Animal Science Opportunities Through 4-H



April B. Dillon, Extension Agent
4-H & Youth Development

Are you interested in wild and exotic animals such as cows, sheep, goats, cats, dogs, pigs, chickens and rabbits? You can learn more about caring, raising, judging and showing animals like these through 4-H! Kids can expand their interest in animals while also developing important life skills such as communicating and decision making!

Families interested in helping to start an animal science club for youth ages 5 to 9 are invited to come to a 4-H Animal Science Information and Interest meeting on Thursday, January 15 at 7:00 pm. This club will offer educational programs in animal science and youth may choose to raise and show an animal in their second year. A parent or guardian is required to attend this meeting with their child(ren).

Why did the chicken cross the road? We may not be able to answer that question, but we can certainly help you learn to judge eggs and chickens while developing decision making and communication skills. 4-H Poultry Judging includes hands-on fun (literally-you get to handle live hens) viewing the inside of eggs with candlers, judging live and ready to eat hens, grading eggs for exterior and interior appearance and learn the parts of the chicken you eat! 4-H Poultry Judging will meet monthly beginning with a parent and youth information meeting on Tuesday, January 20 at 4:00 pm.

Teachers and students can egg-splore science, math and language arts through 4- H Embryology! Students will discover science as they learn the life cycle from egg to bird. 4-H Embryology’s Hatching Classroom Projects is correlated with the NC standard course of study for 2nd grade and is designed for youth in 2nd through 7th grades. A workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 4 from 3:30—4:30 pm for educators. Teachers will receive the 4-H Hatching Classroom Projects curriculum, 20 quail eggs for classroom incubation and hatching and loan of 4-H incubators. A $25 non-refundable registration fee is due by February 2. This program is open to all educators, home school, private and public.

For more information about any of these programs or to register, please contact the 4-H office at the Lincoln County Center, North Carolina Cooperative Extension at 704-736-8458 or email april_dillon@ncsu.edu.