Poultry

1
Poultry!
2
Poultry Terms

• Hen- female that lays eggs.
• Pullet- female that has not laid eggs
• Rooster- male chicken

3
Poultry Terms

• Chick baby chicken
• Broilers- chicken used for meat (4-4.5 lbs)

4
Poultry Terms

• Layers- chickens used primarily for laying eggs.
  
• Example White leghorn

5
Poultry consumption

• Americans eat on average 75 pounds of poultry/year

6
Interesting Facts!

• The Comb of a chicken functions as its cooling
  system. Chickens do not sweat like humans. The
  chicken cools itself by circulating its blood
  throughout its comb and wattles.

7
Poultry

• On mature poultry the red parts under the beak
  are the wattles
• The red part on top of the head is the comb

Comb
wattle
8
Interesting Facts

• The Earlobe color can tell you what color egg the
  chicken will lay.
• If the chicken has a white earlobe, it will lay a
  white-shelled egg.
• If it has a red earlobe, it will lay a
  brown-shelled egg

9
Purpose of Feathers

• Feathers basically serve as the bird's
  protection.
• Insulate the bird from the cold
• Protect the bird's skin from getting wet
• Help the bird fly or glide to safety.

10
The Poultry Industry
11
Small Scale Operations

• Backyard Chickens
• Kept for egg production
• Meat production
• Pest control (bugs)
• Pets

12
Large Scale Operations

• Main objectives
• efficiently and economically provide a
  comfortable, healthy environment for growing
  birds.
• Temperature, air quality, humidity and light are
  critical factors to consider.

13
Large Scale Operations

• Failure to provide the adequate environment
  during the brooding period will reduce
  profitability, resulting in reduced growth and
  development, poorer feed conversion, and
  increased disease and mortality.

14

• Managing the house and chicks correctly will get
  chicks off to a good start.

15
When adequate house temperature is obtained and
chicks are well managed, they should be
distributed throughout the house and not huddling
together
16
Broiler houses

• The typical broiler house holds between 10,000-
  100,000 birds
• Large houses (50 x 500 ft)
• Very dark (so birds arent active)
• Automated feeding

17
Broiler houses

• Most broiler houses are similar in structure,
  with insulated roofs and litter-covered dirt
  floors.
• Ventilation is provided either by natural air
  movement or power ventilation systems using fans.
  
• The tunnel ventilation system using fans in the
  house has become popular with many companies.

18
Egg Layers
19
Battery Cages

• battery cages/laying cages are a confinement
  system used primarily for egg-laying hens
• sloped floor that allows eggs to roll out to the
  front of the cage, where they are easily
  collected.
• 98 of US eggs are produced by hens in battery
  cages

20
Pros

• Eggs are cleaner
• Conveyor belts run underneath cages to remove
  manure
• Manure is removed ? decrease in smell parasites

21
Cons

• Animal Welfare scientists have been critical of
  battery cages because they do not provide hens
  with sufficient space to stand, walk, flap their
  wings, perch or make a nest.
• It is widely considered that hens suffer through
  boredom and frustration through being unable to
  perform these behaviors
• Battery cages are banned in other countries such
  as Sweden, Switzerland Finland

22
Alternatives

• Free Range Chickens/Eggs
• Free range is a method of farming husbandry where
  the animals are permitted to roam freely instead
  of being contained in any manner.
• The animals are allowed as much freedom as
  possible, to live out their instinctual behaviors
  in a reasonably natural way.
• More humane

23
Practices in Poultry Industry

• Debeaking- Removal of top of beak, prevents
  cannibalism.

24
Practices in the poultry industry

• Egg candling - is a method used in embryology to
  study the growth and development of an embryo
  inside an egg.
• The method uses a bright light source behind the
  egg to show details through the shell, and is so
  called because the original sources of light used
  were candles

25
Embryology

• Embryology is the study of the development of an
  embryo
• Embryo - an organism in a stage before birth or
  hatching

26
How to candle an egg Hold the large end of an
egg up to the candling light in a slanting
position. You can see the air cell, the yolk and
the white. The air cell is nearly always in the
large end of the shell. Hold the egg between your
thumb and first two fingers.

27
(No Transcript)
28
Poultry Carcass Evaluation

• Objective Define terminology used in poultry
  carcass selection and evaluation

29
Why Grade Poultry Carcasses?

• To insure quality before it is sold
• Prevent the selling of an unwholesome product

• Did you know?
• Grading is voluntary and paid for by the meat
  packer?

30
Grading Poultry Carcasses

• USDA Grades indicate quality not sanitation
• Ready-to-cook means that certain parts have been
  removed
• head
• feet and feathers
• blood
• viscera (soft internal organs)

31
What are the Grades?

• Poultry Carcass Grades
• Grade A
• Sold in stores
• Grade B
• Often not a grade sold in stores
• Grade C
• Usually used for processing into other food
  products

32
Evaluation Factors
Poultry carcasses are graded on the following
factors

• conformation
• fleshing
• fat covering
• exposed flesh
• discoloration

• disjointed and broken bones
• missing parts
• freezing defects

33
Evaluation Factors

• Conformation ideal is normal breastbone, back,
  legs and wings
• Fleshing well fleshed or muscled is ideal
• Fat Covering well covered is ideal
• Exposed Flesh none is ideal.

34
Evaluation Factors

• 5. Discoloration Bruises not allowed on breast
  and legs of grade A
• 6. Disjointed and broken bones - no broken and 1
  disjointed allowed for grade A
• 7. Missing parts wing tips and tail can be
  missing on grade A
• 8. Freezing defects slight ones allowed for
  grade A
• - Freezer burn discolors and dries out poultry

35
PARTS OF THE EGG
36
Parts

• Shell protects egg. Porous allows for
  exchange of gases (9000 pores in 1 egg!)
• Air cell part of the egg containing only air.
  The fresher the egg the smaller the air cell.
• Germinal disc - The entrance for fertilization.
• Shell membranes membranes on the inside of the
  shell. Protect the contents of the egg from
  bacteria and prevent moisture from leaving the
  egg too quickly.

37
Parts

• Chalaza pair of spiral bands that anchor the
  yolk in the center of the egg
• Embryo bird which has not yet hatched.
• yolk part of the egg which develops into an
  embryo once the egg has been fertilized.
• Albumen white of the egg, which nourishes the
  embryo once the egg has been fertilized.

38
Poultry/Hen Reproduction
39
MAJOR DIFFERENCES

• The embryo of livestock develops inside the
  female while poultrys embryo develops inside the
  egg outside the body.

40

• Birds have only 1 left ovary and oviduct at
  maturity. The right ovary does not function.
• The ovary is responsible for egg (ova) production
  hormone production

41

• The ovary produces ova (eggs) and hormones.

42

• In poultry, the yolk inside the egg is the ovum
  (female reproductive cell)

43

• Ventoutside opening (where egg comes out)

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vRAiTOuSyJsQ http//
www.youtube.com/watch?vAq9Xc2lX_4I
44
(No Transcript)
45
Hen Reproductive Tract
Ovary
46

• Ovary- produces ova, yolk, hormones. part where
  yellow, round egg yolks of different sizes are
  attached

47

• Infundibulum-place of fertilization. Funnel
  shaped end of oviduct

48

• Magnum- secretes thick egg white (albumen)

49

• 1. Isthmus-add the 2 shell membranes
• 2. Uterus- secretes the shell and shell pigment
• 3. Vagina- holds the egg until its laid

1
2
3
50

• Cloaca inside the vent of both male and
  females. Posterior opening for reproductive,
  intestinal and urinary tracts.

51
How long does it take a hen to lay an egg?

• Ovulation- release of mature yolk from the ovary.
• Infundibulum- receives the yolk, about 15 minutes
  spent.
• Yolk moves into magnum 50 of albumen is added.
  Takes 3 hours.
• Spends 1.5 hours in the Isthmus. Shell membranes
  added.

52
How long does it take a hen to lay an egg?
Continued.

• Spends the next 21 hours in the Uterus.
• Remainder of albumen is added.
• Shell pigment also happens here.
• Vagina- the fully formed egg enters cloaca and is
  hard.
• 30 minutes after egg is laid process happens
  again.
• Takes about 24 to 25 hours for chickens.

53
Cloaca
54
Egg Function is reproduction, but is eaten as
food by humans and wild animals
55
The ROOSTER

• 2 Testes are located in the abdominal cavity near
  the backbone

56
(No Transcript)
57
Semen is carried from the testes to the cloaca by
a small tube called the vas deferens. Both VD
exit through a small penis-like organ called a
papilla.
58
Natural lighting conditions in spring stimulate
sperm production, and conditions in autumn
depress production.
59
rooster papilla or phallus
60
If the female is receptive, she will crouch. The
male steps on her back, squats down so that the
vents can touch, and releases the semen. Cloaca
kiss
61
Sperm cells must then migrate the whole length of
the female reproductive tract to join with the
egg cell that is on the yolk. Fertilization
occurs in the infundibulum.
62
Male and females sexually mature at about five
months of age. A female lays between 90
and 200 eggs per year.
63
All hens like to lay their eggs in a nest that is
in a quiet, semi-darkened, well-prepared place
with good, clean nesting material.
64
Some chickens and ducks can lay an egg every day
for more than 300 consecutive days!!
65
Chicken Eggs hatch in about 21 days. Chicks are
covered with soft down at birth.
66

• During the first 24 hours after hatching, the
  chicks consume the remainder of the yolk.

67
HEN Judging-Is she a good layer??

• Things to consider
• Present Production
• (Is she laying now?)
• Should have large, moist vent and large red comb
  and wattles

68

• Past Production
• Should have frayed feathers and exhibit loss of
  pigment in the yellow parts of her body
• Rate of Production
• Should have soft, pliable abdomen, thin skin

69
Judging Past Production Laying Hens

• Pigment Loss (Bleaching of yellow parts)
• Chickens start to lay eggs at sexual maturity
  (16-22 weeks). The pigment then bleaches from the
  pigmented areas (legs, vent, earlobe, beak) in a
  definite order according to the approximate
  number of eggs she has laid

70
Coloration

• Pigment Loss
• Bleaching of yellow parts
• Yellowpoor layer
• Bleachinggood layer

71
Weeks Pigment Loss Occurs
Look at p. 78
72
Good Layer

• Notice the white appearance of the shanks (legs)

73
Poor Layer

• Notice how much yellow pigment is still in the
  shanks

74
Notice the Desired Vent on the Left
75
   
76
Example of how to measure pullets Body Mass
77
Incubating Eggs!
78
What is incubation?

• Artificial means of keeping an egg warm until
  hatching.
• Done in an incubator- artificially heated
  container.
• Still-air incubator- air is not circulated.
• Force-air incubator- has a fan to circulate air.

79
What are the different methods of incubating eggs?

• Laying eggs in the incubator and turning them by
  hand every day.
• Using an automatic turner
• Stop turning 3 days before hatching
• The incubator must be kept at a certain
  temperature range 99 to 101 F.
• Humidity 60

80

• Incubation times
• Chicken egg - 21 days.
• Turkeys - 28 days.
• Ducks - 33-35 days
• Button Quail 18 days
• Ostrich Emu 40-50 days

emu egg
81
How does the chick get out?

• Baby birds and reptiles have a special tool to
  help them break out of their eggs. It is called
  an egg tooth. The egg tooth is a small, pointed
  projection on the top of the beak, near the very
  tip. It is made of the same hard material as the
  beak.
• When the bird is ready to hatch, the egg tooth is
  like a little can opener. The chicks will pip the
  shell (make a little hole), and chip away at the
  shell as it moves around the shell.

82
brooder

• Newly hatched chicks need to be kept warm in a
  Brooder
• Many different types
• Well be using homemade ones (easy to make and
  inexpensive)
• Can be made from plastic tubs
• Wooden/Cardboard box

83
temperature

• Maintaining the correct temperature is crucial!
• The newly hatched chick is poorly equipped to
  control its body temperature.
• As a result, the young chick is dependent on
  environmental temperature to maintain optimal
  body temperature
• The chick develops the ability to regulate its
  body temperature around 12 to 14 days of age
• 95 degrees for the 1st week drop by 5 degrees
  every week until 6 weeks old

84
Are they hot or cold?

• Chicks that are cold will be huddled together or
  trying to lay directly under the heat/light
  source
• Chicks that are hot will move away from the heat
  source, will pant and will stretch out on the
  litter in efforts to cool themselves
• Cold chicks are louder! peep peep

85
Handling baby chicks

• Wash hands BEFORE and AFTER touching the chicks
• If youre sick do not handle
• Be very careful handling them
• Hold on to them carefully (do not squeeze them
  their bones are fragile)
• Sit down at desk and hold them over the desk