Australian school students from across the country have been busy feeding and watching their chooks as part of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) 2009 Schools Poultry Education Competition.
Students and teachers from three states – Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia – participated in this year’s hands-on industry education project to help improve the community’s knowledge of poultry production and combat misinformation about the industry. The competition has been running very successfully in Queensland since 2000, with schools from New South Wales and South Australia joining just last year, thanks to generous industry sponsorship and the efforts of people like Casey Work at Primary Industries and Resources South Australia.
The Poultry CRC was given the task of choosing a national winner, and after much deliberation, Queensland’s Nambour State High was declared the best of the best, collecting the $500 first prize from the CRC. South Australia’s Clare High won second prize ($250), with New South Wales’ New England Girls’ School a close third ($150).
Other schools to be commended include Caboolture State High and Downlands College from Queensland, along with Balaklava High, Trinity College and Tintinara Area School from South Australia. Congratulations to all the students and teachers who entered this year’s competitions. We were very impressed with the standard of posters and the diligence required to monitor growth rates, egg quality and so forth. Nambour High’s winning effort examined the effect on egg quality and egg production due to different feeds. South Australia’s Clare High School compared the growth rates of broilers and layers, whilst Armidale’s New England Girls’ School compared the egg laying abilities of Bantams versus ISA Browns. The students clearly enjoyed time with their chooks. Hopefully, some of them will remember those moments when a career beckons.
The Poultry CRC developed Teachers’ Resource Kit is being distributed to schools nationwide, and includes a wide array of teaching resources such as DVDs, worksheets, how-to guides for poultry keeping, posters and the popular Anatomy of the Chicken Learning Resource from the CRC’s award-winning Poultry Hub.
