Addyson Arnold in showing her top broiler at a previous Angelina County Fair. This year’s Broiler show is on Tuesday March 25 at 6pm in the George H. Henderson Expo in Lufkin
Addyson Arnold waiting to show her top three broilers to show last year at the Angelina County Fair. This year’s Broiler show is on Tuesday March 25 at 6pm in the George H. Henderson Expo in Lufkin.
Addyson Arnold starting with 1-day old chicks to raise in six weeks for the broiler competition at the Angelina County Fair. This year’s Broiler show is on Tuesday, March 25 at 6pm in the George H. Henderson Expo in Lufkin.
Addyson Arnold raising broilers and competing at the Angelina County Fair
Addyson Arnold is an 11th grade student at Lufkin High School and the daughter of Glen and JonAnna Arnold.
She says she became involved in 4-H because her older sister and brother both showed animals and she couldn’t wait until she was old enough to join them. “I come from a long line of agriculture genes because one of my grandfathers was the county extension agent for Angelina County and my other grandfather was an agriculture teacher for Diboll High School. I also wanted to get into 4-H because I love animals and knew that if I did well at the county show that I could make money to help my parents pay for my college education,” she said. The grandfather who was an Extension Agent is the late Charlie Arnold and the other grandfather who was an agricultural science instructor is Jesse Bradford.
While this article highlights the Addyson in the broiler show where she has made the sale all 7 years, she has been quite successful in several other areas. States Addyson, “I have competed in the Family & Consumer Science division where I have been best in show for 6 out of last 8 years, photography where I have won best in show 3 times, rabbits where I made the sale 2 of the last 3 years and arts and crafts where I have submitted a painting for judging for the last 5 years.”
A “broiler” is a chicken bred specifically to grow muscle efficiently and to be eaten. Their genetics are very different from the egg producing breeds we have in the back-yard egg-laying flock. Raising broiler chickens is an excellent youth project for beginners to livestock exhibiting. Chickens are considerably easier to handle, require less space, and are less expensive than other species.
Addyson explains, “The most rewarding part of the fair besides making the sale with my projects is getting to share my project experiences with the elementary school kids that come to tour the fair each year. I love to interact with kids and see their eyes light up when they interact with an animal for the first time. Hopefully, some of these kids will return to the fair one day with a project of their own.”
“I participate in not only 4-H fair activities but also am heavily involved with my church and my school activities where I play volleyball and compete in track field events. It is sometimes overwhelming and hard to prioritize my daily schedule to make sure everything gets done while at the same time keeping my grades up. Animals are equivalent to babies and need to be taken care of constantly to ensure their growth and survival. It is my responsible to keep these animals alive and thriving and that is a big responsibility to undertake.”
This is a short-term livestock project lasting only six weeks. The quick time frame of only 6 weeks is very typical of market conditions. On a commercial scale, it typically takes only 6-7 weeks to raise a broiler to market weight. At the county fair, only the best 3 broilers from the original pen are shown in competition by a student.
Her mom JonAnna says, “I hope for them to gain responsibility and time management skills through taking care of animals. They have to prioritize their day around feeding, grooming and keeping their animal projects healthy. They also develop leadership skills by speaking to and demonstrating how to care for your projects to younger exhibitors. They also learn to be a gracious competitor no matter if you win or lose.”
JonAnna continues, “The most rewarding experience as a parent is watching your child reap the benefits of the time and energy that they have put into a project. It is also rewarding to have other parents come up to you and let you know how your child has inspired or helped a younger team member gain confidence or knowledge through their words or deeds. The hardest part as a parent is to step back and allow your child to succeed or fail without you stepping in to do it for them. Always offer help and advice but allow the project to be the child’s. They will learn and grow so much more by allowing this.”
Addyson adds, “Being a part of the 4-H Horse Club and participating in the County Fair is a very rewarding experience. Not only do you meet new friends but you also get to experience the success of raising and showing your projects. when they do well in the show, you are recognized in the sale and can use the money to help pay for college or to help purchase show projects for the next year. The fair also offers opportunities for scholarships to help offset the financial burden of college.”
Her mom, JonAnna, wrapped it up saying, “There is something for everyone. You do not have to live on a farm or be a cowboy or cowgirl to compete at the fair. There are so many diverse competitions offered for everyone whether you are in elementary, junior high or high school. Yes, there are the animal projects, but there is FCS, arts and crafts, forestry, shotgun, archery, public speaking. There is something for everyone and it is a great opportunity to get your child involved with a great group of individuals
As parents, we learned so much being active in the county fair projects that there was no hesitation in getting our own children involved. The fair helped to pay for not only my college education but also my kids through money made from the selling of projects and scholarships offered by being an active member of a 4-H or FFA group and the county fair.”
This year’s broiler show at the Angelina County Fair is sponsored by Pilgrim’s Pride and will be held on Tuesday, March 25 starting at 6 pm in the main arena at the George H. Henderson Expo. The entire County Fair is from Monday, March 24 thru Saturday, March 29 concluding with the sale on Saturday afternoon. The auction will be Saturday evening in the main arena starting at 4 pm. For more information about the Angelina County Fair, go to angelinacountyfair.com.
