Summary

Intermediate 4‑H Poultry project outcomes build youth skills across commercial and backyard production. Topics include industry sectors from breeders to processing and egg layers, plus health and welfare with disease recognition, parasites, drug-use concepts, and creating a biosecurity plan. Youth learn poultry digestion, feed ingredients, life-stage nutrition, and how to read feed tags. The guide also covers reproduction and egg anatomy, candling and egg quality, hatchery conditions, genetics and differences between broilers and layers, carcass cuts and grading, key management practices and equipment, and the role of recordkeeping, with contests and leadership opportunities.