Marengo County girl wins Alabama 4-H Golden Egg contest

A Marengo County youngster has won a contest that assesses the ability of Alabama 4-H members to raise chickens that produce high-quality eggs.

Alyssa Rios, a sixth-grade homeschool student who has been a member of 4-H for three years, won the Golden Egg Contest. Rios is the third Marengo County resident to win the contest.

For winning the 2022 Golden Egg contest, Rios will receive an autographed book, 500 pounds of chicken feed and a rosette. Rios will also be interviewed and featured in the “Chicken Whisperer Magazine” and on the “Chicken Whisperer” radio show and podcast.

“We are proud of Alyssa,” said Beth Yates, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System 4-H foundation regional agent in Marengo County. “She is an exceptional young lady and is an asset to our local 4-H programs.”

Any Alabama 4-H member can participate in the contest if they have a flock of chickens currently laying eggs. The contest has a junior and senior division. The junior division consists of young people ages 9 to 13, while the senior division is for all youth, up to 18 years of age.

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Golden Egg gives participants the ability to judge their own eggs and determine which ones have the best quality. Participants can enter eggs based on their weight by the dozen and color. The entry fee is $5 per dozen—and members can submit up to three dozen eggs.

Judges evaluate eggs on several criteria, including calcium deposits, shell stains and uniformity.

Eggs are either hand delivered or shipped to the Alabama Extension headquarters in Auburn where they are judged by personnel from the Auburn University College of Agriculture's Department of Poultry Science. The judging resembles the same testing measures used in commercial poultry production.

Alabama 4-H encourages all members to be active in their local clubs and to participate in competitions. To learn more about the different opportunities with 4-H, visit www.Alabama4H.com.