984254poultry Module
984254poultry Module
984254poultry Module
Learning Objectives
• Understand the role of poultry in a farm
system, with an emphasis on chickens
• Learn how to care for adults & chicks
• Learn how to produce eggs, meat, and other
products
• Learn about pasture-based production models
• Slaughtering basics
Terminology
• Hen – mature female chicken ( > 1 year old)
• Pullet – immature female chicken ( < 1 year old)
• Cockerel – immature male ( < 1 year old)
• Rooster – male chicken ( > 1 year old)
• Molt – natural process of shedding feathers
• Brood – hen that sits to lay egg or cover chick; the
action of caring for a chick
• Crop – pouch where chicken digests food
• Vent – opening through which hens lay eggs
Why Raise Poultry?
• Entertainment
• Growing poultry for
competitions
• Geese and Turkey for Hunting
• Chicken and Egg Festivals
•Education
• birds are relatively small animals
so younger children can work with
them easily
Why Raise Poultry?
• Eggs
Poultry eggs are a regular source of protein and other nutrients that
contribute to a healthy diet. The eggs you collect can be used for sale, your
own diet, and the shells can be ground up & recycled into the feed as grit.
Grit is needed to allow the gizzard to grind hard seeds in the bird’s diet.
Heat Lamp
Water Source
Chicken Breeds
There are a number of breeds of chickens organized into two groups
depending on their type and level of production.
• Meat Production (not limited to)
– Cornish/Rock cross broilers
– Jersey Giant
– Dark Cornish
– Brahma
• Egg Layers (not limited to)
– Leghorn
– Rhode Island Red
– Buff Orpington
– Plymouth Rock
Egg Production
• A layer’s production often depends on the breed but will normally range
from 250-280 eggs/year for chickens.
• Egg color is also dependant on breed
– White – Leghorns
– Brown – Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Black
Australorp, New Hampshire Red
– Brown egg layers range from 150-200 eggs/year.
• Yolk Color
– This depends on the pigments in the feed. Green plants & food scraps
will make the yolks orange while corn & soy feeding results in light
yellow yolks.
• Hens start laying at 5-6 months of age.
– Production rates will decrease as the hen grows older.
– To maintain profit, replace hens every 2-3 years.
Winter Production
Egg production will decline in the fall and may even cease during the winter
months. However by controlling the amount of light the hen receives, laying
can continue. Below are two examples of light usage in order to maintain
production during the winter.
• 40-60 watt bulb turned on for 16 hours a day: this can be controlled
manually or by timer if available.
• 15 watt bulb 24 hours/day: this option does not require a timer or for you
to manually track the time of light exposure.
Egg Processing
Once you have collected your eggs from the hen they must be properly
cleaned & stored
Cleaning
eggs have a natural antibacterial coating on them called the bloom,
maintains egg quality in storage
If possible, dry clean your eggs to preserve bloom. Use a clean
abrasive cleaning pad without soap.
If needed wash eggs in warm running water, do not soak
Keep nest boxes clean to avoid egg washing
Storage
1 month or more at refrigerator temperature
2-3 months at below 55 degrees at 75% humidity
Keep in mind that egg quality can diminish in storage
Meat Bird Slaughtering
Home slaughter of Use upward thrust of tool
Remove entrails with sharp
just a few birds handle to sever head; or can
knife being careful not to nick
hang upside down & sever
gall bladder
carotid artery with knife
Wash &
Pluck
refrigerate
feathers or
dressed bird
simply peel
and edible
off the skin
organ meats
Also see these videos
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsiHfXnYmayiPvVLNZbMPfo23TDXPJOFa
Larger number of birds: use mobile or stationary slaughtering equipment including plucker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf2ByM_NByI
Chicken Coop Design
There are a number of things that need to be considered when designing a
chicken coop.
• Protection from weather such as wind, heat and cold
• Requires adequate ventilation
• Feeders should have 5-6 inches per bird as a general rule
while water sources are 1-2 inches per bird
• Roosts should be provide 8-12 inches of roost space per adult
and should be separated by at least a foot (12-15 inches)
• Nest boxes are usually a 12 inch x 12 inch structure that is
around 2 feet off the ground. 1 box per 5 hens.
Coop Styles
• Mobile (free range pastured poultry)
– Can be adjusted to change locations to access
fresh vegetation
– Birds need to be trained to go inside
at night in new locations
– Need to protect birds from predators
• Stationary
– Creates a permanent home for birds with an
unchanging location
– Often more durable
– Easy to train birds to roost at night
– Birds will kill surrounding vegetation
Disease Prevention
• Sanitation – cleaning up coops, roosts, and nests on a regular
basis in order to prevent contamination of the eggs and illness
for the poultry.
• Adequate Space – provide enough space for birds to roam and
be isolated if need be. This decreases the chances of a
disease from spreading from bird to bird.
• Fresh air and ventilation – utilize air and gas exchange to
remove excess heat, dust particles, moisture (products of
normal activity), as well as any harmful gases and disease-
causing organisms that my be present. Oxygen-rich air
promotes optimal production.
Disease Prevention
• Proper Nutrition
– What you feed and how much will influence your production results.
Be sure to have a balanced diet that includes all types of nutrients.
See http://www.ag.auburn.edu/~chibale/an12poultryfeeding.pdffor a
more in depth description of poultry feeding.
• Culling
– Culling means to eliminate birds with undesirable characteristics; or
those which have passed prime laying age. Cockerels should be culled
young for best eating.
Toulouse goose
Protect from Predators & Pests
Provide your poultry with a coop that is
inaccessible to predators such as raccoons,
hawks, weasels, and coyotes. Use electric fencing.