Skill-a-Thon
All Cloverbuds and FIRST-TIME 4-H Chick Chain members will compete in a poultry Skill-a-Thon.
Skill-a-thons are a fun, hands-on way for you to show off what you've learned during the project.
During the skill-a-thon event, you’ll apply what you’ve learned by completing tasks at five to eight stations.
Tasks will include things like breed identification, labeling body parts, or choosing items for a brooder.
Use these tools to help you prepare.
Age Division Expectations
Cloverbuds (5-7)
Cloverbuds participating in chick chain will rotate through the following stations:
Parts of the Bird - Know and identify at least 5 parts
Poultry Breeds - Know and identify at least 4 breeds
Juniors (8-10)
Juniors participating in chick chain will rotate through the following stations:
Parts of the Bird - Know and identify at least 8 parts
Poultry Breeds - Know and identify at least 5 breeds
Comb Identification - Know and identify at least 4 types
Feed Tag - Know and identify at least 2 components of a feed tag
Intermediates (11-13)
Intermediates participating in chick chain will rotate through the following stations:
Parts of the Bird - Know and identify at least 10 parts
Poultry Breeds - Know and identify at least 5 breeds
Comb Identification - Know and identify at least 5 types
Feed Tag - Know and identify at least 3 components of a feed tag
Egg Quality - Identify and grade 2 types of egg quality
Seniors (14-18)
Seniors participating in chick chain will rotate through the following stations:
Parts of the Bird - Know and identify at least 10 parts
Poultry Breeds - Know and identify at least 5 breeds
Comb Identification - Know and identify at least 5 types
Feed Tag - Know and identify at least 3 components of a feed tag
Egg Quality - Identify and grade 4 types of egg quality
Meat Cuts - Know and identify 3 of the provided meat cuts
Study Materials
To help you study we have prepared a practice test. Use the button below to test your knowledge.
Comb Identification
There are 7 types of combs the various breeds of chickens may have including: Single comb, Rose Comb, Pea Comb, Cushion Comb, Buttercup Comb, Strawberry Comb, and a V-Shaped Comb. To learn more about combs visit the comb identification article.
Parts of the Bird
Learn the various parts of the bird through this online game.
Feed Tag
Learning to read a feed tag is an essential component of any animal project and also ensures the well-being of one's animals. Feed tags give a wealth of information if you know what to look for and how to interpret the information given. Check out this article from the University of Kentucky for more information.
Egg Quality
There are four primary classifications of exterior egg quality including: AA/A, B, Dirty, and loss. The appearance and shape of the egg determines this grade. Check out this article from the National 4-H Poultry Judging Manual for more information.
Egg Quality Exterior - Ag Judging - 2020.docx