The Poultry Industry

The Poultry Industry

Unit Objectives

• Summarize why the poultry industry is rapidly growing.

• Define Vertical Integration

• Explain how broilers are produced in modern operations

• describe how modern hatcheries operate

• Discuss modern layer operations

• Describe modern turkey production

Worldwide consumption of poultry is increasing.

• Efficiency in production allows the cost to consumers to lower.

• Variety of products meeting the needs of consumers.

• Products have expanded, for example using parts that used to seem useless such as wings.

• 1.25 million wing consumed on super bowl sunday!

• Chinese find chicken feet a delicacy and we ship them over 300,000 metric tons!

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Widely Accepted Source of Meat

• Some countries won't eat Pork such as Jewish and Moslem

• Hindu won't eat Beef

• China is the largest producer of poultry in the world, along with the countries of the former Soviet Union and USA.

• Per Capita consumption of chicken in the U. S. is over 108lbs, and has tripled since 1960

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Breeder Industry

• Breeders develop genetic lines of chickens or other poultry that produce chicks for certain segments of the industry.

• Birds are bred to conform to a particular market, developed through genetics and research.

• fast food chicken comes from 6-7lb. chicken

• Chicken strips come from larger bird, over 10lbs.

Breeder Industry

• sterile facilities

• Workers must shower and wear sterile clothing

• Sealed buildings to keep out rodents

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Broiler Industry

• The Raising of chickens for meat.

• Industry concentrated in the Southeast where there are mild winters.

• Leading states are Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama

What is a Broiler

• A bird that is grown out to and is dressed for market. Usually a hybrid, or crossbred.

• Takes as little as 45 days from the time they are hatched to market

• Range from 6-10lbs

• Most are raised on contract between a company and a producer

• Vertical Integration-the company owns the hatchery, feed mills, processing plants, and distribution centers

Fill in the Blank

Most broilers are ____________________ birds, meaning they are the result of the mating of different breeds of chickens.

Broiler Houses

• Designed to provide clean comfortable environment

• Hold 6,000-40,000 birds

• Many aspects of comfort

• Lighting used to prevent cannibalism

• Litter must be removed periodically and is rich in Nitrogen and a valuable source of protein

Multiple Choice

A broiler house holds about how many birds?

• 1,000-2,000

• 5,000-10,000

• 6,000-40,000

• 20,000-100,000

Broiler Production

• Begins with production of eggs to be hatched for young broilers

• Hens chosen by who grows fast and yields large amounts of meat.

  Layers-produce eggs for consumption and selected for their egg laying capacity

• Most Broilers are hybrids-to reach desired outcome

• Heterosis or Hybrid Vigor-resulting crossbred animal is healthier and grows faster than purebred.

• Consumers prefer non pigmented chicken skin.

Multiple Choice

According to ___________, crossbred animals are generally healthier and grow faster than purebred ones.

• Pigmentation

• Layers

• Hybrids

• Hybrid Vigor

Egg Production

Main purpose of eggs is Reproduction

In poultry the eggs are produced in the body and then expelled, which means development of the embryo happens outside of the body.

Multiple Choice

If hens are comfortable they will lay eggs more efficiently.

• True

• False

Egg Production Process

• Relase of the ovum from the ovary. Follicle in the ovary ruptures and it's released.

• Ovum falls into the funnel shaped infundibulum where it is held for 20 minutes. This is where fertilization occurs if hen mated.

• Egg then moves into the magnum, a tubelike tract, where cells secrete mucin that devlops into the albumen (egg white) which is high in protein and acts as food for develoing ovum.

Multiple Choice

The magnum produces a substance called __________________ which develops into the albumen, or egg white.

• ovum

• infundibulum

• mucin

• chalazae

Multiple Choice

Egg production begins with the release of the ____________________ from the ovary

• magnum

• infundibulum

• albumen

• ovum

Egg Production Process

• As the albumen surrounds the ovum, or yolk, a ropelike structure works to hold the yolk in place in center of the egg.

• Process takes 3 hours for egg to move through magnum and into the isthmus.

• Here inner and outer shell membranes are formed by the addition of mineral salts. These lie just inside the hard shell.

• Next, it moves into the uterus (shell gland) where the shell is formed,18-22 hr

• This is when shell may be colored depending on the breed.

Multiple Choice

This is where the mineral salts are added and the inner and outer shell membranes are formed.

• infundibulum

• isthmus

• shell

• ovum

Egg Anatomy

• Oval Shaped with one end smaller than the other

• Process of laying is activated by Oxytocin, a hormone that causes the uterus to contract and forces the egg through the vagina and out the cloaca

• After half hour, process starts again.

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Hatching Eggs

• Eggs produced for hatching are laid in nest boxes to provide security

• Cleanliness is important to prevent contamination and disease in new chicks

• Microorganisms can grow easiliy in chicken manure

• Can't clean because it rubs the dirt into the pores and removes their protective coating.

Egg Processing

Before they leave the farm, hatching eggs are sorted to remove dirty, undersized, oversized, misshapen, or defective eggs.

Egg Processing

• Next, they are fumigated to kill harmful organisms on teh surface

• Stored at 70-80 degrees and never chilled.

• Prepared for transport to hatcher

At the Hatchery

• placed in incubator

• Temperature gradually increased to prevent sweating

• Temp and humidity are carefully controlled.

Embryo Development

• Sperm can be viable for up to 32 days in the hen! Stored in sperm nests

• Germinal disk located on the yolk contains the genetic information and this is where actual fertilization occurs.

• Remains dormant until heat is added.

Embryo Development

• Circulatory system within 48 hours

• 3 layers of membranes after 3 days

• Eggs must be turned to prevent embryo from sticking to themembranes.

• Two rooms: Setting room and hatching room. Eggs stay in the setting room until 1-2 days before hatch.

Multiple Choice

At the end of the first week of incubation, most of the chick’s systems, like the lungs and nervous system, are developed.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

After what day of incubation do the three layers of membranes develop, forming the allantois, chorion, and amnion?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 5

Fill in the Blank

In commercial hatcheries, eggs are incubated in two separate rooms: ____________________ , where they remain until 1-2 days before hatching when they are moved in the hatching room.

When the Chicks Hatch

• Removed from incubator and cleaned, dried, and placed in a warm dry environment.

• Sexed by examining feathers

• 1 day old vaccinated and debeaked

• Transported to Broiler Houses

Broiler House

• Chicks kept warm with brooder

• Automatic feed and water

• kept here 6-7 weeks

• litter is valuable fertilizer

• Next, moved to slaughter at the processing plant.

The Layer Industry

• Whole egg consumption is down but egg products are up

• 90 % are Cage Operations

• 2-12 in a cage

• Birds developed to tolerate confinement

• Consumers simply prefer white eggs

• 14-15 hours of light per day for full production

• Eggs collected on a conveyor.

Multiple Choice

Hens raised for a _________ operation have been bred to tolerate confinement.

• Layer

• Broiler

• Breeder

• Embryo

Multiple Choice

Longer light periods stimulate the hen’s hormonal system into producing eggs.

• True

• False

The Turkey Industry

• Growing Industry, second only to chicken in poultry sales.

• Americans consume 17lbs per person

• 1/3 is sold in weeks near thanksgiving and Christmas

• Native turkey lacks muscling

• broad breasted highly devloped turkey we eat is not an efficient breeder due to heavy muscling

• Problem solved with AI

• Grown in Confinement Houses or Open Range

Other Poultry

• Ducks and Geese are a main part of the diet in China and Southeast Asia

• Not as susceptible to disease as chickens

• Feathers used to make bedding and such

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• 
  

• 
  

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Multiple Choice

In what two regions/countries are ducks and geese a major part of the overall diet?

• India and Japan

• U.S.A and Mexico

• China and Southeast Asia

• Canada and USA

Egg Processing Plant

• Eggs receive thin coat of mineral oil to prevent CO2 from escaping.

• Eggs are graded according to shape and size and checked for cracks, or interior spots by candling.

• Packaged and sent to retail market or a processing plant to be broken and processed.

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• 
  

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Multiple Choice

At the processing and packing plant, eggs are coated with mineral oil to prevent cracking.

• True

• False