Poultry Husbandry Flashcards
Commercial poultry species (6)
1) Chicken
2) Duck
3) Goose
4) Turkey
5) Game birds
6) Ratites
Chickens are used primarily as a source of: (3)
1) Meat and egg
2) Broiler chickens
3) laying hens
General facts about Turkey
- meat producers
- 60% produced in NA
- Most common in AUS is hybrid white bird
Ducks: General facts
- Ducks and geese grouped together as water fowl
- used for meat, eggs, feathers
2 types of duck
1) Pekin duck
2) Muscovy duck
Goose: General Facts
- First domesticated in China
- 3 commercial breeds
- Kept as ornamental birds or watch geese
3 types of commercial goose breeds
1) White Embden
2) Grey Toulouse
3) African
4) White and Brown Chinese
Game (def.)
A word which is properly applied to wild creatures that are hunted for food
Types of gamebirds in australia (4)
1) Pheasant
2) Guinea fowl
3) Quail
4) Squab pigeon
Ostrich and Emu (General facts)
- type of Ratites
- international market for both
- hides/meat, oil are valuable
- Emu is Australias largest bird
Broiler
Fowl grown for meat
Layer
Fowl maintained for egg production
Chicken
Also known as chooks
Young birds, entire fowl, meat that is eaten by humans
Cockerek, cock, rooster
Adult make chicken
Pullet
Immature female layer
Point-of-lay pullet
Just reaching sexual maturity
Spent hen
Hen at the end of her reproductive cycle
4 reproduction goals in domestic fowl
1) Breeder replacement
2) Commerical/market poultry
3) Sustain companion bird supplies
4) Species conservation
Ovulation specifics in Domesticated Fowl
- Egg is produced with/without fertilization
- Ovulate in cycles of 24-30 hours
- Strongly photosensitive/varies between species
- After ovulation, fertilization can occur in oviduct
- sperm survive 14 days in crytp of funnel
4 major egg components
1) Yolk
2) Albumen
3) Shell membranes
4) Shell
Yolk
Energy-rich supply of food
21-36% lipids, 16-22% protein
Yolk suspended by Chalazae
Albumen
90% water, 10% protein
Embryos water supply and shock absorber
Buffer from sudden T-change
Shell Membranes
Contain inner and outer shell membranes
Protect against bacterial invasion
Prevent rapid evaporation of moisture
Shell
- Contains thousands of pores for gas exchange
- Wall of the uterus gives pigmentation to egg shells
- Shell protects embryo
Chalazae
Twisted strand of protein which holds the yolk in the center(ish) of the egg
Where is the germinal spot found within the egg?
The yolk
Incubation and Hatching of chicken
21 day incubation period
18 days: initial/setter stage
3 days: hatching stage
Incubation for the rest of fowl (except chickens)
Days: 16-28
Ducks: 35
Ostrich: 42
Main sexing mechanisms (3)
1) Vent sexing - visual
2) Internal sexual organs - lamp
3) Feather colour - visual inspection
Feather colours in male vs female chicks
Female: 2 dark lines
Male: 1 solid line
6 management systems for day old chicks
1) Graded - weak ones culled
2) Sexed
3) Vaccinated
4) Beak trimmed
5) Put into boxes of 100
6) Transported to farms
Australian chicken meat industry
Multi-billion dollar agribusiness
85% intensively reared
15% free range
44kg/person/year
Australian chicken egg industry
Multi-billion dollar agribusiness
4.7 trillion eggs produced per year
213eggs/person/year
3 diseases chicks are vaccinated for
1) Infectious bronchitis
2) Marek’s disease
3) Newcastle disease
2 main types of meat and egg production systems
1) Broiler industry
2) Layer industry
Broiler industry
Intensive litter furbished sheds
RSPCA accredited
Free range
Certified organic
Layer Industry
▪ Cage; ▪ Aviary; ▪ Barn; ▪ Free range; ▪ Free range certified organic.
Australian model code of practice for welfare of domestic poultry
“the humane breeding, raising, transportation and processing of birds”
Layer farms:
1) Intensive (10,000-1,000,000 birds)
2) Alternative housing system (free range, barn, and organic egg)
3) Semi-intensive (few hundred to few thousand)
4) Extensive (few chooks scavenging the yard)
Growing farms
Producing the end product (chicken meat)
Processing plant
Process and market chicken meat
Brooding
Period where chicks need supplemented heat
Start at 33 deg. and lower 0.5 deg/day until 14-20 days of age
>21 days: 22-25 for layers, 20 for broilers
What conditions are found in Broiler sheds?
Controlled environments
1) No windows
2) Temperature controlled
3) Insulated
4) Artificial lights
5) Gas heating for brooding
What is the biggest disease affecting chickens?
Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT)
Preventative medicine for ILT (EXAM QUESTION)
Infectious Laryngotracheitis
1) Biosecurity
2) Vaccination
3) Hygiene
4) Husbandry practice
5) Prophylactic Medication
6) Nutrition
7) Eradication
8) Genetics
Biosecurity (2)
Quarantine
1) Barriers to stop challenge reaching the birds
2) Decontaminating all things that cross the boarder
Vaccination
Aspects of vaccination
1) required
2) Timing
3) Method
4) Correct dose
5) Monitor
Hygiene
1) Decontaminate from one batch to another
2) AIAO - All In All Out system
Husbandry practice
Need correct environment for flock
Poor env.: Stress, decreased immunity, disease
Prophylactic Medication
Ex) medication to prevent coccidiosis
Dose calculations are critical
Nutrition
Nutrition has a major effect on production
Nutrition/health interactions
Nutritional diseases
Water
Factors that affect poultry nutrition
Genetics, age, sex, production aim, temperature, housing, grains, protein supplement, energy supplements, vitamins, minerals (Ca, P, Cu, Zn, Mo, Fe, Se), synthetic AA (Lys, Met, Thr), essential FA (Lioleic acid)
Eradication
Ex) Avian influenza
All eradication programs require veterinary involvement
Genetics
- Heritable diseases and breed sensitivity to disease needs to be recognized
- Genetic development done by geneticist
Largest percentage of housing for industrial poultry?
Cage and Aviary 55%
How many eggs does one chicken produce on average?
Produce eggs between 17-80 weeks
Produce 350 eggs
Chicken body mass: 1.7kg-2.2kg
What is a chicken feed conversion ratio?
FCR is the rate at which feed is converted to desired output (meat)
FCR of chickens: 1.45
4 Welfare views
1) Farmers view
2) Scientists view
3) Behaviouralist view
4) Liberationists view
Producers view of welfare:
Provide a physical environment which optimizes health and productivity
Scientists view of welfare:
Measurement of physiological signs to determine coping of animal
1) Plasma cortisol
2) Heart Rate
Behaviouralist view of welfare:
Behavioural outcomes can be measures to assess the animals welfare
(frustration, willingness to be trained, etc)
Liberationists view of welfare:
Animals fare best if they live according to their nature and can perform their full range of behaviours
RSPCA Welfare definition (5)
1) Freedom of pain, injury, disease
2) Freedom from hunger and thirst
3) Freedom to express normal behaviour
4) Freedom from discomfort
5) Freedom from fear and distress
What species were chickens descended from?
Red and Grey Jungle Fowl
