POULTRY

SCIENCE
Breeds
Management
Industry
 WHAT IS POULTRY?
domesticated fowl raised for meat and/or eggs

Primary species used in US Poultry industry:

• Chickens (meat and eggs)
• Turkeys (meat)

Other species include:

• Ducks
• Geese
• Quail
• Phesant
• Emus
• Ostriches
POULTRY
SCIENCE
Breeds
Management
Industry
 CLASSES OF CHICKEN BREEDS
• American • Mediterranean
– Clean legged; no feathers – Smaller bodied birds
on shanks – Clean legged
– Yellow legs and beaks – White earlobes
– Red earlobes – Lay white eggs
– Lay brown eggs

• English • Asiatic
– Large bodies
– White skin (except Cornish
has yellow) – Feathered shanks; feathers
– Red earlobes on legs
– Lay brown eggs – Red earlobes
– Lay brown eggs
MEAT PRODUCING CHICKEN BREEDS

Cornish Cross Chicken

• Cross breed of chicken
(White Cornish and commonly White
Plymouth Rock )

• White feathers

• Heavy musculature and

broad breasted

• These birds are called Broilers

MEAT PRODUCING TURKEY BREEDS
Broad Breasted White
Turkey
• Originated as a cross breed
(White Holland & Broad Breasted Bronze)

• White feathers

• Most commonly used in

commercial operations

• Have very emphasized muscularity

and growth rate

• Have such large breasts are unable

to reproduce naturally. Instead,
they must be artificially
inseminated.
MEAT PRODUCING TURKEY BREEDS
Turkeys are used primarily for meat production.
There are several different varieties of turkey.
Broad Breasted Bronze Slate Bourbon Red

White Holland Narragansett Black

 BREEDS IN EGG PRODUCTION
• These female chickens are
called LAYERS

• Hens will only lay eggs during

their laying cycle
•  Most hens start to lay
around 4-6 months of age
 How can you tell what
color eggs a chicken may
produce?
e r co l o r
Feath
AF eetlobed
white colohen
r
will lay white eggs,
l
whilecaored orlobed
l ob e
Ear hen will lay brown
eggs….
 BREEDS IN EGG PRODUCTION
Leghorn
(Mediterranean)

• Most abundant egg laying breed

• White feathered, small hens

(smaller than broilers)

• Lays large white eggs

• Used in commercial egg

production
BREEDS IN EGG PRODUCTION
White Plymouth Rock
(American)

• White feathered, large hens

• Lays brown eggs

• Not as efficient as Leghorn

DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS
These birds are use for both meat and eggs.

New Hampshire
(American)

• Red feathered

• Heavy bodied hens

• Lays LARGE
brown eggs

• Not quite as efficient in meat or

egg production as other breeds
 DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS
Wyandotte
(American)

• Round Bodied birds

• Come in several different varieties

(White, Buff, Silver-Laced, Colombian,
Black…)

• Lay brown eggs

• Not quite as efficient in meat or

egg production as other breeds
DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS
Rhode Island Red
(American)

• Long Rectangular body

• Deep red feathers

• Lay brown eggs

• Not quite as efficient in meat or

egg production as other breeds
 DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS
Barred Plymouth Rock
(American)

• “Barred” refers to the variety of

Plymouth Rock. (notice the barred
feathers)

• Feathers have sharply defined dark lines

• Large bodied birds

• Lays brown eggs

• Not quite as efficient in meat or egg

production as other breeds
DUAL PURPOSE BREEDS
Cochin
(Asiatic)
• Massive appearance with breast
carried low

• Long feathering and abundantly

feathered shanks

• Come in several different varieties

(Buff, Partridge, White, Black)

• Lays brown eggs

• Not quite as efficient in meat or egg

POULTRY
SCIENCE
Breeds
Management
Industry
GENERAL POULTRY MANAGEMENT
1. Housing
2. Feeding/ Watering
3. Maintenance
1. HOUSING
Size of coop should correlate with the size of flock
(the flock numbers=coop area)

• HOUSING DESIGN SHOULD:

– Accommodate for birds’ purpose
– Provide shelter and adequate ventilation
– Protect poultry from predators
– Keep litter dry and safe from weather

• BAISIC EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

– Water and feeders
– Litter (wood shavings or hay)
– Appropriate lighting
– Brooder (when needed)
TYPES OF HOUSING

Brooder: young birds

kept at a consistent 90 -91°F temp.
in first few week(s) of life.

Grower house: meat producers

Layer house: laying hens Contains abundant feed and water
Contains nest boxes for layers
2. FEEDING/ WATERING
receive diets with different levels All poultry should be fed ad
protein and energy (Corn and libitum: having feed available 24/7
Soybean)
GROWER BIRDS
LAYER HENS: if protein is too high,
– Different feeds provide different
development happens too fast and
levels of protein
hens will lay too early
• Starter feed: 22-24% protein
Layer feed: 16% protein + Calcium (to
produce egg shells) • Grower feed: 15-18% protein
• Finisher feed: 16% protein
Mash- ingredients mixed together but each
ingredient remains separate; best for layers

Mash Crumbles Pellets Crumbles- chopped up pellets; best for

young meat birds

Pellets- ingredients finely ground then mixed

and compressed into larger pellets; best for
mature meat birds
How do I know what I’m feeding???
BL E !
he LA
ad t
Re
2. FEEDING/ WATERING
• Growth rate of meat birds is directly related to clean
water intake
• Clean water should always be available ad libitum
• Sanitizing containers will cut down on bacteria
3. MAINTENANCE
Lighting Programs:
• LAYERS
– approximately 14 hours of light per day is required
to stimulate a hen to lay an egg
– Artificial lighting in the winter (short-day days)
meet a laying hen’s
photoperiod requirement for laying eggs

• GROWERS
– Heat lamps maintain a warm environment for
young birds
– Heat lamps can be raised higher to lower temp
– Timed lights can be used to stimulate activity for
3. MAINTENANCE
• Ventilation/ humidity
– Fans and windows reduce
humidity and temperature
– need a dry living environment
to promote good health and
reduce ammonia levels
– Ammonia will give blisters

• Respond positively to
human interaction
(Important to periodically be around
birds; feed and water, collect eggs,
check on birds, clean pen interior and
litter…)
3. MAINTENANCE
culling: to select the best birds
by reducing the population of
undesirable birds

• Small, sick, stunted or deformed birds should be

removed when detected
• Reduce flock size by removing the smaller and
poorer fleshed birds at 4 wks of age
• Uniformity of birds and body quality will improve by
the increase in floor and feeder space
POULTRY
SCIENCE
Breeds
Management
Industry
INDUSTRY
• Vertical integration: all aspects of the industry are
owned by the same company

‐ For example: Tyson or Sanderson Farms will own its

own feed mill, hatchery, and processing plants, trucking
fleet, veterinarians...etc.

‐ No middle man; reduces costs of paying a third party

Did you know: over 90% of poultry raised for human consumption in the US are
produced by independent farmers working under contract with integrated
companies
EGG PRODUCTION
Caged Egg production:
• Hens are kept in cages with
sloped floors that allow eggs to
roll to the front of the cage to be
collected

• waste products are continually

and automatically removed to
maintain a clean living
Over 6 billion eggs produced commercially
environment.
each month in US

Each hen lays ~250 eggs per year

Iowa and Ohio produce the most

commercial eggs
MEAT PRODUCTION
90% are further processed (lunch meat, pizza toppings..)
10% sold as whole carcass

Broilers are raised to ~4.25-7lbs

Turkeys are raised to ~18-45lbs

• Virtually all commercial meat birds are white feathered

• Meat birds are raised in environmentally controlled houses
with ad libitum access to feed and water to promote growth
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…

• Why do most commercial meat birds have white

feathers?

• Why would it be important to vertically integrate

the industry?

• Why would the industry mix breeds?