Poultry Lab Flashcards
1
Q
Egg Laying Breeds
A
- tend to be small-bodied
- focus on eggs produced, not growth
2
Q
Meat Chickens
A
- hybrid varieties bred to grow faster w/ more efficient feed conversion ratio
3
Q
Egg Industry
A
- 2017: 276 eggs per capita (US)
- US egg production was 10% of world egg supply
- 7.44 billion eggs in Aug 2016
- 302 million laying hens and 76.7 eggs per 100 layers in 2016
- today: 188 egg-producing companies
- flocks above 75,000
- 64 w/ flocks above 1M
- 18 w/ flocks above 5M
4
Q
Meat Industry
A
- chicken is #1 protein consumed in US
- US consumes more chicken than rest of world (90+ lbs per capita)
- top 5 broiler producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, NC, Mississippi
- 25,000 family farmers have production contracts w/ meat chicken companies
- 95% of broiler chickens are produced on family farms
- 5% produced on company-owned farms
5
Q
Leghorn
A
- egg breed
- Tuscany origins
- white eggs; white ear lobes
- avg of 280 eggs/yr (sometimes btwn 300-320)
- most eggs weigh a minimum of 55 g
6
Q
Rhode Island Red
A
- egg breed
- Rhode Island and Massachusetts origin
- brown eggs; red ear lobes
- distinct mahogany red colored feathers
- heavy breed
- dual-purpose
7
Q
Silkie
A
- egg breed
- Asian origin
- blue ear lobes, black skin and bones, five toes on each foot
- very docile breed, calm and friendly
- feathers lack functioning barbicels (so similar to down in other birds)
8
Q
Araucana
A
- egg breeds
- Chile origins
- “Easter Egger”
- lays blue or green eggs
- distinct ear-tufts and rump-less (no tail or tailbone)
- Ameraucana is a derivative breed that is bearded, muffed, and tailed
9
Q
Cornish x Plymouth Rock
A
- meat breed
- meat chickens are usually cross between Cornish males and Plymouth Rock females
- hybrid vigor
10
Q
Vertical Integration
A
- common production style in meat industry
- growers enter agreement with chicken processer to raise broilers and are guaranteed market (avoiding risk of being unable to sell product)
- over 90% of all meat chickens in US are raised by independent farmers working under contract w/ integrated chicken production and processing companies
- see lab manual pg. 91
11
Q
Pullet
A
- female chicken < 1 yr old
12
Q
Hen
A
- female chicken > 1 yr
13
Q
Chick
A
- young chicken
14
Q
Cockerel
A
- male chicken < 1 yr old
15
Q
Cock
A
- male chicken > 1 yr
16
Q
Broody
A
- hen wants to sit on eggs to hatch them
17
Q
Haugh Unit
A
- unit to measure egg quality based on height of thick albumen (thick egg white)
- the higher the Haugh value, the better the egg’s quality
18
Q
Candle
A
- to examine inside contents of an egg w/ the use of a light
19
Q
Molt
A
- part of a hen’s reproductive cycle when she stops laying and loses body feathers
20
Q
Sex-Linked
A
- male chicks are different color than female chicks in certain breeds
21
Q
Straight Run
A
- unsexed batch of chicks
22
Q
Capon
A
- surgically castrated male chicken
- < 4 mo old when castrated
23
Q
Cornish Game Hen
A
- young, immature chicken of either sex
- < 5 weeks old
- ready-to-cook carcass weight of not more than 0.91 kg (2 lbs)
24
Q
Broiler/Fryer
A
- young chicken of either sex
- < 10 weeks old
- tender-meated w/ soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin, and flexible breastbone cartilage
25
Q
Roaster
A
- young chicken of either sex
- 8-12 weeks
- tender-meated, soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin
- breastbone cartilage a bit less flexible than broiler/fryer
26
Q
Stewing Chicken
A
- adult > 10 mo old
- female chicken w/ meat less tender than that of a roaster and a nonflexible breastbone tip
27
Q
Molting
A
- natural seasonal event in which birds reduce feed intake, cease egg production, and replace plumage
28
Q
Induced Molting
A
- used in layer hens
- simulates natural molting events
- when birds return to full feed, a new plumage develops and birds resume egg production at higher rate w/ better egg quality
- extends production life of commercial chicken flocks and results in substantial reduction in number of chickens needed to produce nation’s egg supply
29
Q
Acceptable Practices to Induce Molting
A
- reduction of photoperiod (day length)
- specific nutrient restrictions that result in cessation of egg production
30
Q
Chicken and Egg Anatomies
A
- see lab manual pg. 93
31
Q
Avian Genetics
A
- male = ZZ
- female = ZW
- females determine sex of offspring
32
Q
Breeding
A
- in both egg and meat industries, mating of chickens is generally done naturally
- AI is possible
33
Q
Nutrition
A
- combination of concentrates (grains like corn and wheat) and high protein supplements (soybean oil meal)
- carotenoid pigments are added to feeds to add to yellow/orange color of skin and eggs
- sources of these pigments include corn, corn gluten meal, and ground marigold flowers
- you can see marigold fields grown for this purpose in CA
34
Q
BAR or QAR
A
- healthy birds are either bright, alert, and responsive (BAR) or quiet, alert, and responsive (QAR)
- if bird remains laying down or doesn’t respond to entrance into room, may be something wrong
35
Q
Healthy Birds
A
- nice round eyes
- feces should be well-formed with visible urates
36
Q
Sick Birds
A
- animals away from others or in a corner
- oval-looking or slightly sunken eyes
- diarrhea
37
Q
Spraddle Leg (Splay Leg)
A
- one of the biggest husbandry concerns for chicks
- one or both legs will grow incorrectly and stick out to the side
- legs will not develop properly and can prevent chick from walking
- most common cause is caging floors that are too slippery for chicks to stand on
- need to think about what substrate an animal is being raised on
38
Q
Free Range
A
- federal gov’t has no definition for “free range”
- USDA approves label claims on case-by-case basis
- producer must demonstrate that poultry is allowed outdoor access for at least some part of the day, whether chickens choose to go outside or not
39
Q
Natural
A
- under USDA regulations, a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed
40
Q
Fresh
A
- designates whole poultry and cuts that have never been below 26 degrees Fahrenheit (poultry freezing temperature)
41
Q
Organic
A
- USDA has specific rules to define “organic” production
- use of the term “organic” on food not in accordance with these rules is prohibited
42
Q
Antibiotic-Free
A
- flock was raised without products classified as antibiotics for animal health maintenance, disease prevention, or treatment of disease
- all chicken is “antibiotic-free” when processed, as required by government
- withdrawal periods are instated so that no antibiotic residues are present in the meat
- while things like coccidiostats were more commonly used to prevent coccidiosis, these are not fed routinely anymore
43
Q
“No Hormones Added”
A
- hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry anyway
- claim “no hormones added” can’t be used on pork or poultry labels unless followed by statement that says “Fed regulations prohibit hormone use”
44
Q
Egg Quality
A
- candling as a means of judging quality is fairly reliable for very low or very high quality eggs, but not very accurate for in-between grades
- method of periodic sampling and breaking out eggs is sometimes used for eggs that are produced under conditions that will assure high quality (age of flock, breed, refrigeration)
45
Q
Haugh Unit
A
- method of egg grading which consists of weighing the egg, breaking it out and measuring height of thick albumen
- Haugh Units (grade) = 100 log (H - 1.7W0.37 + 7.6)
- H = height of thick albumen, W = weight of egg
- Haugh units may be converted into grades
46
Q
Grade AA
A
- egg content covers small area
- white is firm, has much thick white surrounding yolk and small amount of thin white
- yolk is round and upstanding
47
Q
Grade A
A
- egg content convers moderate area
- white is reasonably firm and has considerable amount of thick white and medium amount of thin white
- yolk is round and upstanding
48
Q
Grade B
A
- egg content covers very wide area
- white is weak and watery, no thick white and large amount of thin white is thinly spread
- yolk is enlarged and flattened
