Poultry Essentials

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Poultry Essentials
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Facilities

• Expensive housing is not needed
• Housing must be clean, dry, and well ventilated.
• Brooder or heat lamps must be present to warm
  chicks.
• Feeders and waters needed
• 2 sq. feet needed per broiler
• Have three open sides for clean fresh air to
  enter
• Floor should be at least 6 inches tall to prevent
  water from entering

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Topics to Discuss

• The following topics will be discussed
• Facilities
• Facility Preparation
• Rearing
• Lighting
• Nutrition
• Health
• Selecting the Exhibition Entry
• Conformation
• Handling and Transportation

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Facilities Preparation

• Clean and disinfect poultry house, feeders, and
  waters before chicks arrive
• Wash house with soap and water
• Spray commercial disinfectant labeled for use in
  poultry houses.
• Be prepared 2 days in advance
• Put at least 4 inches of litter on the floor

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Facilities Preparation cont.

• Electric heat lamps are good heat sources for
  brooding chicks
• Two 125-watt bulbs per 50 chicks are recommended
• Lamps should be secured so they do not fall to
  the litter.
• Should hang 18-24 inches from litter
• Lamps can be raised or lowered depending on
  temperature.

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Rearing

• Temperature should be 60-75 F at 4 weeks of age.
• When weather permits during winter months house
  should be partially opened to improve airflow
• Additional heat may be needed when low
  temperatures are present
• Fans or evaporative cooling systems may be needed
  when hot temperatures are present (birds should
  be at least 4 weeks old)

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Lighting

• Lights should be on 24 hrs/day
• 24 hour lighting improves feathering and
  increases weight, especially during summer months
• Have 40-watt bulb at least 6 feet above birds
  after removing heat lamps

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Nutrition

• Optimum performance is dependent on proper
  nutrition
• Fresh feed is important
• Must have high quality poultry feed with at least
  20 protein
• Turkey or game feed may be used in the beginning
  to stimulate early growth
• Feed higher protein first two weeks, then switch
  broiler feed for remaining feeding period

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Nutrition cont.

• Small amounts of broiler feed lightly moistened
  with cooking oil and fed several times during day
  will stimulate older birds to eat more.
• Do not put more moistened feed than the birds can
  eat in 10 to 15 minutes.
• Do not moisten the feed until feeding time
• An adequate level of vitamins is required to
  prevent leg weakness
• Water soluble poultry vitamins can be added to
  water for first seven days.
• Do not add vitamins past first seven days

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Nutrition cont.

• Feeder
• One pie or cookie pan for feed and one chick
  waterer per 25 chicks are needed the first seven
  days.
• First 4 weeks one tube-type feeder per 25
  chicks
• After 4 weeks one tube-type feeder per 15 birds

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Nutrition cont.

• Water
• Clean fresh water must be available at all times
• First 4 weeks One 2-gallon waterer per 50
  chicks
• End of 4 weeks One 2-gallon waterer per pen is
  required after birds are culled
• Waterers should be rinsed daily and scrubbed
  twice a week.

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Nutrition cont.

• Feed should be kept in front of birds at all
  times for maximum growth to occur.
• Tube feeders are preferred over horizontal
  feeders
• Feeders and waterers should be kept adjusted so
  that trough portion is level with the back height
  of the birds
• Walk through birds and stir feed three to five
  times per day
• Will provide exercise and increased feed
  consumption

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Health

• Keep all other poultry away from broilers and
  roasters.
• Medication should not be given unless birds are
  sick or stressed.
• Chicks purchased from late August to early
  November should be vaccinated for fowl pox by 14
  days of age.
• Parasites are seldom a problem where birds are
  properly managed and sanitary conditions
  maintained

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Selecting the Exhibition Entry

• At show time examine birds carefully for physical
  defects that would cause them to be sifted. These
  include
• Cuts and tears
• Broken and disjointed bones
• Skin or flesh bruises anywhere other than on the
  wing tip
• Breast blisters
• Insect bites
• External parasites (lice, mites or fleas)
• Extremely dirty birds

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Conformation

• Length. The breastbone should be long, straight,
  free from defects such as dents or knobs and
  carry well forward and back between the legs. The
  breastbone should be parallel to the backbone.
• Width. The back should be long and wide with a
  broad spring of ribs.
• Depth. The body should be full and deep.
  Body-depth must be consistent with breast width.
  Length, width and depth should be well balanced.
• Fleshing (the amount and distribution of muscle
  or flesh on the bird) The breast, thighs and
  drumsticks carry the bulk of meat and should be
  examined closely. The breast meat is the most
  valued part of bird and should be given maximum
  consideration. Breast muscle should be wide
  throughout the length of the keel bone. The
  muscle should carry well up to the crest of the
  bone. A dimpled breast is desirable. The thighs
  and drumsticks should be heavily muscled.

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Conformation

• Uniformity. Each broiler should be as near a
  carbon copy of its pen mates as possible in size,
  shape, fleshing and finish.
• One bird can affect, the rating of the entire
  pen.
• Uniformity is not a factor with roaster entries
  unless pens of two or three birds are shown.
• Finish. (amount of fat in and immediately under
  the skin)
• Without adequate finish, a well-fleshed broiler
  will lose a great deal of eye appeal.
• Fat deposition between feather tracts on the side
  of the breast is the best indication of finish.
• Do not confuse finish and pigmentation (skin
  color).
• Skin Pigmentation. Skin pigmentation results from
  the deposition of yellow or yellow-orange
  pigments in the outer skin layer. It is not an
  indication of finish. Only minor emphasis should
  be placed on pigmentation

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Handling and Transportation

• Record leg bands of birds selected for show
• Large cardboard boxes are ideal carriers.
• Never place more than four broilers or two
  roasters in a box when transporting them to show
• Put 4 inches of litter in the container so
  breasts will not bruise or become reddened
• Be certain to cut adequate air holes in side
• Avoid bruising birds while taking them out of
  container
• DO NOT DROP CONTAINERS!
• Check birds carefully for bruises one final time
  before presenting them to the sifter.

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Show Broiler Management - Timeline

• Please refer to pg. 51 of the Managing County 4-H
  Livestock and Horse Programs User Guide

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Conclusions

• The importance of adequate facilities and
  facility preparation
• The importance of properly rearing birds
• Sufficient lighting is important for feather
  growth and warmth.
• Proper diets and nutritional information about
  feeding birds should be identified.
• Importance of health in raising poultry.
• Selection of birds for show is based on many
  factors.
• Confirmation of pen is a must in order to be
  successful
• Mishandling and transportation to show can be
  detrimental to the success of the birds.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development