California 4-H State Field Day

Avian Bowl Contest

Avian Bowl Information 

In-person at 4-H State Field Day at May 17, 2025

The California 4-H Avian Bowl is a knowledge-based competition that encourages youth to expand their understanding of avian science, including topics such as poultry management, embryology, and biosecurity. Participants, are organized into teams of two to four members,  and engage in a quiz-bowl format where they answer questions derived from the National 4-H Avian Bowl Manual. The contest serves as a platform for youth to demonstrate their expertise, develop teamwork skills, and foster a deeper interest in poultry and avian species.

This is a qualifying contest to qualify for the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference held annually in Louisville, Kentucky.

three youth members with an adult holding up belt buckles
A winning team at a past Avian Bowl Competiton

 

Contest Requirements

  • Teams must be composed of at least two (2) but no more than four (4) youth within the same age divisions. Age divisions for the avian bowl contests are Junior (9-13 years old) and Senior (14-18 years old) as of January 1, 2025.
  • Pre-registration of teams prior to the contest is required. Teams are not required to pre-qualify for the contest.
  • Please make sure to list your team members and thei ages in your registration. 
  • Each county is invited to enter one or more teams and teams may be composed of youth from multiple counties within the California 4-H program.

Contest Rules

  • Each youth will be required to take a 25-question pre-test to allow contest officials to determine the order of play. Questions will be prepared from the National Avian Bowl Study Packet. Questions will be fill-in-the-blank (short answer), multiple-choice, and spelling. The scores for the top three individuals will be averaged to give a team score.
  • The average team score for the written test (the lowest score will be dropped) will be used to determine the ranking for the contest.
  • This contest will follow a double-elimination tournament-style format, when a team loses two games they will be eliminated from the contest. The contest will continue until only one team remains with less than two losses.
  • Teams will sit on opposite sides of a table that is set up with a buzzer system. The moderator will read the question, and the first person who buzzes in gets to answer. You must start answering within five seconds after being called on, or you will lose five points.
  • If you buzz in before the question is fully read, the moderator will stop reading, and you must answer based on what you heard within five seconds.
  • Questions will match the players' knowledge level. Seniors will get harder questions than juniors, and questions will get tougher as the contest goes on.
  • If no one answers a question within 10 seconds, the moderator will say the correct answer, and no points will be lost.
  • The ONLY discussion allowed between team members will be on BONUS questions. The answers MUST come from the team captain.

Contest Resources

All questions and answers will come from the following material in the 2023/2024 revised version* of the National 4-H Avian Bowl Manual:

  • Prologue to the Avian Bowl Manual
  • Poultry Judging (Examining hens for pigment loss through Comparing a good and bad layer) – Pgs. 10d-10g
  • Avian Systems (Respiratory & Digestive Systems and The Feather) – Pgs. 41-43
  • Breeds, Varieties, and Strains (English, Mediterranean & Continental only) - Pgs. 73-77
  • Eggcyclopedia (Nutrient-enhanced eggs through Zeaxanthin) – Pgs. 136-151b
  • Biosecurity – Pgs. 179-180
  • Avian  Influenza - pages 185-186
  • Poultry Genetics (Poultry Genetics through Toe Number Genetics) – Pgs. 203-208
  • Contributions of Individuals from Industry, Academia, and the Government to the Advancement of Poultry Science (1965 through 1968 inductees only) – Pgs. 217-218

*If you order a Manual now, it will be the 2024 printing. Content is identical to the 2023 printing.

A printed copy of the revised Avian Bowl Manual may be purchased from  Clemson University at $9 per copy plus shipping costs.

To order the printed copy, the link is National 4-H Avian Bowl Manual

An ADA-compliant PDF version is also available for $20.

Your local 4-H County Office might have a copy of the Avian Bowl Manual available to borrow. Please check with your county office.

youth teams on two sides of a table at the national Avian Bowl
Two teams competing at the National Avian Bowl

 

Contest Contacts

Questions? Please contact 4hsfd@ucanr.edu

Competition Coordinator: Erica Pettey, eapettey@ucanr.edu