written by: dr. jacquie jacob, university of kentucky
the national 4-h poultry and egg conference is held every year the week before thanksgiving. it is always held at the kentucky fair and exposition center in louisville, ky. it is a great opportunity to get together with 4-hers from all over the country and show what you have learned. there are five national contests held at the conference. the big one is the poultry judging contest. in this contest, however, only one part includes live chickens – the hens are evaluated for past egg production. the rest of the contest involves evaluating poultry products. this includes chicken and turkey carcasses as well as eggs. in the chicken and turkey barbecuing contests participants barbecue three chicken halves or two turkey filets and give a talk on the related poultry industry. in the egg preparation demonstration contest, participants prepare an egg dish while talking about nutritious eggs are and how they can be used in a lot of different types of meals. the other big contest at the conference is the avian bowl contest which is a double-elimination round-robin tournament (that means you have to lose twice before you are out of the contest) in which the contestants are required to answer questions regarding poultry science, poultry meat and egg production, and information about the poultry industries.
