4-H Animal Science Resource Blog

STEM Connections, know-how & Inspiration

  • Alpaca/Llama
  • Dairy Cattle
  • Dog
  • Goat
  • Herpetology
  • Horse and Pony
  • Poultry
  • Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal
  • Sheep
  • Swine

Club Support: Three Online Courses on Food Safety and Microbiology

November 13, 2020

If you are looking for ways to supplement your 4-H club or other youth program in the area of Animal Science, Animal U by the Iowa State University has a wealth of interactive and educational resources. The web trainings here are educational yet highly accessible to youth audiences. Production livestock projects may benefit from asking youth to complete the Food Safety and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Health, Animal Project Areas, Career Profile, Club Programming Idea, Dairy Cattle, Dog, Featured Resource, Goat, Herpetology, Herpetology, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, Swine

Livestock and Poultry Identification Resources and Bingo Game

November 9, 2020

Do you know why it is important to identify your animals? Do you know how to properly identify animals? Storms may take down trees and cause damage to barns allowing livestock to walk through downed fences or an electric fence that is no longer hot. If a barn or chicken coop were to become damaged, it is possible that scared animals run quite far from their own home and your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Health, Club Programming Idea, Dairy Cattle, Featured Resource, Goat, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Sheep, Swine

Club Support: Animal Vital Signs Activity

November 7, 2020

Pennsylvania 4-H has a resource page of at-home 4-H activities that can be useful to 4-H clubs meeting remotely during COVID-19 social distancing. One series of at-home activities that may be assigned to club members this year is appropriate for companion animal projects as well as livestock: the Animal Vital Signs series: "Vital Information" - What is Normal? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Health, Club Programming Idea, Dairy Cattle, Dog, Featured Resource, Focus on STEM, Goat, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, STEM Learning, Swine

Why Spring Vaccinations for Your Horse Matter

April 29, 2020

In these uncertain times, some horse owners are trying to save money and are asking themselves if spring shots matter. Are vaccinations critical for your horse’s health? The answer is yes! Understanding which vaccines are the most important and why is also critical. For many, vaccinations are considered important only insofar as a health certificate or proof of vaccination … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal Health, Horse and Pony

Do you know your horse’s Body Condition Score?

March 17, 2020

Winter cold can be tough on a horse. If they have been out in the cold, they may have shed some of those extra pounds. On the other end, if your horse had little exercise and lots of feed it may have put on a few pounds. How do you know if your horse is in good condition after the winter? If your horse has spent a long time under a blanket, you may not have been looking at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal Health, Featured Resource, Horse and Pony

Helping Youth Understand the Vocabulary of Zoonotic Diseases

March 15, 2020

The understanding of zoonotic diseases, those that can transfer between animals and people, is one important topic within Animal Science. Still, it can be challenging to instruct youth in ways to prevent the spread of such illnesses; lessons are in-depth, vocabulary is challenging, and as educators we may worry that the material is dry. Michigan State University Extension … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Health, Club Programming Idea, Dairy Cattle, Dog, Featured Resource, Goat, Herpetology, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, Swine Tagged With: CDC, free teaching resource, zoonosis education

Animal Quality Certification Programs: Opportunities for 4-H Youth and Project Mastery

January 26, 2020

Quality Assurance in Animal Production Adults working in commercial agriculture are often required to maintain a quality assurance certification. For example, Pork Quality Assurance Plus aids pork producers in maintaining best practices for food safety. Another example is the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. While youth in 4-H learn many aspects of animal care and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal Health, Club Programming Idea, Dairy Cattle, Featured Resource, Goat, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, Swine Tagged With: 4H Essential Elements, quality assurance

Sheep Identification – USDA Requirements

November 4, 2019

Photo of ewe with an ear tag

Proper identification is an important aspect of raising sheep. Whether you are a 4-H member raising only one market lamb per year or working toward establishing your own breeding operation, you will need to know U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) identification requirements and NJ Division of Animal Health rules. Scrapie Identification is required by the USDA for almost … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal Health, Current Issue, Focus on STEM, Sheep Tagged With: 4-H Animal Science, animal science project area, Focus on STEM

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

October 15, 2019

Dog owners know that keeping their canine friends protected from pests such as ticks is very important in preventing serious diseases.  While Lyme disease is the most well known, there are other tick-borne diseases owners should watch for.  One of the deadliest in the Americas is Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).  This is a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animal Health, Dog

Emergency Preparedness and 4-H Animal Projects

August 26, 2019

September is National Preparedness Month - a great time to build awareness of the need for emergency planning.  New Jersey 4-H now offers a disaster preparedness program for youth, which teaches young people how to plan to shelter in place or evacuate with their families during an emergency. This program is in line with FEMA guidelines for youth emergency preparedness and can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Health, Club Programming Idea, Current Issue, Dairy Cattle, Dog, Featured Resource, Goat, Herpetology, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, Swine

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A Project of New Jersey 4-H Youth Development

New Jersey 4-H provides educational outreach programming for youth in grades K-13 (one year out of high school) through 4-H clubs, special interest programs, school enrichment, afterschool programs, and overnight camping.

Regardless of the subject matter – whether it be science, healthy living or citizenship, 4-H uses a learn-by-doing approach to help youth learn responsibility, community awareness and character development.

New Jersey 4-H Youth Development is a department of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

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