Grant Kilpatrick of Islandton won the senior division of the S.C. 4-H Golden Egg Contest in November.
The 15-year-old ninth-grader at Colleton County High School had a flock of 24 Golden Comet chickens. This was his first year in the contest, and “my secret to success is I picked my most consistent eggs with the best shells to submit in the contest,” Kilpatrick said.
A 4-H member for almost two years, Kilpatrick said he entered because he thought the contest would be a good project for him.
“My favorite part of taking care of my chickens is collecting the eggs,” he said. His least favorite part is putting them up at night. “Every day I feed and water my chickens, as well as collect eggs. It takes me about 15-20 minutes each day,” he said.
He is the son of Eran and Amy Kilpatrick and has a sister, Lily, who is 12.
Tovyah Panza of Round O tied for third in the junior division in the contest.
The 4-H Golden Egg Contest assesses the ability of 4-H members to raise chickens that produce high-quality eggs. Participants submitted one dozen eggs, which were judged for uniform appearance and consistent interior quality using the same testing measures applied in commercial poultry production.
Eggs were judged on exterior evaluation (stains or dirt, uniform shape/size, calcifications and uniform color), interior (weight of randomly selected egg, albumen height), Haugh unit; USDA grade; Roche color score; blood spots or meat spots; and shell thickness.
Any S.C. 4-H members who participate in a 4-H poultry project and who have a flock of chickens that are currently laying eggs can participate. The chickens may be from a 4-H Chick Chain, Poultry Project, or other program source.
Entry is free and included three divisions: Cloverbud (age 5-8), Junior (age 9-13) and Senior (age 14-18).
Participants enter one dozen eggs through the local Extension office.
For information on 4-H in Colleton County, call Extension Agent Dawn Stuckey, 843-549-2595 ext. 128.
