Poultry Flashcards
What type of industry are poultry
vertically integrated
top state for broiler production
Georgia
Meat producers as pertains to chickens
chickens for meat: broiler
- emphasis placed on ratio of feed: meat produced
- usually commercial crosses
- -white plymouth rock females X cornish males
Broiler supply chain (6 steps)
- chick
- pullet farm
- -grown to 20 weeks - breeder farm
- -pullets begin laying at 26 weeks - hatchery
- -eggs are here for 21 days - broiler farm
- processing
Hatchery
eggs stored from 1-10 days prior being set in incubator
how long does it take for chickens to hatch
21 days
how long does it take for turkeys and ducks to hatch
28 days
Once chicks hatch what happens
- vaccinate
- debeaked
- wing banding
- comb clipping
Typical chicken farm
- 160 acres
- 3 to 4 houses
- 64 thousand to 70,000 birds per barn
- 6.5 per year turnover per house
- total production per annum: 400,000-450,000
Why are broilers housed in confinement
- protection
- disease control
- efficiency of land and labor
what are broilers fed
corn and soybean ration to finish weight
how long does it take for broilers to reach market
47 days
Market weight of broilers
5.8 lbs
Feed:gain ration–1.91
mortality percentage
3.8%
what is a capon
castrated rooster
castrated at 3-4 weeks and finished at 18 weeks
Average live weight of chickens
5.7 lbs
dressing percentage 75-85% 4.2-4.8 lbs
Processing percentages
whole 11%
cut up parts 41%
further processed 48%
top processors for chickens
- tyson
- pilgrims pride
- Gold’n Plump
What is unique about the turkey
only meat animal to be domesticated in America
White turkeys
derived from native wild turkey species
most common for meat production
bronze turkeys in meat production
less common
top 3 turkey production states
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- Missouri
Top company for turkey
butterball
For turkey hens: how long does it take to reach 15 to 16 pounds?
14 weeks
Tom takes 18 weeks to reach what weight?
33 pounds
how many pounds of feed does it take to raise a 30 pound turkey
75-80 pounds
Live turkey weight
18 pounds
DP: 85-88%
Duck production states
- Indiana
- California
- Pennsylvania
Breeds of ducts and their characteristics
Pekin
- market ready 7-9 weeks
- 6-7 lbs
- consume 20-25 lbs of feed
Rouens and Muscovy
- may take up to 5 months
- small flocks
- graze
Where are goslings raised
indoors
started on chick starter
how long are geese are put on range
14-24 weeks
what is Pate/Foie gras
fatty liver from geese- happens naturally for migration
Ratites
large flightless birds
game birds
guinea fowl
pheasants
quail
partridges
Number 1 state in egg production
Iowa
What are layers
chickens raised to produce eggs
some lay over 300 eggs per year
White egg producers
small in size
white leg horns
brown eggs
larger birds
not as economical
rhode island reds
Laying Hens:
- how long are they grown
- when do they lay eggs
- when do they reach peak egg production
- grown in cages until 16-17 weeks old
- lay at 18 weeks
- reach peak production within 4-6 weeks
4 types of housing
- Conventional
- Enriched Colony
- Cage-free
- Organic
Conventional housing
- 6-8 hens per cage
- clean safe eggs
- monitor groups
- fewer inputs
Enriched colony housing
- enhance areas such as perches, nesting boxes, scratch areas
- twice the space as conventional
Cage free housing
exhibit natural behaviors
more feed, less eggs
higher motality
top 5 egg processing companies
1. Cal-Maine 2 Rose acre Farms 3. Moarck LLC 4. Sparboe farms 5. renbrandt enterprises
Total number of laying hens in the US
283 million
what percentage of eggs were sold retail
57.8%
what percent of eggs were exported
3.1%
