2026 South Carolina 4-H Pullet Chain Project

It’s that time of year again, time to sign up for the 2026 4-H Poultry Projects!! Spring is just around the corner and the days will be getting warmer! With that in mind, you know you want to join the fun of raising chickens, either for the first time, or as a veteran chicken grower! Year after year this has proven to be one of our most popular animal projects and it is suitable for youth of all ages. Registration will remain open until February 27, 2026 at 11:30PM. There are a few changes to the project this year and we want to be sure you are aware of them all before proceeding. The project web page can be found at the following link and will open in a new window so that you can easily return to this one:

The 4-H Pullet Chain

Youth participants, ages 5-18, have the option of raising 12 or 25 pullets (female chicks) and must choose one of the following breeds: Golden Comet, Plymouth Barred Rock or Rhode Island Red. Those choosing 12 birds will pay a deposit of $50 while those choosing 25 birds will pay a deposit of $90. The chicks will be one-day old on arrival and should come near the first half of May (an exact date will be given when the birds are ordered the first week of March).

If there are siblings that wish to participate, in addition to the primary registrant, they may register at a reduced rate of just $10 per sibling. This will get them access to all 4-H poultry shows and a project book.

As part of your satisfactory completion of the project, youth are asked to:

• return five (5) pullets (if you raise 25) or (3) pullets (if you raise 12) for the Fall Pullet Auction. Time and Date of the auction will be shared by the end of August.

• complete a 4-H Record Book (ages 9-18) or a 4-H Cloverbud Record Book (ages 5-8) on your project.

• show 1 pullet in at least 1 Showmanship Show in the fall of 2026. There will be many shows to choose from across your region and state.

Upon completion of the above requirements, and returning of birds to the final auction, deposits will be returned to participants in full and all remaining pullets are yours to keep. It’s like getting the rest of your chickens for free!!!

• To find your county office follow this link:

Note: A one time $15 4-H membership fee is required per year per participant. Youth who are already 4-H members for the 2025-2026 Project Year do not have to pay it again. Please note that this project does not end until November 2026. Since the current 4-H year ends on August 31, 2026, participants will also be required to reenroll for the 2026-2027 4-H year before they are able to participate in any Fall shows that occur on or after September 1, 2026. Joining 4-H is easy. Follow this link to learn how:

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Host or Publisher South Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program