Another Egg-cellent Year Begins!

Hello 4-H Poultry Project Families,

Welcome to another year in the Poultry Project! We’re excited to see both new and returning members as we get started on a year filled with clinics, shows, and plenty of opportunities to learn, grow, and have fun with poultry.

Who Can Participate

All of our clinics and shows are open to youth who are interested in learning about poultry and participating in the events. You do not have to be enrolled in the Pima County Poultry Project to attend a clinic or participate in most of the shows throughout the year.

However, only members of Pima County 4-H or Pima County FFA are eligible to exhibit at the Pima County Fair in April.

Website

The Pima County Poultry Project Website has been updated and expanded! In addition to information about fair and the different projects you can participate in, it now includes resources on raising and caring for all types of poultry, including information on showing basics. While the Poultry Project is focused on youth, the website and its resources are available to anyone of any age who is interested in learning more about poultry.

The website should also be your first stop for project paperwork, fair information, calendars, and resources throughout the year.

The Bird Finder page allows members to advertise birds they have available or connect with others who may have birds they are looking for. The T-Shirt page is where you can submit ideas for this year's design and later order shirts.

The Calendar page contains upcoming deadlines, clinics, meetings, and all shows that qualify for attendance credit. Clinic dates and several show dates for the upcoming season are already posted. We are still waiting on dates for some events, and those will be added as they are announced throughout the year. Be sure to check the calendar regularly for the latest information.

If you miss a monthly email, Small Stock Meeting, or clinic, information from those events can be found in the Blog section. Take some time to explore the updated website and become familiar with it—it will be a valuable resource throughout the year.

Premium Book & Important Reminders

The Poultry Premium Book can be found under the Paperwork section of the website. The Premium books are one of the most important resources for all projects, and both members and parents should read them carefully. They contain the official rules, requirements, deadlines, and expectations for the year. If you have a question about what is allowed, when something is due, or how a requirement works, the Premium Books should always be your first stop.

This year’s Poultry Premium Book includes several clarifications and rule updates, so even if you participated last year, please read the entire Premium Book. Never assume something is the same from one year to the next, or you may find yourself caught off guard later in the season.

The Poultry Project website includes two Premium Book links. One takes you to the University of Arizona webpage where the book can be viewed online, and the other opens a printable PDF. Both contain the same information, but the printable PDF hosted on the Poultry Project website will always be the most up-to-date version, so we recommend using that version whenever possible.

A few reminders from this year's Premium Book:

As in previous years, exhibitors must attend two qualifying poultry events during the project year to be eligible to exhibit at fair. The Premium Book explains which events qualify, what attendance requirements must be met, and how to make sure your attendance is properly recorded.
Like last year, every clinic and qualifying show you attend also earns you one entry into the end-of-year raffle. The more events you attend, the more chances you have to win.
Each exhibitor is still limited to 10 pens at the fair. A pen may consist of one to three animals, depending on the class or project entered.
The number of Commercial Turkey exhibitors may affect how many Heritage Breed Turkeys can be accepted at fair due to limited space. If restrictions become necessary, they will be announced once commercial turkey participation numbers are known.

Volunteers & Donations

We are always looking for volunteers, sponsors, and donations to help make clinics, educational events, and shows successful.

For our Silent Auction at the Fur & Feather Show in November, we will be seeking donations of single female poultry, pairs, trios, or poultry-related items. Please note that we are unable to accept, house, foster, or hold donated birds before the event. Any poultry donations must be brought directly to the Fur & Feather Show on the day of the event. Volunteers will be needed for setup, teardown, check-in, and the running of the auction, we appreciate any support you can provide.

In addition, we are still seeking donations and sponsors to help us purchase additional cages for fair and provide awards and prizes for our exhibitors. We are very close to meeting our cage funding goal, and any additional support will help us get across the finish line. Donations toward awards and prizes are equally appreciated, as they allow us to better recognize and reward the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of our members throughout the year and at fair.

Looking Ahead: September–November

At the beginning of each month, an email will be sent covering upcoming deadlines, clinics, meetings, and shows. These monthly emails will be our primary method of communication, so please be sure to watch for them and read them carefully, as they will contain important updates and any schedule changes.

Small Stock Meetings

Small Stock Meetings are open to all 4-H and FFA leaders, parents, members, and anyone interested in the Small Stock projects.

The Cavy, Dairy Goat, Dog, Pigeon, Poultry, Pygmy Goat, and Rabbit projects meet in person at the Pima County Extension Office, located at 4210 North Campbell Avenue at Roger Road, at 6:30 PM on the second Monday of each month. Please note that meeting dates are subject to change, so be sure to verify the schedule before attending.

These meetings provide project updates, information about upcoming deadlines and events, and an opportunity for members, parents, and leaders to ask questions and participate in the operation of the project.

Our first meeting will be held on September 14th. Barring any changes, the following meetings will be October 12th and November 9th.

Clinics

Our first clinic will be held on September 26th and will focus on the care and keeping of poultry. We will cover important topics like housing, nutrition, and health to help members learn how to properly care for and maintain healthy poultry throughout the year. If you have showmanship birds at home, please bring them along! We will begin introducing members to proper handling and care practices, so having your own bird will give you an opportunity to learn and practice with the bird you will be working with throughout the year. If you don’t have a bird yet, don’t worry—we will have a few birds available for members to borrow and practice with.

The second clinic will take place on October 24th and will focus on poultry showmanship. This year we will be looking at not only the style of showmanship most commonly seen in Southern Arizona, but also other styles used around the country. We hire judges from all over the United States, and it is best to be prepared for whatever they may ask of you. We highly encourage you to bring your showmanship bird to this clinic. We will have a few birds available for members to borrow and practice with if we need to.

Both clinics will be held at the University of Arizona Campus Agricultural Center Mobile Building, located at 4101 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

No pre-registration is required—just come ready to learn. Be sure to sign in when you arrive to receive attendance credit and be entered into the raffle.

We do ask that parents leave chairs and tables available for members first, as seating can be limited.

Shows

The Calendar page on the website will contain detailed show descriptions, registration links, and registration deadlines for all events mentioned as they become available.

The first show available for attendance credit is the Apache County Poultry Show on October 30th–31st. This is an open show, meaning it is not run by 4-H or FFA and is open to both youth and adult exhibitors.

The Fur & Feather Show, a youth-only show focused on showmanship, will be held on November 7th. Registration information will be announced soon.

The Tucson Fancy Fowl Show, another open show, will be held on November 28th. This one-day event is a great opportunity to gain showmanship experience, meet breeders, and work toward your required pre-fair event attendance. Tucson Fancy Fowl is also looking for volunteers to help with setup and tear-down. If you need volunteer hours for your 4-H club, FFA chapter, school, or another organization, they are happy to sign off on the hours you serve.

Deadlines

Turkey orders are due by midnight on October 31st. The form can be found on the Commercial Projects page on the website.

Members should complete their ZSuite enrollment as soon as possible after it opens. The county enrollment deadline is December 15th, although some clubs may have earlier deadlines. Be sure to check with your club leader. Members must be enrolled by the deadline to remain eligible for fair participation.

YQCA certification is due January 31st and is required to participate in fair. Please email a copy of your completed certificate PDF to hello@pimacounty4hpoultry.org. If you do not receive a confirmation email that we have received your certificate, something likely went wrong and you should contact us or resend it. YQCA may be completed and submitted at any time between now and the deadline.

There will be no ownership paperwork required this year. However, Fair Registration will still be due by March 15th. Leg bands are still required for your birds, but the leg band numbers will now be recorded directly on your Fair Registration.

We look forward to seeing everyone throughout the year. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.