4-H Livestock Projects

Beef – Market and Breeding
- Have you ever wondered what it takes for a calf to become a Champion heifer or steer? The 4-H Beef project is an excellent way to learn about the different phases of the beef industry in Colorado and the rest of the nation. Your involvement in this project
- Douglas County 4-H Beef Project Guide 2020-2021 *Coming Soon*
- Douglas County 4-H Beet Project Checklist 2020-2021 *Coming Soon*
Goat – Dairy, Fiber, Meat (market and breeding), and Utility
- This project teaches you to care for live animals by learning about animal health, nutrition, selection, and breeding.
Llama
Poultry – Market and Breeding
- The poultry project is designed to help you learn about chickens, turkeys, and other poultry. Through your work in this project,
  you will acquire an understanding of scientific poultry management and marketing practices. You will gain business experiences and insight into the values and principles of purchasing, marketing, financial record keeping, and obtaining credit.
Sheep – Market and Breeding
- This project teaches you to care for live animals by learning about animal health, nutrition, selection, and breeding.
Swine – Market
- The swine project teaches participants proper methods of selecting, raising, breeding, and marketing swine. Either market or breeding animals can be raised.

*More Coming Soon*

Information and Forms

2020 4-H Calendar of Events & Deadlines

Animal Care and Housing Form

If you are enrolling in ANY livestock or horse project this 4-H year you MUST have an animal care form on file for each species. These need to be in the office by your species enrollment deadline.

Animal Care and Housing Form *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*

Project Forms –

Breeding Beef ID – Breeding Beef ID Form 2020-2021
This form is required to identify a youth’s breeding beef project animal. Form and photos must be submitted to the Extension Office. Directions to upload to 4Honline

Market Sheep ID – Market Sheep ID Form for 2019-2020 *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*
- This form is required for all market sheep for the 2019-2020 year. Once ID’s are complete each animal who has been ID-ed will be assigned a tag number. Once COVID-19 restrictions allow the extension office will work out how to get the animals tagged-in. NOTE– Animals who do not have an ID submitted by May 5th will not be eligible as a project animal for this year’s Fair.
- Submit to 4Honline along with required pictures by May 5th

Breeding Sheep ID – Breeding Sheep ID Form 2019-2020 *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*
- This form is required to identify a youth’s breeding sheep project animals.
- Submit to 4Honline along with required pictures by May 5th
Swine ID and Tagging – Swine ID Form 2019-2020 *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*
- This form is required for all market sheep for the 2019-2020 year. Once ID’s are complete each animal who has been ID-ed will be assigned a tag number. Once COVID-19 restrictions allow the extension office will work out how to get the animals tagged-in. NOTE– Animals who do not have an ID submitted by April 30th will not be eligible as a project animal for this year’s Fair.
- Submit to 4Honline along with required pictures by April 30th
Market Goat ID – Market Goat ID Form for 2019-2020 *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*
- This form is required for all market Goats for the 2019-2020 year. Once ID’s are complete each animal who has been ID-ed will be assigned a tag number. Once COVID-19 restrictions allow the extension office will work out how to get the animals tagged-in. NOTE– Animals who do not have an ID submitted by May 5th will not be eligible as a project animal for this year’s Fair.
- Submit to 4Honline along with required pictures by May 5th
Non-market Goats – Non-market Goat ID Form 2019-2020 *2020-2021 Form Coming Soon*
- This form is required to identify a youth’s non-market goat project animals.
- Submit to 4Honline along with required pictures by May 5th
Llama ID – must be submitted in 4-Honline.com.
- This identification certificate must be postmarked or submitted to the Douglas County Extension Office by May 1st of the current year to qualify this animal for the Douglas County Fair 4-H/FFA Llama Show. A Color photograph of your animal is required. The preferred pose is a full-body side-view, showmanship at halter position with member included in the photograph.

Meat Quality Assurance (MQA)

REQUIRED FOR:

All first year project members exhibiting any livestock project are required to attend quality assurance training. This does include all poultry and rabbit members.
Members their first year in the Senior division (14-18) exhibiting any livestock project are required to attend quality assurance training. This does include all poultry and rabbit members.

If you are required to attend MQA training and fail to do so, you will not be allowed to show livestock at the 2020 Douglas County Fair or State Fair.

4-H MQA Policy
2021 Dates Coming Soon

Members who are not able to attend the Douglas County Training are able to attend another counties MQA Training. HOWEVER, you must contact the counties extension office to ask permission to attend and to confirm the dates are correct.

MQA TRAILER SCHEDULE (East Slope/Front Range) – Contact the Extension Office

Douglas County Junior Livestock June Show

2021 Date TBA
DC Fairgrounds

Market Steer, Market Goats, Market Lambs, Dairy/Pygmy/Fiber Goats and Showmanship
*More Info Coming Soon!*
June Show Flyer and Entry Form 2020

Douglas County Fair and Rodeo

Douglas County Fair Contest Rules 2021 *Coming Soon*

Livestock Resources

Remember – No one method is right for every person and animal. Take everything with a grain of salt and build your toolbox of knowledge. Pick and choose what will work best for you and your current animal!

IMPORTANT Some resources are from other universities, states, counties, and programs. Please use them for their educational value, but ALWAYS be sure to check with local rules and guidelines.

General Livestock Educational Resources

Market Animal Budget Planner 2020-2021
Average Daily Gain Chart for 4-H/FFA Projects – Provided by Show-Rite
Michigan 4-H: Livestock Learning Videos – Biosecurity at the Show & on the Farm
Show-Rite Stock Show Classroom (Selection, getting off to the right start, feeding, breaking & training, judging, showmanship, exercise, etc.)
OK State Extension Livestock Science Camp: Nutrition – Learn about balancing livestock feed rations and how livestock and human feed rations are actually fairly similar.
OK State Extension Livestock Science Camp: Water Quality – This session will teach youth about the importance of water quality and water pH to the health of our livestock.
OK State Extension Livestock Science Camp: Digestion – Campers will learn about monogastric and ruminant livestock digestion practices with an experiment modeling enzymatic breakdown in the digestive tract.
- Digestion Handout
OK State Extension Livestock Science Camp: Dairy Science – Campers will be able to make ice cream in this lesson regarding dairy sciences
Michigan 4-H: Livestock Learning Videos – Showmanship Fundamentals
Michigan 4-H: Livestock Learning Videos – Selection & What the Judge is Looking for

Livestock Nutrition Resources

Steer Resources

Goat Resources

Sheep Resources

Swine Resources

Poultry Resources

Meat Quality Assurance Resources

DC Fair and Rodeo Carcass Class Results 2020

Ultrasound Presentations presented at the 2019 DC Fair and Rodeo Created by Paul Clayton

Livestock Educational Grant Program

The Douglas County Fair Foundation in partnership with the Douglas County Fair Board and Douglas County 4-H is proud to present the Livestock Educational Grant Program. The Livestock Educational Grant Program will provide a deserving 4-H or FFA member the opportunity to have a livestock project and raise an animal. The Douglas County Fair Board supports the Livestock Educational Grant Program by providing knowledgeable livestock industry advisers to participants and the opportunity to show and sell their project animal at the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo. Participants will learn, by doing, how to care for, raise, feed and sell a market animal. Sponsors will be able to contribute to the community and provide youth with an opportunity to increase their education, learn responsibility, and improve their citizenship.

Congratulations to the 2020-2021 Grant Recipients

Goat winner – Sofia Foss
Sheep winners – Peyton Holt & Isabella Gibson
Swine winners – Preston Holt & Sierra Holt
Steer winners – Audrey Griffith & Clara Griffith

Applications for 2021-2022 4-H Year will be posted when ready

Livestock Learning Kits

Are you taking a new livestock project this year? You can learn all about a variety of animals by checking out one of our Livestock Learning Kits. We have swine, sheep, goat, horse, poultry, rabbit, and dog.

To check out a kit, simply come to the 4-H office during business hours. There is a $50 deposit fee that you get back once the kit is returned. Beat the rush and check one out soon!

Colorado Premise Identification – for ALL livestock and horse owners

Premise identification is voluntary for Douglas County 4-H members. However, if you plan to attend the Colorado State Fair, it is mandatory. Livestock production is vitally important to the U.S. and Colorado’s economy. In today’s global market and with the number of animal disease outbreaks that have been reported around the globe the past decade, there is a need for quick and accurate traceability back to the point of disease introduction. The USDA has created an easy way to identify premises with the goal of tracing disease within 48 hours.

So what does this mean to you? All premises with livestock and poultry (including horses) needs to get registered with a seven-character number. All you have to do is register online or fill out a simple card asking for name, owner, address, telephone number, operation type and types of livestock. If you have additional questions, please call the Colorado Animal ID Toll Free Line at 1-877-842-0102.

Livestock