Overview

Thanks to generous grants we have offered pullets (16 week old laying hens) and feed to 4-H youth free of charge for this project. Youth commit to raising and housing the birds, as well as weekly donations of eggs to the local food pantries in our area. Youth will pick up their birds in the late winter and are given coupons for feed from the local Fauquier CFC stores.  All youth that participate keep track of their project through a 4-H Poultry Record Book, which helps sharpen skills like goal setting and record keeping.  At the end of the project, youth are able to keep the birds for their own flocks; however, many youth continue to donate eggs. This is a great opportunity for youth interested in animals and livestock, and it is the perfect chance for them to learn about civic engagement.

Thanks to the Fauquier High School Agriculture Department who have raised day old chicks for the first sixteen weeks of their lives each year, helping our 4-H members complete these projects without additional brooding space.  

Registration 

Check your email for the 2025 Poultry Service Learning Project registration link! Applications open on 4-H Online on January 27th. 

Monthly Participant reporting

Please follow this link to fill out your monthly report to track feed purchases and egg donations.

RESOURCES

Below you will find the information sheet and additional resources for the Poultry Service Learning Program. 

In addition to these resources, Ohio State University Extension has excellent articles on topics such as nutrition, behavior, housing & management, biosecurity, and health & disease. They can be found here. 

Information Sheet

Housing Guidelines

Nutrition Guidelines

Virginia 4-H Poultry Project Record Books

Frequently Asked Questions 

• Do participants need to do 2 project books?

  • PSL participants just need to fill out one project book for the program – either a junior or a senior project book, dependent on their 4-H program age. I have made a folder specific to every participant to be handed out at pullet pickup, participant’s will receive the project book appropriate to them, with the PSL cover page on it!

• How many eggs should we expect to donate per week?

  • It can get tricky to know how many eggs the new hens lay, especially if you already have hens in your coop laying! Egg production may be slow to start, but on average, Red Sex-Links produce around 5-6 large brown eggs per week, or 285-300 eggs per year. With 10 new hens, that will average around 50-60 eggs per week. 

• Where do we pick up feed for our hens?

  • You can redeem your PSL feed coupons at any of the three CFC Farm & Home Centers listed below:

    • CFC (Co-op) – Warrenton location – 143 Washington St, Warrenton, VA 20186

    • CFC (Co-op) – Morrisville location – 12375 Harpers Run Rd, Bealeton, VA 22712

    • CFC (Co-op) – Marshall location – 8222 E Main St, Marshall, VA 20115