poultry

Ventilation system used poultry facilities in Oglethorpe county. Various ventilation systems are needed to cool poultry houses in the summer (Submitted Photo/Hog Slat, Inc).

Ventilation system used poultry facilities in Oglethorpe county. Various ventilation systems are needed to cool poultry houses in the summer (Submitted Photo/Hog Slat, Inc).

Technology helps fill gaps as poultry industry shifts

Jacob Harper
Thursday, September 25, 2025
New technology is filling the gap as labor shortages have reshaped poultry operations in Northeast Georgia. Billy Farmer, regional manager at Hog Slat Inc., the parent company of the Georgia Poultry Equipment Co. in Lexington, said the shift toward automation is picking up speed.
Xander Buska (from left) and Demarco Martinez, who are fifth-graders, and Jameson Duke, a sixth-grader, complete the live bird judging portion of the Area Poultry Judging Competition at the Oglethorpe County Extension Office on April 24. Their skills in handling the birds help them evaluate egg production traits, among other factors. (Photo/Lilly Stone)

Xander Buska (from left) and Demarco Martinez, who are fifth-graders, and Jameson Duke, a sixth-grader, complete the live bird judging portion of the Area Poultry Judging Competition at the Oglethorpe County Extension Office on April 24. Their skills in handling the birds help them evaluate egg production traits, among other factors. (Photo/Lilly Stone)

Eyes on the poultry prize: Youth put skills to the test

Lilly Stone
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
When some students begin their involvement with the poultry judging team, birds are already a part of their lives. For others, it comes later, in unexpected ways.
Marcus Eason, Oglethorpe County 4-H youth program director, holds a football to demonstrate where to measure and identify features on a live bird during poultry judging practice. The 4-H office hasn’t been able to secure live birds for practice due to avian flu. (Photo/Lilly Stone))

Marcus Eason, Oglethorpe County 4-H youth program director, holds a football to demonstrate where to measure and identify features on a live bird during poultry judging practice. The 4-H office hasn’t been able to secure live birds for practice due to avian flu. (Photo/Lilly Stone))

Don’t fumble the chicken: Cost of eggs forces 4-H poultry team to use football, not fowl

Lilly Stone
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
There were no feathers scattered across the floor, and a familiar clucking was absent during poultry judging practice at the Oglethorpe County Extension Office last week.
Sara Micale/The Oglethorpe Echo

Sara Micale/The Oglethorpe Echo

Ag census: Number of county farms on the rise

Sara Micale
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Farming in Oglethorpe County has grown in the past five years despite a national and statewide decrease in the number of farms.  Oglethorpe County’s 2022 Census of Agriculture County Profile saw significant increases in number and average size of farms and net cash income.
Howard Sanders, a poultry farmer at Salem Oaks Farm Inc., poses for a portrait on the farm in Stephens, Georgia, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo/Allyson Reynolds)

Howard Sanders, a poultry farmer at Salem Oaks Farm Inc., poses for a portrait on the farm in Stephens, Georgia, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo/Allyson Reynolds)

Sanders shares concerns about lab-grown chicken

allysonreynolds
Monday, April 8, 2024
Howard Sanders has seen and adapted to new technology throughout his 48 years in the poultry business. But he said he will not partake in the new cell-cultured technology that entered the U.S. market last summer. “We don’t have any big industry in Oglethorpe County.