Through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Nelson County 4-H Youth Development made efforts to deliver agriculture-related, educational opportunities for members through new channels. During the pandemic, in-person meetings were suspended to ensure the health and safety of all. However, members were still required to meet a set number of educational hours. This requirement is in place to make certain that members can demonstrate proper care and handling of their animals. With poultry being Kentucky’s number one commodity, it is important for youth to agriculturally literate so that there will be sustainability within that field.  A recent effort, within our Poultry Club, was hosting club-wide, virtual demonstrations that all members were invited to participate in.  

The County 4-H Youth Development Agent worked closely with the Volunteer Club Leader to provide a list of potential remote learning activities. Once the virtual demonstration was decided upon, the volunteer posted the assignment to the club’s Facebook page. Members were asked to submit a video of themselves washing/grooming their hens/roosters, or to pretend to wash/groom a stuffed animal to the club’s Facebook Group. Once members submitted their videos, the volunteer gave the members feedback. Youth were able to utilize this opportunity to research methods of washing/grooming their animal and to gain confidence in the process. All members were able to learn variations of the process by seeing the different techniques that other members exhibited. 

One parent posted, “So proud of Brady and his roosters. I didn’t think it would go as smooth as it did since neither one had done bath time yet.” 

As the Agent and Volunteer Club Leader reviewed the demonstrations, they observed that the initial outcome was that members gained knowledge of the grooming/washing process, confidence in interacting with their animals, skills in communicating, demonstrating, and the use of technology for filming. After the success of the virtual poultry washing, members felt more prepared for upcoming competitions. The Cooperative Extension Agent for 4-H youth Development plans to continue remote learning opportunities for youth involved in animal science projects.