The problem: Livestock and livestock products account for about half of Kentucky’s farm income.

The educational program response: Therefore, the role of livestock and livestock projects in the Kentucky 4-H curriculum is fundamentally important. Youth must understand the role of agriculture in their daily lives, and the importance of livestock and livestock products in the type, kind and quality of the foods that they eat.

The participants/target audience: To ensure this is accomplished in Breathitt County the 4-H agent partnered with 17 classroom teachers across the county and provide materials needed to complete the a chicken incubation project in all of their classrooms for approximately 600 youth. In the project youth are taught about the development of the embryo to a chick, the processes needed to incubate eggs, and then care for chicks once they have hatched. The project was designed to not only provide educational materials, but also allowed to youth to see the process take place right before their own eyes.

Other partners: The agent partnered with classroom teachers in all county elementary schools and high school, the independent school in the county, and one private school.

Program impact or participant response: 100% of the youth that participated in the project identified that they now had a better understanding of chicken development and the importance of livestock production in their daily lives. The 4-H agent feels that this project was great success in the county and want to continue to grow the project to reach even more classrooms in the coming years.