GIRLS’ and boys’ poultry clubs have become an important part of the agricultural-club movement. Through these clubs the farm children are being trained in good methods in a useful and attractive industry and aided to earn money, and indirectly the work is bringing about improvement in a branch of agriculture that is probably more widely practiced than any other.

The girls’ and boys’ poultry club work was originally started in Virginia in November, 1912, as a cooperative project between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. During the first year the work, of necessity largely an experiment, was developed in certain localities where the conditions appeared suitable and was coupled closely with the work of the canning-club demonstrators. The results at the end of the first year were so satisfactory that the work has been continued along the same lines in Virginia and extended to the States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The primary object of the poultry clubs is to improve the farm poultry and to place the poultry industry of the South upon a more profitable and practical basis. While the greater part of the direct effort is given to the girl and boy members of the clubs, these children have proved to be the means of interesting their parents, and have served as entering wedges for the introduction of better methods of poultry keeping and of improving stock in general. Stress has been laid upon the necessity of keeping the advice and methods as simple and practical as possible, while the local conditions and the recommendation of only such steps in improvement as could be accomplished without the expenditure of much money by the members have been kept constantly in mind.

A poultry-club agent, appointed for each State and working through the canning-club demonstrators, county agents, and school teachers, begins his work by visiting the schools in which clubs are to be organized. He talks to the pupils about poultry and about the idea of forming a club and asks the children to indicate whether they wish to become members. Each child who expresses his desire to join is enrolled as a member and is supplied with a set of the poultry bulletins of the United States Department of Agriculture, in addition to a set of five report blanks upon which he is instructed to keep a detailed account of his poultry work.  When properly filled out at the end of the season these reports are sent to the poultry-club agent and show a complete record of the accomplishment of the members. This not only gives the county or State agents a guide as to how the members may best be advised and benefited but also encourages the child to keep a systematic record enabling him to see just what he has done, the mistakes he has made, and in what particulars he can better his work during the coming year.

All members are encouraged to raise and keep pure-bred stock. Poultry breeders have cooperated by furnishing sittings of eggs from their stock at prices within the reach of the poultry-club members, and by so doing have indicated their faith in and approval of the work. The widespread introduction of pure-bred stock in this manner and at low cost is of great benefit.

In order to give the members of the poultry clubs an opportunity to show what they have been able to accomplish in raising improved poultry and in producing better eggs, they are urged to make poultry and egg exhibits at many of the local and State fairs. Special classes are offered for exhibits of poultry-club members, and many cash and special premiums are awarded. The quality of the stock shown has been excellent and has created much favorable comment. In some instances fowls raised and exhibited by poultry-club members have been of sufficiently high quality to win over the exhibits of older breeders.

The poultry-club agent attempts to visit at intervals the homes of members, and to give them personal attention and advice. With the number of members enrolled, however, it is possible to reach a comparatively few homes. He is compelled, therefore, to depend upon the teachers and county agents for much of this work, and he quickly comes to realize that those who are interested and well informed in poultry give a great impetus to the work. He therefore endeavors to interest them in the work of the poultry clubs. This is accomplished by giving a series of lectures before the rural teachers’ classes at the normal schools, and before the students of the county and agricultural high schools. Thus he succeeds in interesting many prospective teachers who may go into communities where poultry clubs exist, and who will in consequence have greater initiative in advancing the work.

While the State poultry-club agent works primarily with the children, he frequently finds opportunity to give aid to the farmers and poultrymen of his State; and wherever this can be done without seriously hampering his club work, it is especially encouraged. In connection with this phase of the work the agents have been of considerable service in encouraging the production of infertile eggs—doubtless the most practical method of effecting the improvement of market eggs, particularly in the South, during the summer months.

In some of the counties where the work has been in progress longest, community poultry breeding has been established, and a single breed or variety is kept both by the club members and by their parents. Thus far the plan has met with favor and has proved practicable. The object is to encourage the community to devote its efforts to breeding and raising one variety. Thus each member is reenforced by being closely associated with many others breeding the same kind of fowl, while at the same time a center is established with a reputation of high quality in large quantities, whether it be market eggs and fowls, or breeding stock and eggs for hatching.

An interesting outgrowth of the club is the establishment of school poultry flocks. In several instances high schools and graded schools have established, in connection with their regular curriculum, a course in poultry husbandry, using Government bulletins as textbooks, and managing their fowls on the school grounds, so that the children may take an active part. If the school has a janitor, the care of the poultry becomes a regular part of his duties, the same as the care of the building. This system not only serves to create an interest in and knowledge of poultry among the children, but among the older people as well. It also provides an opportunity to demonstrate suitable poultry equipment for that particular community, and serves to a considerable degree as a distributing center for pure-bred eggs for hatching. The establishment of such school poultry flocks is distinctly to be recommended.

An idea of the growth of the poultry-club work may be obtained from the following comparative figures for the first year (1913) and for the part year (1915). The growth is actually greater than shown, for the reason that the figures for 1915 are not complete.

In measuring results it is of interest to note the accomplishment and success of some of the club members. Those here given are taken from reports furnished by the poultry-club agents.

A girl member of Nottaway County, Va., starting with one or two sittings of eggs, in two years built up her poultry flock so that she had sold $75 worth of broilers, $3.15 worth of eggs for hatching, and $8.70 worth of eggs for the table.  The money which she made in this way played an important part in enabling her to attend the county agricultural high school.

Two brothers, poultry-club members, are now breeders of pure-bred poultry. They have been successful in their venture, and advertise their stock both in local and in State papers. Last year the younger brother sold about $80 worth of market poultry and eggs, while the older brother sold a large number of breeding stock and eggs for hatching. As a result of the poultry-club work, both of these boys have been able to attend winter short courses at their State college.

Two sisters, encouraged by their mother, became interested in the poultry-club work. During the first year one of these girls built up a flock worth $124, while her sister’s flock is worth $70. At the same time they have made enough money from their flocks to enable them to secure poultry equipment worth $175. These girls stated to the poultry-club agent that they expect thus to pay their way through normal school.

An interesting example of what a boy can accomplish is furnished by another Virginia member. In the face of discouragement by his parents, and working under the handicap of physical unfitness, this boy started in the poultry business with a pen of Barred Plymouth Rocks, consisting of a male and four females, which he won as a prize for an essay on poultry. From this start he has built up a large poultry flock which is well housed and cared for, and he has succeeded in demonstrating to his parents and to the community that poultry has a place on every farm and can be made a source of profit. Last year he was awarded a trip to Luray Caverns as the result of his systematic, thorough work. The year before he had the honor of being the first and only poultry-club member to receive a diploma of excellence and proficiency from the Secretary of Agriculture and a week’s trip to Washington. Last year this boy sold $78.50 worth of poultry products, making a specialty of selling eggs for hatching and breeding stock to new members of the poultry club and to farmers in his section.

One of the few members who have specialized on turkeys is a girl who started last year only in a small way. In this short time she has sold table turkeys amounting to $36, breeding stock valued at $4.50, and has a flock left valued at $44.

It is clear that the poultry-club work in the South is a success. It reaches the boys and girls of the farms and carries to them, and through them to the communities in which they live, a knowledge of better poultry and of better methods of care, feeding, and housing. The reports from members show that definite results are being obtained, and in addition a great deal of benefit is brought about both to members and to the older people which never finds its way into the reports.  The work is receiving the support and commendation of the people among whom it is being carried on.