THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Friday, November 4, 1994 TAG: 9411020139 SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 2B EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
If, as Frank Perdue frequently reminds people, it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken, it also takes a bright, hard-working young lady to raise them for market. Two bright young ladies, as a matter of fact: Hollie Kovacs and Jennifer Talbott.
Kovacs of Currituck High and Talbott, of Kellam High, both 16, are members of the Virginia Beach 4-H club. The pair recently won the poultry-judging competition at the Junior Livestock portion of the State Fair in Richmond. Christy Hoenig, a 16-year-old Kellam student, was the third member of their team.
``First time we've had a team for poultry judging at the national finals,'' said Tom Baker, extension agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension in the Virginia Beach office. ``Jennifer and Hollie will go to the nationals in Kentucky in November.''
As part of the preparation to judge poultry, Jennifer and Hollie raised their own chickens. For three months, the girls woke up with the sun to feed the chickens, give them water, make sure they were clean and healthy and ready for the fair.
``We cared for them, learned how to grade the eggs of the production hens, how to candlelight their eggs, identify parts of chicken anatomy,'' Kovacs said.
``You have to make sure they're clean. No pin feathers (tiny, ingrown feathers), adjust their feeders to get them proper amount of food and water, lots of stuff like that,'' said Talbott. ``They can't have blemishes or chapped skin. You try to find uniform pairs to show and be able to tell sexes apart.''
Baker said, ``Very few 4-H'ers get into judging. It's extremely difficult. They could work as graders for an egg producer right now.''
Kovacs and Talbott were just two of the 17 Beach 4-H members to attend the fair's livestock and poultry show. There are 80 members in the club.
Jimmy Vaughan, 14, is a five-time grand champion of the turkey competition. He placed second this year to Baker's daughter, Amanda, 11. It was her first grand championship in her first year of participation in the turkey competition.
``I got in it to beat Jimmy,'' Amanda said.
Ryan and Shane Horsley grew up and live on the family farm in Blackwater. Shane, 17, a student at Kellam High School, is the president of the 4-H club. Ryan, 14, is a freshman at the school.
The brothers showed feeder calves and hogs at the fair. They took 25 market hogs to Richmond. Feeder animals are those which are still being raised for market. Once they reach a certain age, they become market-ready for the table.
Shane has applied to Virginia Tech, where he plans to study agriculture or animal science. The Horsleys are second-generation 4-H members. Their mother, Diane, participated during her high school days. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY EDWARDS
Shane Horsley, Lisa Kovacs, Hollie Kovacs, Crystal Betty, Jimmy
Vaughan and Ryan Horsley were among 17 Virginia Beach 4-H Club
members who participated in Junior Livestock and Poultry competition
at the State Fair.
Jimmy Vaughan, 14, a five-time grand champion of the turkey
competition, placed second this year to Amanda Baker, 11, daughter
of extension agent Tom Baker. Here, Vaughan hangs out with the
hogs.
Jimmy Vaughan, 14, a five-time grand champion of the turkey
competition, placed second this year to Amanda Baker, 11, daughter
of extension agent Tom Baker. Here, Vaughan hangs out with the
hogs.
by CNB