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