Poultry Nutrition

Question 1

List 3 categories of chickens

Answer 1

Broiler
Broiler Breeder
Laying hen

Question 2

Define chick

Answer 2

Chick: verry young chicken (M/F)

Question 3

Define poult

Answer 3

Poult: very young turkey (M/F)

Question 4

Define pullet

Answer 4

Pullet: immature female chicken usually being kept for breeding (layer or broiler breeder)

Question 5

Define cockeral

Answer 5

Cockerel: Immature male chicken usually for breeding

Question 6

Define hen

Answer 6

Hen: Mature female chicken or turkey

Question 7

Define rooster

Answer 7

Rooster: mature male chicken

Question 8

Define tom

Answer 8

Tom: male turkey

Question 9

Define breeder

Answer 9

Breeder: parent stock used to make offspring for a specific type of production (ex. broiler breeder or layer breeder)

Question 10

Define layer

Answer 10

Layer: egg type chicken

Question 11

Define broiler

Answer 11

Broiler: meat type chicken or turkey marketed at a small body weight

Question 12

Define primary breeder

Answer 12

Primary breeder: main breeding company
* Provide feeding and management recommendations
* Makes genetic selection decisions

Question 13

Define feed conversion ratio. What is the ideal?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Define feed efficiency. What is the ideal?

Answer 14

Feed efficiency: gram of body weight gain or eggs produced per gram of feed consumed
* Higher feed efficiency is better

Question 15

What are 4 notable anatomical features of avian GI

Answer 15

• Esophagus with crop (usually)
• Stomach: proventriculus (glandular) and ventriculus (muscular)
• Paired ceca (anaerobic)
• Cloaca

Question 16

What type of diet do chickens and turkey eat

Answer 16

• Diet: omnivores (chicken and turkey)

Question 17

List 3 unique differences of GI bird physiology (vs. mammal)

Answer 17

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

Question 18

List 4 feeding goals when feeding poultry

Answer 18

• Maintenance
• Production: growth/eggs
• Health and welfare
• Economic efficiency

Question 19

What is phase feeding and why is it important

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What are the 3 types of chicken meat production? What are their relative weights? What is most common?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is phase feeding in the context of meat chickens? What changes occur over time and how does that affect feeding?

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Describe the stages of feeding over a meat birds life stages

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Describe the typical AB pase feeding program

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What feeding strategy is effective in broiler chickens? What feeding strategy is implemented in AB?

Answer 24

o sex separate feeding: M/F have different growth curves, nutritional requirements and feeding schedule

o most AB are mixed sex (straight run)

Question 25

What is a primary challenge when feeding broiler breeders and how is that overcome

Answer 25

* 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

Question 26

How does phase feeding and feed restriction usually occur in broiler breeders? What is the goal

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Describe the 5 types of diets that broiler breeders are fed

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Describe how cockeralls are fed in a broiler breeder setting

Answer 28

* 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

Question 29

List 4 other (non-restriction) strategies to increase uniformity of broiler breeders

Answer 29

o Reduce competition: adequate feeder space o Feed line speed o Grade pullets and group based on weight – feed separately o Spin/scatter feeding

Question 30

How to seperate feeding based on sex in a mixed broiler breeding barn

Answer 30

* 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

Question 31

What is a main problem of overfeeding broiler breeder hens

Answer 31

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)

Question 32

What is the main concern with feed restriction in broiler breeders

Answer 32

* What is a main concern with feed restriction o Dramatic decrease in body fat – impair ability to reach sexual maturity