poultry Flashcards
describe natural habitat and behaviour of chickens
- live in woods and forests (do not like open spaces)
- live in small groups with strong hierarchy (do not like large groups
ancona
araucana
australorp
also white
leghorn
also brown
orpington
also black
sultan
columbian wyandotte
pekin
silkie
yokohama
what are the industry organisations involved in poultry production
- british poultry council
- poultry club (safegaurd of purebreed)
- british waterfowl association (safeguarding purebred)
- british egg information service
- national farmers union
what is the optimum temperature to keep broiler chickens
21 degrees celcius
feed intake decreases at higher temp, increases at lower temp, optimum for growth at 21
what is requirement for lighting in broiler systems as per DEFRA
must make sure that within 7 days of placing chickens in the building an until 3 days before expected time of slaughter the lighting must:
- follow a 24 hour rhythm cycle (at least 8 hrs of artificial lighting per day)
- include periods of darkness lasting at least 6 hours in total
- have at least 1 uninterrupted period of darkness of at least 4 hours excluding dimming periods
what is the timeline of a broiler chicken from hatch to slaughter
placed in houses from 1 day old until 5-6 weeks of age (slaughtered before reaching sexual maturity)
describe grading system for determining egg quality
grade A: naturally clean, fresh eggs, internally perfect with shells intact and the air sac not exceeding 6mm in depth. the yolk must not move away from the centre of the egg on rotation
grade B: these eggs are proken out and pasteurised
industrial eggs: these are for non-food use only and are used in products such as shampoo and soap