Poultry Nutrition Flashcards
1
Q
List 3 categories of chickens
A
Broiler
Broiler Breeder
Laying hen
2
Q
Define chick
A
Chick: verry young chicken (M/F)
3
Q
Define poult
A
Poult: very young turkey (M/F)
4
Q
Define pullet
A
Pullet: immature female chicken usually being kept for breeding (layer or broiler breeder)
5
Q
Define cockeral
A
Cockerel: Immature male chicken usually for breeding
6
Q
Define hen
A
Hen: Mature female chicken or turkey
7
Q
Define rooster
A
Rooster: mature male chicken
8
Q
Define tom
A
Tom: male turkey
9
Q
Define breeder
A
Breeder: parent stock used to make offspring for a specific type of production (ex. broiler breeder or layer breeder)
10
Q
Define layer
A
Layer: egg type chicken
11
Q
Define broiler
A
Broiler: meat type chicken or turkey marketed at a small body weight
12
Q
Define primary breeder
A
Primary breeder: main breeding company
* Provide feeding and management recommendations
* Makes genetic selection decisions
13
Q
Define feed conversion ratio. What is the ideal?
A
Feed conversion ratio: gram of feed needed for 1g body weight gain or gram of feed needed for 1g of egg (broiler/turkey vs layers)
* Lower FCRR is better
14
Q
Define feed efficiency. What is the ideal?
A
Feed efficiency: gram of body weight gain or eggs produced per gram of feed consumed
* Higher feed efficiency is better
15
Q
What are 4 notable anatomical features of avian GI
A
- Esophagus with crop (usually)
- Stomach: proventriculus (glandular) and ventriculus (muscular)
- Paired ceca (anaerobic)
- Cloaca
16
Q
What type of diet do chickens and turkey eat
A
- Diet: omnivores (chicken and turkey)
17
Q
List 3 unique differences of GI bird physiology (vs. mammal)
A
o Retrograde peristalsis of food: adaptation for flight and increased efficiency
Within GI segment
o Nitrogenous waste: uric acid (mammal = urea)
Protects embryo – uric acid won’t contaminate shell contents
Increase flight efficiency – no bladder
o Cloaca receives ureters, digestive tract, reproductive tract
18
Q
List 4 feeding goals when feeding poultry
A
- Maintenance
- Production: growth/eggs
- Health and welfare
- Economic efficiency
19
Q
What is phase feeding and why is it important
A
Phase Feeding: varied nutrient requirements over time
- Generation: change due to genetic selection
- Over lifetime: changing composition of growth/amount of production/type of production
o Bone vs muscle vs fat
o Egg production vs meat production
20
Q
What are the 3 types of chicken meat production? What are their relative weights? What is most common?
A
o Whole bird: Cornish hen
25d (~1kg)
Female
o Broiler: Male and female
32-42d (1.7 – 2.5kg)
Main production type
o Roaster
50-70d (3 – 4.5kg)
males
21
Q
What is phase feeding in the context of meat chickens? What changes occur over time and how does that affect feeding?
A
- Phase Feeding: allometric growth
o As they age they deposit more fat and less muscle
o Tissue growth: GI/feather/muscle (breast)
o Increase intake with age
22
Q
Describe the stages of feeding over a meat birds life stages
A
o Early growth: 0-2 weeks
Intestine/feather/skeleton
o Mid Growth; 2 – 5+ weeks
Breast muscle., legs, skeleton
o Sexual maturation: 18 weeks
Reduced efficiency
23
Q
Describe the typical AB pase feeding program
A
- Feeding Program: 3-4 phases
o Transition from low energy to high energy as birds age
o Don’t require crude protein – they require amino acids
o Amino acids: included in diet on a ‘digestible basis’
Lysine, methionine, cystine are main ones
Decrease over time as birds age
o Ca/P: decrease over time as birds age
o Na/K/Cl requirements stay the same over time
24
Q
What feeding strategy is effective in broiler chickens? What feeding strategy is implemented in AB?
A
o sex separate feeding: M/F have different growth curves, nutritional requirements and feeding schedule
o most AB are mixed sex (straight run)
25
What is a primary challenge when feeding broiler breeders and how is that overcome
* Challenge: same growth potential as offspring (broiler) but if ad lib feeding = too heavy to reproduce (skeletal/metabolic/fertility problems)
o Inverse correlation between body weight and reproductive fitness
o Feed restriction - can also be a challenge
26
How does phase feeding and feed restriction usually occur in broiler breeders? What is the goal
o Immature = full feed for first 2-3 weeks
Sexes raised separately
o Feed every day for first 3 weeks (lower nutrient density vs broiler feed) = qualitative restriction
o Quantitative feeding restriction: calculate feed requirement and divide over number of days
Skip a day feeding
5/2 feeding (feed 3 days, not feed 2)
4/3 feeding (feed 4 days and don’t feed 3)
o Goal = maintain uniformity of birds
o Everyday feeding is less common – more management requirement
27
Describe the 5 types of diets that broiler breeders are fed
o Starter
GI development and feathers
Don’t want excessive muscle development
o Grower
Skeletal development along with appropriate fat and muscle deposition
o +/- Pre-breeder
Repro tract develop and skeleton
o Breeder 1
Egg production
* Protein = albumin
* Lipid = yolk
* Ca = shell
o Breeder 2 and 3
Lower egg production
28
Describe how cockeralls are fed in a broiler breeder setting
* Cockeral feeds
o Starter: 0-3 weeks fed every day
o Grower: 4-22 weeks, quantitative and qualitative feed restriction
4/3 or skip a day
o 25+ weeks
In breeder barn with hens
Fed every day (because females fed every day too)
o Same diets as females
29
List 4 other (non-restriction) strategies to increase uniformity of broiler breeders
o Reduce competition: adequate feeder space
o Feed line speed
o Grade pullets and group based on weight – feed separately
o Spin/scatter feeding
30
How to seperate feeding based on sex in a mixed broiler breeding barn
* Sex separate feeding
o Higher up feed line for male food (males are taller)
o Female feeders are narrow = male heads cant fit into them
31
What is a main problem of overfeeding broiler breeder hens
o Over feeding: excessive follicle development = abnormal ovulation and multiple hierarchies of follicles (lots of large follicles)
Cause double yolked egg = infertile
Lay multiple eggs per day = shells will be abnormal
Females can only produce 1 egg per day (physiologically)
32
What is the main concern with feed restriction in broiler breeders
* What is a main concern with feed restriction
o Dramatic decrease in body fat – impair ability to reach sexual maturity
33
How does overfeeding impact fertility
* overfeeding can cause obesity (excess protein and energy)
* Rooster fertility
o Protein and energy excess/overfeeding = less likely to mate/obese
Reduce sperm production and viability
34
How does nutrition impact egg production
* vitamin/mineral imbalance = impact on egg production
o if a hen can produce an egg it can usually be fertilized
35
How does nutrition impact hatchability
* hatchability
o higher protein diets may reduce
36
What is nutrigenomics
* Chick quality: nutrigenomics (indirect effects of nutrients on next generation)
37
How does the goal of feeding turkeys differ from other poultry
* Goal: Leaner with higher carcass protein/water
38
What are the main principles of phase feeding turkeys
Phase Feeding
* Allometric growth
* Longer phases
* Heavier body weight
* Grown to an age closer to sexual maturity and sexual dimorphism – shift toward fat deposition in females
39
Why are female turkeys marketed younger than males
* Grown to an age closer to sexual maturity and sexual dimorphism – shift toward fat deposition in females
* Male – have a higher capacity for growth than females
Feed conversion ratio
* Males have a lower FCR = less feed for each kg of body weight
* Females have a higher FCR as they age
40
List 3 turkey genetic strains
Turkey genetics - strains
* Grade maker – smallest
* Converter – medium
* XL – largest
41
Describe the components and trends of a typical starter/grower turkey feeding protocol
* Starter diets: no sexual dimorphism (feed both sexes)
o 6 weeks
* Grower 1: same diet for males and females (feed it to males for longer than females)
* Grower 2: feed longer for males than females, same diet for both
o Lower energy content diet than broilers
o Increasing energy content as they age
o CP/lysine/methionine – start very high compared to broilers and decrease as they age
o Ca: start high and reduce over time as they grow
42
Describe the components and trends of a typical developer/finisher turkey feeding protocol
* Developer: males should be twice as big as females
o Energy increases = high fat
Cannot energy restrict or else they will catabolize protein for energy
o CP/amino acids decreases
Due to less muscle deposition
o Ca/P decrease
* No ‘male/female’ diets – feed the same diet in different patterns
43
Compare the 2 stages of laying hens and the nutritional goals for each
Pullet phase: sexually immature
* Goal: growth and development – prepare birds for egg production
* Ensure they have enough body weight and composition to support future egg production
Hens: sexually mature
* Goal: high level of egg production
44
What is the purpose of attending to pullet nutrition
o Larger early eggs
o Nutrient reserves
o Less prone to future problems – osteoporosis/rapid drop in production after peak
45
What is the goal of a pre-lay diet? What are some considerations
o Goal: reproductive tract and skeletal development
Build medullary bone – unique to female laying birds
o Feed for 2 weeks or less (week 18-19)
o Should be at mature size already
o Too little calcium to support egg production
46
What are the goals of starter and grower diets of laying hens
* Starter
o Goal; GI and feather development
o Appropriate growth rate
o Ensure they are getting enough nutrient for growth and feed intake (opposite to broiler breeders)
* Grower
o Goal: Skeletal development and appropriate muscle/fat deposition
47
What is the trends of a typical pullet protocol
* Feeding: growing
o ME: lower than boiler/turkey
Low energy up until pre-lay diet
o CP/amino acids – decrease as they age until they approach pre-lay
o Ca/P – decrease over time
* Feeding: mature
o CP/amino acids: increase
o Ca/P: increase (deposit to medullary bone)
48
Why are diets formulated by percentage?
* Diet formulations are based off percentages because feed intake is very predictable
o = allow them to get the right amount of nutrient (which is more important)
49
What are the main goals of feeding layers
o Sexual maturity to peak daily egg mass – produce large numbers of big eggs
Maintain egg mass to end of production
Prevent eggs from being too big – Jumbo more nutrient mobilization per egg
* Limit nutrient absorption/shell quality problem
o Make Large eggs
o Feed intake may be limiting – might cause decrease in BCS
Nutrient reserves are important to prevent
o Maintain body composition
Phase 1, 2, 3 = lower egg production and Ca metabolism with gradual increase in body weight
50
What are the features of egg production diets
* Production diets
o Higher intake and lower nutrient concentration
o Phase feeding changes made based on egg mass output
Average daily egg mass peaks and then decreases over time – dictates
51
Describe the 3 types of layer hen diets and they relative nutrients
* Layer feeing
o Phase 1: pre-peak (<50 weeks)
Energy and CP/amino acids decrease
Ca increase, P decrease
o Phase 2: peak production/decline
Energy and CP/amino acids decrease
Ca increase, P decrease
o Phase 3: post peak
Energy and CP/amino acids decrease
Ca increase, P decrease
o g/hen/day
o think in terms of amount of nutrient per day required not on percentages/age
observe body size/average daily egg mass
52
Compare the information found in the National research council vs Breeder management guides
* National research council (NRC)
o Based on requirements on minimum nutrients needed to achieve a plateau in growth
o Non strain specific
* Breeder management guides
o Stain specific
o Current and provide performance objectives
53
How is energy measured in poultry diets? What are common sources
* Energy: metabolizable energy
o Sources: wheat/corn/cereal grains (barley/triticale/sorghum)
Fatt – canola/tallow/palm oil/restaurant grease
54
How is protein measured in poultry diets? What are common sources
* CP: no requirement for protein – requirement is for specific proteins
o Essential amino acids – considered as individuals
o Non-essential amino acids are considered as a group – amino nitrogen
o Sources: soybean meal (best)/canola meal/distillers dried grains with solubles/field pea/animal protein/fish meal/meat and bone meal/poultry by-product
55
What are the 3 main macrominerals added to poultry diets and what is one consideration
* Macrominerals
o Ca
o P – available P (not total P – because plant P is not available to monogastrics)
o Na
56
Where is microminerals found in poultry diets
* Microminerals and vitamins – in premix
57
What are considerations for backyard chickens
Backyard
* Dual purpose breeds
* Commercial diets suitable – use unmedicated feed
* Can use pasture/forage
o But bare dirt does not provide adequate nutrition
58
What kind of amino acids are usually supplemented
* Supplement
o Synthetic amino acids: methionine/lysine HCl/threonine/tryptophan/valine
59
What kind of macrominerals are usually supplemented
o Macrominerals: CaCOs (limestone/oyster shell)/P/Na
60
What are considerations when feeding supplementory vit/min premix
o Vit/Min premix: poultry can tolerate large excesses to minimum requirements (except Se)
61
List 6 additional additives to poultry diets
o Enzymes (phytase/non-starch polysaccharidases)
o Buffers
o Pellet binders
o Pigments
o Mycotoxin binders
o Medications
62
Compare nutritional problems in poultry between commercial and backyard
Commercial
* Deficiencies/toxicities are rare due to professional formulation/quality control/testing
* Usually problems are more general (ex. if premix wasn’t added)
Backyard
* Deficiencies/toxicities are more likely
o Home feeding and storage
o Less experience
* Deficiency signs are general – reduce growth/egg production/hatchability
63
What medications are commonly used in poultry
o Medications
Coccidiostats
Antibiotics
Anthelmintics
64
What are 3 forms of poultry feed
Feed Form
* Mash
* Crumble
* Pellet
65
What are the consequences of Protein/Amino acid/energy deficiency
* Protein/Amino acid/energy
o Low growth and egg production
o Poultry will try to compensate for low energy by increasing intake
66
What are the consequences of mineral deficiencies
- Ca/P/Mn
- Fe/Cu
- I
- Mg
- K/Na/Cl
- Se
- Zn
* Minerals
o Ca/P/Mn – bone abnormalities
o Fe/Cu – anemia
o I – goiter (feather/growth abnormalities)
o Mg – shell quality problems
o K/Na/Cl – electrolyte imbalance
o Se – exudative diathesis – edema
o Zn – poor growth/bone problem
67
What are the consequences of fat soluble vit deficiencies
o A: keratinized mucus glands/xerophthalmia
o D3 – bone abnormalities
o E – encephalomalacia/exudative diathesis/muscular dystrophy
o K – clotting problem
68
What are the consequences of water soluble vit deficiencies
- thiamine
- riboflavin
- niacin
- pantothenic acid
- folic acid
- biotin
- B12
- choline
o Thiamine – polyneuritis/neuromuscular problem
o Riboflavin – sciatic nerve changes (curled toe paralysis)
o Pyridoxine (B6) – dermatitis/anemia
o Niacin (nicotinic acid) – skin/GI disorder (need tryptophan precursor)
o Pantothenic acid – NS/adrenal cortex/skin lesions
o Folic acid (folacin) – macrocytic anemia/leukopenia
o Biotin – dermatitis of feet/eye/beak
o B12 – anemia
o Choline – perosis (twisted leg)
