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
Roaster
- 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
Stewing Chicken
- adult > 10 mo old
- female chicken w/ meat less tender than that of a roaster and a nonflexible breastbone tip
27
Molting
- natural seasonal event in which birds reduce feed intake, cease egg production, and replace plumage
28
Induced Molting
- 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
Acceptable Practices to Induce Molting
- reduction of photoperiod (day length)
- specific nutrient restrictions that result in cessation of egg production
30
Chicken and Egg Anatomies
- see lab manual pg. 93
31
Avian Genetics
- male = ZZ
- female = ZW
- females determine sex of offspring
32
Breeding
- in both egg and meat industries, mating of chickens is generally done naturally
- AI is possible
33
Nutrition
- 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
BAR or QAR
- 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
Healthy Birds
- nice round eyes
- feces should be well-formed with visible urates
36
Sick Birds
- animals away from others or in a corner
- oval-looking or slightly sunken eyes
- diarrhea
37
Spraddle Leg (Splay Leg)
- 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
Free Range
- 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
Natural
- under USDA regulations, a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed
40
Fresh
- designates whole poultry and cuts that have never been below 26 degrees Fahrenheit (poultry freezing temperature)
41
Organic
- USDA has specific rules to define "organic" production
- use of the term "organic" on food not in accordance with these rules is prohibited
42
Antibiotic-Free
- 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
"No Hormones Added"
- 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
Egg Quality
- 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
Haugh Unit
- 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
Grade AA
- 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
Grade 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
Grade B
- 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
