Poultry Science: Egg Grading, Learn Chicken Anatomy, Chicken Leg/Wing Dissection- 7 Weeks

The course is perfect for students interested in a Poultry Science career, students who raise chickens, enjoy learning about farming, or have an interest in 4-H/FFA Poultry Judging. In this course Mrs. Collins will teach you everything you need about Poultry Judging. Poultry Judging is a common competition that students all over the US participate in through a 4-H or FFA program. Mrs. Collins is a certified science teacher and poultry judging 4-H/FFA coach. In this course she will teach you everything you need to know about the competition and in the end you will have a mock competition online. 

Each 4-H Poultry Judging Contest has four classes on consumer information, the grading of exterior eggshell factors, broken-out eggs, and ready-to-cook poultry. This course is helpful for all ages, in that you learn what you eat, how to see if eggs/meat are fresh, and more about the Poultry Science. 

Format: Flex format (no live classes, but assignments on the class wall)

Lessons (slides/videos/diagrams) will be uploaded each Sunday night (by 10pm EST) so the student can begin on the week's lessons every Monday. The class will last 7 weeks. 

Lesson Types:
poultry trivia
draw/diagram the parts of a chicken, egg components and more
complete labs on broken out eggs
show/tell chicken pictures
group discussions on favorite chicken breeds and more
chicken themed art projects
poster project

Here is the list of topics (the order may vary):

Week 1 What is Poultry?, Poultry Careers, Show/Tell If You Want To Share Your Farm Images 

The contest at a 4-H or FFA level allows the student to gain 500 points over four classes of information. Your child does not have to be involved in 4-H or FFA to take this class, but we will be following the common study techniques for the course as we learn the four classes. 

Week 2 Learn about Class 1 in the competition:
Class 1 – Ready-to-Cook Poultry. You will grade five ready-to-cook broilers according to USDA standards and record the grade for each bird on the scorecard. You will list the reasons for grading each carcass immediately after each grade. Each reason must include the type of factor or defect, the size or degree of the defect, and the location of the defect on the broiler. List all reasons as they appear in the Standards for Ready-to-Cook Poultry chart.
Example: If a cut less than 1½ inches in size is observed on the breast, the carcass will be classified as a B quality carcass followed by the reason: “cut on breast less than 1½ inches.”-this class is worth 100 points.

Week 3-4
Class 2 – Classifying Broken-Out Eggs. You will grade 10 broken-out eggs as AA, A, or B quality according to the USDA Egg Grading Standards. Each egg is displayed in a transparent container with a transparent cover. Touching the egg or container is not permitted because it could change the grade of the egg. Record the grade for each egg in the proper space on the score card. Total Point Value – 100 points.

Week 5:
Class 3 – Classifying Shell Factors. You will classify 10 shell eggs by shell factors. You will make two decisions on each egg. You will decide on the cleanliness of each egg and record it as Clean, B Stain, or Dirty. Then, you will determine the soundness and shape of each egg and list it as Practically Normal or Abnormal. Each egg will be displayed with a transparent cover. Touching the egg or container is not permitted. Total Point Value – 100 points.

Week 6:
Class 4 – Consumer Test. Each contestant will be given a written test with no more than 20 questions on eggs and ready-to-cook poultry. Questions will be true-false, multiple choice, or fill in the blank. You can find the answers to all of the questions in this manual.-worth 200 points

Week 7:
Review & Fun Final Exam
We will have a mock competition online at the end.