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
explain how temperature can influence egg size and quantity
warmer temps (over 21 deg) = small and fewer eggs
optimal temp (21 deg) = good size eggs and lots
cold temp: larger eggs, fewer than optimal temp conditions
what environmental controls are important to consider in poultry facilities
- temperature (should be 21)
- water/vapour (high humidity bad)
- gasses (CO2 kept below 0.2 %)
- ammonia from dust and feces (25-50 ppm causes resp probs)
- ventilation (to remove waste, heat gasses, water vapour, dust, provides fresh air)
- insulation to conserve metabolic heat in temperate climates and prevent condensation on inner surfaces
- heating very important for young stock
in what direction should air circulate and why? why is it bad to circulate in the other direction
air should circulate clockwise to allow air to heat before reaching bird level
- air circulating counter clockwise is bad because it pushes cold air from the vents directly to bird level without allowing it to heat
list common problems in housing management etc in poultry sytstem
housing:
- inadequate design
- poor ventilation
- unsuitable bedding
- poorly maintained premises/old building
management:
- poor attention to detail (biosecurty and prevention of disease)
- poor practices/lack of knowledge
- insufficient amount of staff to run farm
young chicks regulate their body temperature how
poikilothermic: body temp depends on environment
what does brooding refer to and what is the timeframe for brooding in chickens
he period immediately after hatch when special care and attention must be given to chicks to ensure their health and survival
- from hatching to around 10 days old
describe optimum feed delivery and complications that can occur with poor feed delivery
should eb precise and adapt to growth of chicken
- wasting food is expensive
- once fod is split it fermets and reduces quality of litter (major problem for disease)
describe complications of poor water delivery to chickens
- if spills litter get wet
- increases ammonia leading to resp issues in both birds and humans
- greater risk of pathogen proliferation in wet litter
- deteriorates fabric of building
describe how to mitigate litter/building deterioration in poultry units
- prevent water/food spillage
- litter should be sufficiently absorbant
- diets should be quality (right amount of protein, not too much potassium, good quality oil)
list legal mutilations in poultry
- beak trimming (only in laying hens under 10 days old, ideally 1 day old, infrared, person must be over 18, in accordance to veterinary surgeons act if not by vet)
- desnooding (removing the fleshy extension on the forehead of turkeys)
- de-toeing
- dubbing (removing the comb or wattle from birds)
- wing pinioning (only flight feathers on one wing, nothing that mutilates wing tissue!)
what legislation prohibits any operation on a bird with the object or effect of impending its flight (other than feather clipping) or the fitting of any appliance which has the object or effect of limiting vision to a bird by a method involving the penetration or other mutilation of the nasal septum
the welfare of livestock regulation 1982`
list abnormal behaviours seen in poultry
- feather pecking
- cannibalism (observational learners)
- loss of social hierarchy in single age sites/large groups
- stereotypic behaviour
- frustration if no nest building substrates
list pertinent legislation to poultry
- animal welfare act 2006
- welfare of farmed animals regulation 2007
- animal health act 1981
- the mutilations regulations 2007
- DEFRA codes of practice
what are the notifiable diseases of poultry
- avian influenza
- newcastle disease
list infectious bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal
viral: avian flu, newcastle disease
bacterial: salmonellosis, escherichiosis, campilobacteriosis
parasitic: endo and ecto parasites, coccidia spp.)
fungal: aspergillus fumigatus
what kind of birds are the primary natural reservoir for avian flu
aquatic birds
how is avian flu spread
- bird to bird through droplets/aerosols from respiratory tract or feces
- people and equipment
- dust (airborne)
- other animals (cats, rodents, people)
- wild birds
- drinking water
how do you control avian flu
- vaccination is possible in countries where the diseas in endemic
- PPE worn at all times
- strict biosecuroty
- hand washing after removal of PPE
how is newcastle disease spread
- route of infection dependent on the organ on which the virus multiplies, hence most common routes for infection are secretion of respiratory tract and feces
- wild carriers infected with low virulence strain big concern
- humans, equipment, bird movements (live/dead and feces used in fertilizers) markets etc
- infected material might remain contaminated for a relevant amount of time in the absence of heat as virus particles are thermolabile and can be destroyed by cooking
- verticle transmission possible (mother to child)
what are the clinical signs of newcastle disease
- depression
- mortality
- prostration
- diarrhea
- oedema of the head
- nervous signs
- egg abnormalities
- egg drop
- resp disease
describe zoonosis of newcastle disease in humans
- causes conjunctivitis and mild influenza or laryngitis
- no human to human spread
- usually transient symptoms (temporary)
what body should newcastle disease be reported to
APHA
how to control newcastle disease
- regular vaccinations (in ovo, live priming and injection of killed virus)
- commercial birds only vaccinated in risk situations
describe salmonella infections in birds
- causes diarrhea and mortality mostly in young birds up to 3 weeks
- transmitted orally or transovarian
- controlled and eradicated by serological testing and elimination of positive birds (lion code eggs must come from tested birds)
- clinical signs include inappetance, depression, ruffled feathers, closed eyes, lameness, loud chirping, white diarrhea, vent pasting and gasping
- post mortem signs include grey nodules in lungs, liver, gizzard wall and heart, intestinal or caecal inflammation, splenomegaly, caecal cores and urate crystals in ureters
- diagnosed by cuture and typing serology
- controlle by maintianing goof biosecurity, vaccination no commonly used and positive flocks tend to be culled, routine serological tests to ensure disease free flocks are sustained or bred from
descrobe E.coli infections in birds
- clinical signs include respiratory signs, decreased appetite, poor growth, mortality, high morbidity
- post mortem lesions: enteritis, arthritis, synovitis, omphalitis, salpingitis, peritonitis, perihepatitis, pericaditis, airsacculitis
- diagnosis: culture, PCR
- vaccination possible in breeders and layers
