Week 9 Poultry Flashcards
Define Breeder flocks
flocks of male and female birds that produce fertile eggs for incubation (in hatcheries)
Define Day old (DO) birds
birds sold by hatcheries, they are up to 72h (3 days) old (female or male)
Define Poults
DO turkeys (female or male)
Pullets
female birds between DO and sexual maturity age, they will be the future egg layers
Define Point Of Lay (POL)
the sexual maturity which is reached at about 18
wks
Define Layer
egg producing female, produces eggs for human consumption (they are kept until 72-76 wks old)
Define Broods
newly born/hatched birds
Define Brooding
the period immediately after hatching where special care (e.g. heat) must be provided to chicks to ensure their health and survival
Define Broiler
bird reared for meat, sent for slaughter between 36-54 days old (very different to layers genetically)
Define rearing farm
where pullets (future egg layers) are kept from DO to
16-18 wks (whereas broilers spend short life in a single fattening unit)
Define Laying unit
where pullets go at 16-18 wks old and remain until the end of their laying cycle – can be cages, barn or free-range
Cock(erel) =
Hen =
Stag =
Gander =
Drake =
Mallard =
= Male chicken
= female chicken or turkey (occ. duck and goose)
=male turkey
=male goose
= male duck
= Wild duck
Describe the development of the poultry industry
1900s large cattle = more cultural importance
than chicken → Cultural shift after WWI → government assistance and first free-range units formed + wheat more available and introduction of electricity → automated systems and egg
collection apparatus
Why did the egg and poultry meat industries separate?
Introduction of fast-growing chain of chicken = broilers
Research and efforts towards improving the 2 industries separately
The poultry industry is an expanding global industry with worldwide trading and supply chains
When did egg production triple?
Between 1970-2005
Since 1960s birds selected for:
1) Egg output
2) Good food conversion (to eggs rather than muscle development and increased growth)
3) Hardiness
4) Docility
Chickens are seasonal breeders ….
…..stimulated by long day (greater than 12 hours of light)
Describe Natural mating
Sperm survive in female and fertilise successively
eggs for several days without further mating
→Hens kept from 24 - 68/70 weeks old and produce > 200 fertile eggs
How long are the eggs incubated in the hatchery?
21 days
→ 80% of eggs in incubator survive
→ Can identify gender of DO chicks from the
down colour
→ Male chicks killed, female sent to rearing unit
DO female chicks are reared until point of lay which is ?
16-18 wks old with target
1.6kg in caged hens
1.65kg for free-range
Why are female chicks raised with restricted light?
To delay sexual maturity à improve egg size
→ also reduces aggression, feather pecking and pulling
When are female chicks introduced to the layer unit?
At 16-18 wks to settle before laying first egg 2 weeks late
→ Kept at production site until appx 72-76 wks old then slaughtered
When are broilers slaughtered?
Between 36-54 days old at a weight between 1.7-
3.5 kg
What is broiler productivity measured in?
1) Food conversion ratio (FCR, kg feed/kg live-weight gain)
2) Food conversion efficiency (FCE, kg live-weight gain/kg feed) or (EBI and EPEF)
3) Modern intensive units usually have a target FCR < 1.8
Factors of productivity increase in the broiler industry
Increasing stocking density in sheds
Fed grain (cheap)
Genetic selection for
* Faster growth rate
* Improved FCE
* Higher breast yield as a percentage of the whole bird
Broilers house inside unit size?
up to 40,000 broilers in a house
Most highly mechanised industry and therefore requires
high level of financial capital - labour requirements are low
Poultry performance affected by what factors?
Genetics (e.g. egg production/layer, broiler FCR, broiler weight)
Nutrition
Age
Sex
Housing factors:
Water Quality and Availability*
Environmental pollution*
Temperature*
Stocking Density*
Disease*
Stockmanship (Management)
What is the stocking density in most intensive systems?
Most intensive systems reach
45kg/m2
EU and UK Codes of Welfare
recommend what stocking rates?
Should not exceed 42 kg/m2
What is the max stocking density in hot countries?
Ideally around 30 kg/m2
→ High temp & humidity within the house when outside temperatures are high lead to deaths through heat stress
Describe thinning
Initial high stocking density and later removing part of the flock as they grow → more efficient use of floor area
→ Carried out several times during one flock cycle
→ Causes stress + many flocks positive to Campylobacter after thinning
Why is temperature control important?
Birds do not sweat, they pant (lose heat by evaporation → keep the environmental temperature within a thermoneutral zone
Thermoneutral zone
- If out of TMZ poultry waste energy = shivering when cold or panting when hot
- Feed use by birds minimal within TMZ
- TMZ: food intake and body weight decreases and FCR increases (less efficient use of feed)
Breed differences, feather cover, stocking density etc will affect temperature regulation
How is humidity and air quality controlled?
- Heat stress increases with high humidity
- Humidifiers used to reduce dust and respiratory distress
- Good insulation reduces condensation
Why is humidity and air quality control important?
- Poultry houses have v. high levels of inhalable dust
+/- high levels of endotoxins and microbes - 21 ppm of ammonia in the air is common in poultry houses which affects human and bird health
so If ventilation is inadequate - poultry performance (growth and health) is reduced
What is min ventilation?
Min ventilation = fresh air for oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, moisture and aerial pollutants
How is min ventilation calculated? MSTD
2m3 air per second per tonne of feed
consumed daily (MSTD)
What is max ventilation capacity?
Maximum ventilation capacity must remove all excess heat in hot weather at max stocking capacity
Light intensity, duration, spectral
composition (UV) and photoperiod affect what?
Poultry development
Performance
Reproduction
Egg production
Behaviour
Which housing control has the most direct effect on egg production?
Lighting - influence egg production and efficiency
Eg of lighting strategy that is not permitted in the UK as affect the diurnal rhythm of birds
ahemeral
Why are lighting programmes used for broilers?
- Encourage young chicks to feed
- Prevent unwanted behaviours e.g. feather pecking and cannibalism
What are the concerns from welfare groups on lighting manipulation?
Birds should have at least 8 hours of continuous darkness to allow them to rest
What are the biosecurity measures for poultry housing? (5)
- Restrict access
- Sterilise feed, water and litter & filter air
- Shower and change before entry (boot dipping, hand washing and sterilisation)
- All-in all-out production system = flock go through stages of production as a group + full clean up/sterelization between groups
- Clean, disinfect, (fumigate) and rest the area before introducing next
birds
Lecture 2 page 1
