2026 Agriscience Fair: Animal Systems – Division 3

Hayden Ockletree from Iowa discusses her national award-winning Agriscience Fair project in Animal Systems, which explored naturally stimulating the hormone mesotocin in broiler chickens to override stress pathways, enhance growth efficiency, and improve animal welfare. She shares how a required freshman science fair project on quail led her down a research path into oxytocin-family neuropeptides. Hayden also reflects on the perseverance, early-morning dedication, and public speaking skills she gained over three years of the project.