FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ezabela Herber
October 9th, 2023 Shattuck FFA Reporter
(580) 938-0346
SHATTUCK FFA PROCESSES TULSA BROILERS
By: Ezabela Herber
SHATTUCK,OKLAHOMA – Shattuck student’s Tulsa Fair project doubles as a lesson in processing broiler chickens for agriculture education classes. For the past several years, after receiving a grant to purchase equipment, Shattuck FFA has processed anywhere between 50-100 birds each fall with the help of the students enrolled in Ag class. These birds are ordered in July, arrive as day old chicks in August, and are raised as a project to exhibit at the Tulsa State Fair Broiler Show, which took place on October 4th. This year, senior and Chapter President, Sydney Melton, cared for and exhibited the broilers for the Tulsa show.
Sydney explained the process is more than just keeping the birds alive for the 7 weeks until the show. “I monitored everything from the temperature in the enclosure to the fluffiness of the wood chips, all to get the highest gains in my birds.” For the first few weeks, Melton explained that she even added green food coloring to the feed, which would entice the birds to eat more, and marbles in the water, which encourages them to drink more. With broilers, gaining weight and staying healthy are key. To ensure this, Melton had to make sure the birds never ran out of food and fresh water, and that their enclosure was always clean.
Of the 50 birds she raised and cared for, Sydney picked just 4 of the best to take to Tulsa for the show. Melton placed in the A+ group, which is the highest quality grade for poultry, and in the top 15 pens overall. Broiler show Judge Dale Hyatt told the exhibitors, “ If you are in the top 15, you really know how to raise birds.”
The next step for the remaining birds not exhibited in Tulsa, was to be processed. Each ag class was bussed out to the ag farm and participated in the operation. In assembly line fashion, students learned the steps to pluck, clean, and package whole birds to sell. The equipment utilized makes this process a little different than how “grandma used to do it on the farm,” but the lesson is still a valuable one. Students are not only learning how to raise and produce a food source, but also about the processes their store bought food goes through before it gets to their table. In addition, they gain knowledge of food safety, and proper procedures for food preparation. After the birds are cleaned and packaged, they are frozen and sold as a chapter fundraiser.
Woodward resident and rancher Elsie Persall saw the Shattuck FFA facebook page post about processing day, and contacted the school to purchase some of the finished birds. Persall commented, “It’s so important that students learn things like this, skills that are all but lost to most young kids today.” Shattuck FFA strives to educate students about where their food comes from, and this is a great example of kids having practical hands-on experiences that they can utilize for the rest of their lives. At just $10.00 each, the birds are selling fast, so contact Shattuck FFA to buy yours today!
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