Poultry Exam Flashcards
Three sectors of the poultry industry
Broilers, Layers, turkey
Broilers
specific term for a bird used for meat
layers
specific term for a bird used for laying eggs
The turkey industry is very similar to the
broiler industry
What type of system is considered conventional
Caged
The industry is transitioning to this type of system
cage-free
Missouri ranks ___ in broilers
7th
Missouri ranks __ in turkeys
4th
How many jobs does the poultry industry produce in the US
1.3 million
The U.S. poultry industry is the _____ producer and ________ exporter
largest producer
second largest exporter
Top 5 export markets for Turkey meat
Mexico
Canada
China
Dominican Republic
Guetamala
Top 5 exports markets for chicken meat
Mexico
China
Canada
Cuba
Guetamala
Top producing state in broilers
Georgia
Five major poultry systems in Missouri
Butterball
Cargill
Simmons
George’s
Tyson
Benefit of an integrated system
Reduces cost
Vertical integration
one company owns every step of the production of the bird
Horizontal integration
One company owns all of the barns/ parts of the system
Broiler breeds
White Cornish
White Plymouth Rock
Layer breeds
White leghorns
Rhode Island Red
Instead of breeds, the poultry industry uses
lines
Male side of broiler industry cross
white cornish
Characteristics of White cornish breed
English
Broad, meaty
large and fast growing
Female side of broiler industry cross
White Plymouth Rock
Characteristics of White Plymouth Rock breed
American
docile
dual purpose breed- important for further generations
Breed used in most caged laying operations
White leghorns
Characteristics of the white Leghorn breed
Mediteranean
White
Breed used in most cage-free operations
Rhode Island Red
Characteristics of the Rhode Island Red Breed
American
Brownish red
Breed of turkey used in meat industry
Broad breasted White
Why don’t domestic turkeys mate naturally
Don’t house sexes together
breast are too large to mount
Why did the turkey industry switch to white birds over the bronze birds
White feathers are easier to pluck
Specialty industries
Organic
cage free
antibiotic free
Ratites- ostriches and emus
Game birds
Processing of eggs at the breeder
Washed and stored until shipped to hatchery from the breeder
How long can you cool eggs and still have them be viable
a week
Oviparus
Egg pregnancy
can cool and pause the pregnancy
incubation period for chicks
21 days
Hatchability
estimated number of eggs that will hatch in a clutch
Clutch
a group of eggs laid continuously
In Ovo Vaccinations
Vaccinations done while the chick is in the egg
Spray vaccinations
done to the chick after they are born
usually for respiratory diseases
Functional poikilotherms
means they cannot regulate their own body temperature
brooding rings
house chicks and must include heat, water, and feed
Broilers require very little or alot of management
very little
Housing trend for broilers
houses are getting larger
average today of 40,000 square feet
automated water, feed, and lights
Automated ventilation systems
crosswise cooling
lengthways cooling
Where do you want the humidity for a broiler barn
60-80%
Why is relative humidity important
moisture leads to bacteria
Number of federally-inspected broiler companies
30
number of family farms with contracts
25,000
In a contract system the farmer owns
housing, feeding/watering systems, water, electricity, fuel, litter, labor
In a contract system the company owns
chicks, feed, medication, supervision (knowledge)
How many hours of light a day does a broiler get
16 hours
What are the birds doing when the lights are on
Eating
What is the 1st priority at slaughter facilities
Welfare of the bird
Process of slaughtering the bird
shackled
electrical stunning or controlled atmosphere stunning
Cut the throat to bleed out/ kills the birds
Ensanguining
bleeding out
Back up human
catch any birds that slip through
Plucking
removing the feathers
Evisceration
removing viscera/internal organs
Chilling/processing
water/organic rinse
counter current flow
air chilled
inspected
processing and second processing
Top ten states for egg production
Iowa
Ohio
Indiana
Pennsylvania
Texas
Georgia
Arkansas
North Carolina
Michigan
California
Conventional Laying hens are housed in
caged systems
Conventional laying system characteristics
birds not on litter
increased egg production in space
standing on wires
constant feed, water, egg removal
layers of bird
automated system
Aviary system
birds can decide what floor to be on
creates a pecking order
Enriched cages
add options to the cage
increased cage size
less chickens per cage
Floor housing
decreases number of birds
looks prettier
Two types of brooding
whole house
brooding rings
A layers diet focuses on what
growth until feathers
chicks are fed all of the time until they get feathers and then they are carefully managed so they don’t grow too fast
Laying hens reach maturity at what age
18 weeks
Hens lay an egg every
24-26 hours
Hens typically lay at what time of day
early morning
Eggs develop in the
oviduct of the hen
The laying hen egg cycle depends on
light
Peak laying happens at
32 weeks
peak laying is maintained for
65-68 weeks
Egg sizes
small
medium
large
extra large
jumbo
Small eggs have what type of shell
thick shells
Large eggs have what type of shell
thin shells
The most common size of eggs in the grocery store is
large or extra large
Molt
shedding old feathers
Pullet
young laying hen
Why do birds not lay eggs when they molt
to reset
Two types of molting
natural
induced- done by controlling lighting, decreasing feed intake and the quality of the diet
Spent hen
hen at the end of the cycle
soupers
spent hens used for chicken noodle soup
What can be done with spent hens
rendered- no market
sold to zoos to feed animals
sold to the public
will still produce just not at the rate needed for a large operation
Egg collection is
mostly automated on farm
How to maintain quality of eggs
multiple pick up times
careful handling
cooling
cleaning
packaging clean
Keeping eggs clean avoids
bacteria
Cuticle bloom
wax like covering over an egg
Egg grading depends on
condition of the egg white
condition of the egg yolk
air cell size
Egg gradings
AA
A
B
Eggs are cooled to
45 degrees