This boy just sold three chickens for $4,000. He says he now has a nest egg for college.

A teen from Greenville has raised $4,000, championship-winning chickens.

Grant Wilderman’s Cornish cross chickens have been awarded the Grand Champion of the Poultry Market Pen division in the Illinois junior livestock competition at the Illinois State Fair.

At the 2018 Governor’s Sale of Champions, Wilderman’s chickens sold for $4,000 to the McDonald’s Group, whose members include Dave and Julie Embry, Paul and Mary Breznay, McGraw Enterprises, and the Davis Family. Grand champions receive a share of the profits from the auction. Wilderman plans to use part of the money to purchase lumber for a new chicken coop, and save the rest for his education.

In addition to the profits from the sale, the CME Group, Compeer Financial, and the Illinois 4-H Foundation donated $65,000 in scholarships for the state fair Grand Champions, ensuring that each winner went home with at least $6,000 to further their education.

Wilderman will start eighth grade in the fall at Greenville Junior High School. He currently plans to attend the University of Illinois to study agriculture and history.

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 10:13 AM.