.

  • Hen Level (advanced poultry knowledge): Erin Whipple, 14, (first) and Katherine Whipple, 17, (second), both from Bridport 
  • Pullet Level (intermediate poultry knowledge): Rowen Champion, 11, Bradford (first); Gabrielle Senecal, 10, Fairfax (second); Bristol Card, 12, Williston (third); Maddie Murphy, 10, Bethel (fourth). Other participants were Remington Card, 10, Williston; Nora Raley, 12, and Claire Romano, 10, both from Fairfax.
  • Peep Level (beginner poultry knowledge): Nick Raley, 9, Fairfax (first), Gabriel Romano, 8, Fairfax (second); Colt Card, 8, Williston, and Collin Champion, 8, Bradford (tie for third); Gracelynn Barber, 9, Shoreham (fourth). Also participating were Marshall Raley and Frank Romano, both 7 and from Fairfax.

The event was organized by UVM Extension 4-H educators Lindy Birch and Martha Manning. Sonya Barber, Shoreham, served as scorekeeper for the quiz bowl.

To learn more about 4-H or the 4-H poultry project, call the UVM Extension 4-H state office at (800) 571-0668 (toll-free) or (802) 651-8343.