Poultry Flashcards
What is house preparation before arrival of chicks?
- House is cleaned and disinfected in advance
- Allow minimum of 2 weeks downtime (without any chickens)
- Prepare the house T at 33-36 C at chick level, humidity 60%
- All ‘in-place’ about 48-72 hours before arrival of chicks
- Feed on appropriate feeders
- Water and appropriate drinkers supply
- Bright light (30-50 lux)
What is the average temperature of birds
40.5 deg
What is brooding management
- 10-21 days
- Thermoreg of chicks
- Allows birds to see and be active in looking for food and water
How to tell if chick has eaten enough and if good temperature
“crop-fill” to see if eating food.
Observe where the chicks are relative to the heat lamp
What are different types of chick feeders?
- pan feeder
- flat feeder
- flat chain/ auger
- Tube feeders
what are the main components of chick feed formulation?
– Energy – Protein and amino acids – Macro minerals – Phytase – Trace minerals – Vitamins
What are the consequences of nutritional under supply in laying breeding hens
SLIDE 14
What is essential with water drinkers
- Same type of drinker in rearing and laying
- Flush water line prior to arrival
- Flush water lines weekly during each lifestage
- record flock water consumption
- Cup drinker = level with chicks back, Nipple drinker = line with head
How to assess body condition
- weigh weekly, up to 2% females, min 10% males
How can you tell when a bird is ready to lay eggs
3 fingers between pin bone
Why is lighting important?
- Rearing- promotes developmen
Why is lighting important?
- Rearing- promotes development, encourages feed, promotes growth, controls sexual maturity
- egg production - max rate of hatching, promote good quality eggshell
Light intensity
- encourages chick activity
- strong re between intensity and :
pecking behaviour, feather loss
What are routine management procedures?
- debeaking
- comb trim
- de spur
- toe clip
- complex vaccination strategies
which section does the egg stay the longest
uterus
about 18-26 hrs
How long does egg formation take
24hrs
what are eggs disinfected with? xxxxx
- funigation: formaldehyde. asvantage = no wetting egg shell, no damage to egg cuticles, no injury to developing embryo
why should eggs be similar in size of hatury
so heat distributed equally
What is chicken incubation time
21 days
What are important parameters of incubation of chicken eggs
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Ventilation
- Microbial
How many times a day do you need to turn eggs and why?
- 5-6 times a day
- Important for proper embryo development
a) aviods embryo adhering onto shell membranes
b) for better yolk sac and allantoic vascular development
c) for better embryo positioning before hatches
What info does candling provide
- Condition of the farm
- Percentage fertility
- Storage condition of eggs
- Condition of embryos of the incubation process
What are the conditions like in the hatcher?
- no egg turning
- Humidity higher than incubator
- when transferred = in ovo vaccination
- stay for 3 days
what is the difference between primary and secondary feathers
primary = lower secondary = upper
how to sex
female= primary longer than secondary (coverts male = same legnth or primary shorter than coverts
What vaccinations do chicks get Spray?
- Spray: Newcastle disease, Infectious bronchitis,
avian metapneumovirus
What vaccinations do chicks get Sub cutaneous?
Marek’s disease, Infectious bursal
What vaccinations do chicks get in ovo?
Marek’s disease, Infectious bursal disease,
infectious laryngotracheitis
What are Hatery related legislation?
- The control of Salmonella in Poultry Order 2007. = For hatcheries setting more than 1000 eggs
- The Animal Welfare Act 2006 = Act not applicable for foetal or embryonic form
- The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing
Regulations 2013
– Based on EU regulation 1099/2009
– Certificate of competence for people handling animals
– Appointment of a named Animal Welfare Officer? - The Welfare of Animal(Transport) (England) Order 2006
Talk about grandparent stock hierarchy
- start with pure breed
- Breed pure breed to produce great grandparent stock
- Breed great grandparent to produce grandparent
- Breed grandparent to produce parent
- Breed parent = Commercial broiler or layer chicks
Name commercial egg laying breeds
- Isa brown
- hy-line brown
- lohman brown
- novogen brown
What are different housing/ management systems?
- Barn
- Aviary
- Free Range
If the temperature is too high for chicks does it affect them?
- Limits good feathering, feed intake and growth rate
What are the main objectives of good ventilation?
- Provision of fresh air to the stock
- Temperature control
- Consistent house climate, no draughts
- Evacuation of moisture, dust and noxious gases
- Reduction of air borne pathogens levels
- Minimises the risk of conjunctivitis and blind pullets due to ammonia
- Minimises the risk of respiratory diseases
chicken body temp
40.5 deg
How does low and high humidity affect chicks?
LOW: 1. Reduces bird comfort 2. Inc dehydration 3. May inc agitation and pecking 4. Adversely affects feather cover 5. inc dust EXCESSIVE: 1. inc ammonia 2. poor air quality
List 3 targets of birds at 18 weeks
- Liveability 96-98%
- Feed Consumed 6.3-7.0 Kg
- Body Weight at (18 Weeks) 1.50 Kg
What are the diff sections the egg travels down and how long in each?
- Infundibulum: 0.5 hr (capture ovum)
- Magnum: 3 hr (albunim added (white bits))
- Isthmus: 1.25 hrs (shell membrane added
- Uterus: 20hr (egg shell added)
- Vagina to cloaca
Draw egg production curve
- % production Y
- X = age (weeks)
- 18 weeks at beginning,
- peak 23-28 weeks, 95% production
- line tailors off to 70 ish % production at 80 weeks
What are the different types of feed for broiler chickens?
- starter 0-14 days: crumble feed
- Grower feeds 14-25 = mini pellets
- Finisher feeds 25 - 42 = pellets
Why is the best feed efficiency pelleted feeds?
- DEcrease in feed wastage
- reduced selective feeding
- DEcreases ingredient segregation
- Less time and energy expended for eating
- Destruction of pathogenic organisms
- Destruction of pathogenic organisms
- Thermal medication of starch adn protein
- Improved feed palatability
Broiler feeding system
- 10 days = flat trays
- automated feeding within 6-7 days
- pan feeders, flat chain/ auger or tube feeders
How much crude protein for starter, grower, finisher broiler
- 23%
- 21.5%
- 20%
What is key to the environment
temperature, humidity, ventilation
What are the different drinker systems?
- Nipple drinkers with cups
- Nipple drinkers without cups
- Bell drinkers
How do you adjust ventilation?
according to weight of bird NOT age
Bio security
- 3.2 km away from other farm
- Orientation of farm blocks (one way flow, easy cleaning, control of movement of people
- dead bird disposal,
- rodent control
Brolier characteristics
- livability = >95% at 42 days
Depletion (mortility + culling) less that 5% - Conformation: breasts, pectoral muscles
- Live body weight 2- 2.3 kg
- Feed conversion ratio = 1.8- 2.0
- Skeletal strength
What is the slaughter age of turkeys?
12-14 weeks: 5.5 Kg (female)
• 18-21 weeks: 17-19 Kg (male)
What is the slaughter age of turkeys?
- 12-14 weeks: 5.5 Kg (female)
2. 18-21 weeks: 17-19 Kg (male)
