Union County 4-H’ers visit local poultry farm

Union County 4-H’ers and Clover Kids got to experience poultry on a large scale as they toured Dunphy Poultry Farms just outside of Creston as part of Union County’s 4-H SPecial INterest (SPIN) program. The youth got to visit the farm and see firsthand what it takes to raise market broilers. SPIN began in September and will last through June.

“The SPIN program is meant to spark an interest in something new for the 4-H’ers,” said Haley Jones, county youth and outreach coordinator. ‘Each month a different event, workshop or tour is planned for the 4-H’ers.’

Colton Dunphy, manager of Dunphy Poultry Farms, gave the youth a tour of the broiler facility, grain and cooling systems and the computer room.

Dunphy Poultry Farms raises 26,000 broilers at a time, several times a year. The farm receives the broilers at 12-hours-old and raises them to completion at 6-weeks-old. They are then shipped to Tecumseh Food in Nebraska.

This SPIN event tied in nicely with the upcoming market broiler project open to 4-H’ers in Union County. 4-H’ers will get the chance to raise 15 broilers on their own for six weeks and exhibit their best five birds at Union County Fair in July.

For more information about the Union County 4-H program, check out the website at www.extension.iastate.edu/union and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unioncounty4hia.