Poultry

Welcome to the Ohio 4-H Poultry Projects and Resource page!

 

Calendar of Events	Resources	Ohio Poultry Veterinarians
Ohio Pollorum Testers	Contact Information

 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been detected in a backyard chicken flock located in Franklin County. “Enhanced Biosecurity is the number one preventative measure against avian influenza,” said Dr. Dennis Summers, State Veterinarian in a statement. “HPAI can infect any size flock. We urge all poultry owners to intensify their biosecurity and best management practices."

Below are links to resources from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and a brochure from OSU Extension outlining signs to watch for, prevention, and biosecurity.

Ohio Department of Agriculture-Best Practices for Biosecurity

OSU Extension Avian Influenza brochure

Poultry Biosecurity for 4H Youth (from 4.23 live webinar)

 

 

 

2023 Calendar of Events

March

  18 - Ohio Youth Poultry Clinic 

May

  4 - Youth Poultry Webinars: Nutrition

  10 - Youth Poultry Webinars: Health & Biosecurity

  15 - Youth Poultry Webinars: Handling, Welfare, and Carcass Quality

JULY

  17 - Ohio State Fair 4-H Poultry Judging Contest Postmark Entry Deadline

  17 - Ohio State Fair 4-H Avian Bowl Contest Postmark Entry Deadline

  29 - OSF 4-H Poultry Judging Contest

  29 - OSF 4-H Avian Bowl

AUGUST

  2 - In-Person Skillathon

 

Resources

Breeds & Selection	Anatomy & Physiology	Production
Nutrition	Behavior	Housing & Management
Biosecurity	Health & Disease	Showing
Human Health	Project Book	Additional Resources

 

BACKYARD POULTRY INFORMATION

Click on this link Backyard Poultry Production to find excellent information about finding and raising backyard poultry from Tim McDermott, DVM and Franklin County Extension Educator.

 

Putting Science into Animal Sciences Projects Fact Sheets

• Should I take Broilers as a 4-H Project?
• Should I take Turkeys as a 4-H Project?

 

4-H Program / Project Book

Previous Ohio 4-H poultry project books have been condensed into one Poultry Project and Record Book for members of all skill levels. Use this book for these projects:

• Chicken, Exhibition (Fancy)
• Chicken, Market
• Chicken, Egg Production: Hens and Pullets
• Duck, Exhibition (Fancy)
• Duck, Market
• Goose, Exhibition (Fancy)
• Goose, Market
• Turkey, Exhibition (Fancy)
• Turkey, Market
• Helmeted Guinea Fowl

This book and other Ohio State University Extension, 4-H Youth Development publications are available from the Ohio State University eStore or from local county Extension offices, where Ohio 4-H club advisors, club members, and other Ohio residents get the best price.

 

4-H POULTRY RESOURCES FROM eXTENSION

Unless otherwise indicated, these articles from articles.extension.org/poultry are for use with 4-H poultry projects. eXtension is a national database that collects articles and videos from Extension experts around the country. To make the articles easier for Ohio 4-H members to access, they have been downloaded and collected here. Not all of the available articles are included here, but these are the ones most likely to be relevant to 4-H members. A handful of articles from our Ohio 4-H specialists are included too. Use the links below to download and print each article. There are a lot, but most of them are very short.

Interested only in chickens? For convenience, they are also available in this single document called Basic Information About Chickens (162 pages).

 

Breeds & Selection

Interested in learning more about poultry breeds? Watch videos of select large fowl, bantams, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl HERE.

• Deciding What Type of Poultry to Raise in Small or Backyard Flocks
• What Type of Turkey is best for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks?
• Which Duck Breed is best for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks?
• Which Goose Breed is best for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks?
• Chicken Breed Selection (Schirtzinger, McDermott – ANR-60)

 

Anatomy & Physiology

• External Anatomy of Poultry Kept on Small or Backyard Flocks: Chickens
• External Anatomy of Poultry Kept on Small or Backyard Flocks: Turkey
• External Anatomy of Poultry Kept on Small or Backyard Flocks: Duck
• External Anatomy of Poultry Kept on Small or Backyard Flocks: Goose
• External Anatomy of Poultry Kept on Small or Backyard Flocks: Guinea Fowl
• How Can I Distinguish Male and Female Chickens?
• Comb
• Wattles
• Anatomy of a Feather
• Avian Digestive System
• Avian Immune System
• Avian Muscular System
• Avian Reproductive System – Female
• Avian Reproductive System - Male
• Avian Respiratory System
• Avian Skeletal System

 

Poultry Production

• Raising Chickens for Egg Production
• Raising Meat Chickens in Small or Backyard Flocks
• Raising Meat Turkeys in Small or Backyard Flocks
• Raising Ducks Intended for Consumption
• Raising Geese in Small or Backyard Flocks
• Raising Guinea Fowl
• Chicken Meat Cuts
• Turkey Meat Cuts
• Duck Meat Cuts
• Choosing an Incubator (Miller)
• Brooding Poultry Hatchlings
• Blood Spot Eggs Produced by Small and Backyard Chicken Flocks
• Egg Problems and Deficiencies 
• Poultry Genetics for Small and Backyard Flocks: An Introduction
• Sexing Day-Old Chicks on Small and Backyard Flocks
• Sex-Link Traits in Poultry

 

Nutrition

Nutrition - Nutrition best practices, how nutrition impacts meat quality

 

 

 

• Basic Poultry Nutrition
• Water Requirements for Poultry
• Common Feed Ingredients in Poultry Diets
• Additives in Poultry Feed
• Mycotoxins in Poultry Feed
• Feeding Chickens for Egg Production
• Feeding Ducks Intended for Consumption
• Feeding Geese
• Mineral Deficiencies in Poultry
• Raising Commercial Ducks as a 4-H or FFA Project

 

Behavior

• Normal Behaviors of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Interactions of Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks with Other Species
• Egg Eating by Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Feather Pecking and Cannibalism in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks

 

Housing & Management

Handling, Welfare, and Impacts on Meat Quality - Animal handling and welfare at home and at the fair, impact of handling and stress of meat quality

Part 1 - Welfare & Handling

 

Part 2 - Meat Quality

 

• Transport and Care of Poultry
• Predator Management for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Toe Trimming of Turkeys or Chickens in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Beak Trimming of Poultry in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Wing Clipping in Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Small Scale Poultry Housing
• House Design for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Ventilation in Housing for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Lighting in Housing for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Insulation of Housing for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Litter Material for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Perches in Housing for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Winter Care for Your Laying Hens (University of Maine): https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2217e/

 

Biosecurity 

Health - Protecting animal health at home and at the fair, common disease ID, and more!

 

 

 

• Protecting the Health of Your Flock - This brochure is a great resource to learn important things you can do to keep your birds healthy. Please share with poultry exhibitors, feed stores, and backyard poultry owners.
• Bird Flu - What is it? How to avoid it. - This brochure addresses Avian Influenza. Please share with other poultry owners.
• Defend the Flock Tool Kit: USDA-APHIS
• Backyard Biosecurity for Birds: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian-influenza-disease/birdbiosecurity
• Cleaning and Disinfecting Checklist for Backyard Poultry Owners: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/2015/hcard_checklist.pdf
• Biosecurity for large flock/commercial poultry: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pest-disease/defend-flock/defend-the-flock-toolkit.pdf
• Ohio Poultry Association Resources for Backyard Poultry Flocks
• Fair Season Toolkit for Poultry Biosecurity
• Avian Influenza and Biosecurity Fact Sheet
• High Path Avian Influenza Update - Jan 2022
• Backyard Biosecurity
• Poultry Biosecurity Guide
• Biosecurity for Small Poultry Flocks
• Hand Washing after Handling Chicks and Ducklings

Health & Disease

• Terminology Related to Poultry Disease
• Common Signs of Illness in Poultry
• Common Poultry Diseases

Aspergillosis	Egg-Bound	Infectious Bronchitis	Mycoplasmas	Sudden Death Syndrome
Avian Influenza	Fowl Cholera	Infectious Bursal Disease	Newcastle Disease
Blackhead	Fowl Pox	Infectious Coryza	Pullorum Disease
Botulism	Fowl Typhoid	Laryngotracheitis	Salmonella Enteritidis
Egg Peritonitis in Laying Hens	Green Muscle Disease	Marek’s Disease	Staphylococcus

 

    

• External Parasites of Poultry
• Internal Parasites of Poultry
• Prolapse in Poultry Kept in Small and Backyard Flocks
• Frostbite in Chickens
• Use of Anticoccidial Medications and Vaccines in Poultry Production

 

Showing

• Exhibition Poultry (Miller)
• Bathing and Grooming Poultry (Miller)
• Showmanship (Miller)

Preparing Poultry for Show Day with Ohio 4Hers

 

 

 

Preparing Poultry for Show Day with Ohio 4Hers - Washing & Transporting

 

 

 

Handling Techniques

 

 

 

Assessing Muscle Conformation

 

 

 

 

Human Health/Zoonosis

• How to Handle Eggs Safely
• Safe Handling of Eggs from Small and Backyard Flocks
• Salmonella and Backyard Chickens

 

Additional Resources

Downloadable List of Poultry Resources

Need some reliable, research-based sources for information about your poultry project? We recommend you start here, with the links below. 

• eXtension, poultry.extension.org. This national database collects articles and videos from Extension experts around the country. Not seeing what you want to know? Submit your own question to Ask an Expert.
• University of Kentucky Poultry Science, afs.ca.uky.edu/poultry. A good general overview of poultry from our land grant partners at University of Kentucky.
• American Poultry Association (APA), amerpoultryassn.com. Information about shows, health, and competition from the publishers of the American Standard of Per­fection.
• American Bantam Association (ABA), bantamclub.com. A wealth of resources and images from the publishers of the Bantam Standard.
• Poultry Show Central, poultryshowcentral.com. Up-to-date resource for information about poultry shows, breeders, and more.
• United State Environmental Protection Agency, epa.gov/agriculture/agriculture-ag-101. Click on "Ag101 (PDF)" and then on Poultry Production for an overall perspective on the broiler and layer industries. 

These print resources offer thorough and practical information too: 

Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry, 4th Edition: Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Gamebirds by Glenn Drowns (2012)

How to Raise Poultry: Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Revised (FFA) by Christine Heinrichs (2014) 

 

 

Ohio Poultry Veterinarians

Click here for a list of poultry veterinarians willing to treat 4-H members' poultry. Click here for an Ohio map showing location of poultry veterinarians. (Updated June, 2019)

 

Certified Pullorum Testers

Click here for the list of certified pullorum testers (Updated 2021)

A great factsheet from OPA on Pullorum Testing Common Questions and Answers

 

Acknowledgments

On behalf of the Ohio 4-H Poultry Programs, we would like to offer our sincerest THANKS to the following organization(s) their support of our programs.

Ohio Poultry Association: www.ohiopoultry.org

 

Contact Information

OSU Extension Poultry Team

Michael Cressman, Assistant Professor - Professional Practice