Poultry Benson Test 2

How long is feed withdrawn prior to harvesting for the processing plant? Why is feed withdrawn?

8-12 hours To remove all visible fecal material

Approximately ______ billion broilers are processed each year, with the average processing plant doing about _________ birds each day to keep up with demand.

9 225,000-250,000

What is the difference between a 8 piece cut and a 9 piece cut?

9 piece cut includes the wishbone cut (cutting of the superior portion of the breast around the wishbone)

What are the ACRB and where are they housed?

Athens-Canadian Random Bred UGA poultry houses

What E. coli is a pathogen concern in human consumption?

E. coli O157:H7

What is the advantage of nipple drinkers?

more sanitary, less waste, easier to monitor consumption

Do birds sweat? How do they lose heat from evaporation?

no they pant

What is the advantages of using bedding? What are some different bedding sources?

pull moisture away from the birds pine shavings, rice hulls, peanut shells

This pigment is responsible for the brown coloration of some egg shells.

protoporphyrin

What bacteria type are considered spoilage bacteria?

psychrotropes

This this class of bacteria are considered "spoilage" bacteria since they grow at refrigeration temperatures.

psychrotrophs

Why are the sexes fed separately?

they have different body weight targets, which are met by feeding different amounts

What bacteria is more prevalent than Salmonella in poultry meat?

campylobacteria jejuni

What are evaporating cooling pads? Why not use them below 80 F?

used to cool air as it enters the house and adds humidity when the temperature is 80 F, the cost of the added humidity isn't worth it

What pigment, that is rich in corn, allows for the yellow coloration of the yolk?

xanthrophyll

After the ovum has been fertilized it is now called a _________, which has all 78 chromosomes.

zygote

When does cell division take place and in what area of the oviduct?

~3 hours after fertilization isthmus

What is the target weight at 18 weeks for white leghorn pullets?

~3 lbs

How many times are egg collected per day?

4x a day

What is the temperature danger zone?

5-60 C

What is a typical, modern broiler house dimensions?

50-500

Slaughter

1. Coop dumping -Forklifts take dump coops from live holding -Dump coops are tilted and birds slide onto a conveyor belt 2. Hanging -Birds are transferred from conveyor belt to shackles in preparation for stunning (lots of manual work in the hangers, considered toughest job in the plant) 3. Stunning -An electrical stunner is used to render the bird unconscious in preparation for automated killing -In the US we use low voltage (12-40V) and high frequency (500 Hz) for a short duration (3-5 seconds) ~The US stunning method is recoverable -In Europe, high voltage is used to electrocute the bird (kill it) -An alternative method is the use of LAPS (low atmospheric pressure system), birds die from asphyxiation. The post mortem birds are hung from shackles for processing ~Problem with LAPS is identifying DOA (dead on arrival) and it is illegal to process a bird if it isn't alive going into the plant 4. Killing -After stunning, the bird pass through an automatic killer that places the birds neck against a blade -Bird dies from cutting of the jugular and carotid (exsangunation) -Bleeding duration is ~60-120 seconds, which ensures death and that >40% of the blood is drained from the bird ~Goal is to ensure only dead birds enter the scalder: if bird is still alive in the scalder, the skin will be bright red and called a cadaver (condemned) 5. Scalding -Purpose is to loosen feathers for easier removal -Soft scalding vs Hard scalding ~Soft scalding (50 -54.5 C) Retains the cuticle and yellow pigmentation. Preferred for whole carcass market ~Hard scalding (55- 60 C) Removes the cuticle so white skin, this process is much better for further processing (batter/breading adhesion) 6. Picking -Goal is the remove all feathers -This was traditionally done by hand until the 60s when it became automated with the rubber picking finger -Chickens that have been killed, bled and had the feathers removed are known as "New York Dressed" a traditional processing stopping point 7. Transfer -The bird is removed from the shackle line and passed thru a wall and rehung for evisceration 8. Evisceration -Goal is to remove the visceral pack and associated organs from the carcass -The USDA-FSIS inspector inspects each carcass and the digestive tract must be kept intact and with the associated bird: ~5 possible outcomes: passed, condemned, viscera only condemned, trim and reprocessing (affected parts), cleaning reprocessing (surface contamination) -Portions of the carcass not normally consumed by humans called "offal" (blood, heads, feathers), while edible organs often called giblets (heart, liver, gizzard) 9. Giblet Harvesting: -Most US poultry facilities recover heart, liver and gizzard as giblets -Other parts of the word, several other organs (offal) are recovered 10. Washing -Carcass must be free of any contamination prior to entering the chilling system -Most plants do this by using a number of manual or automated carcass washing cabinets -One popular term is carcass washing is IOBW (inside-outside-bird-washer) 11. Chilling -Goal of chilling broilers is to chill the carcass to 4 C in less than four hours -In the US, water immersion is the most used method (works faster, less than an hour) ~Water immersion supporters say it increases product moistness, detractors say it increases the water is the carcass thus poultry companies selling expensive water. ~USDA allows a maximum of 12% water pickup in the chiller (must be on label) -Air chilling has become a popular niche market in the US ~Pros: reduce cross contamination ~Cons: drier carcass, less weight

Processing starts at Harvesting:

1. Feed withdrawn: -Primary goal is intestinal emptying (ZERO tolerance for visible fecal material going into chiller... all carcasses would be condemned) -Withdrawal is 8-12 hours (more than 12 hours they lose weight or live shrink, less and gut may not be empty ...It is NOT done to prevent feed wasting) 2. Harvesting: -Best done at night when its cool and dark. -Primarily still done by hand which is very difficult, so one of the highest paid hourly jobs in processing. (bad hours, dark and dirty work) -machines that can do this are extremely expensive and you need backups for if things break down 3. Hauling: -Birds placed into "dump coops" and loaded onto large flatbed trucks in the open air (helps circulate air for fresh oxygen and cool the birds) 4. Live Holding: -A shed where flatbeds can be parked and birds held until processing -Sheds have fans and spray or misting nozzles to keep birds cool

Name the 10 steps of broiler processing

1. Harvesting 2. Slaughter 3. Scalding 4. Picking 5. Transfer 6. Evisceration 7. Inspection 8. Giblet Harvesting 9. Washing 10. Chilling

factors that impact bacterial growth:

1. Moisture 2. Available Nutrients 3. Temperature 4. pH 5. Water activity 6. Time 7. Presence of Inhibitory substances 8. Surrounding Atmosphere 9. Physical properties of the food

Currently about ____% of eggs are produced as "cage-free." This percent will need to drastically increased to meet the demands of several major egg purchasing companies (like restaurants) who've stated they will be completely cage free by ________(year).

10% 2025

How many more bacterial cells are in your body than human tissue cells?

10x as many bacterial cells than human cells

How long do sperm have to fertilize the ovulated ovum in the infundibulum?

15 minutes

How long does the sperm have to fertilize the ovulated ovum in the infundibulum? In other words, what is the timeframe for the fertilization window in chickens?

15 minutes

At what age are pullets moved to the laying facility and photostimulated?

16 Weeks

How long are pullets grown in non-photostimulatory light before being moved to the laying facility?

16 weeks

This is the temperature of physiological zero in which egg can be held without further development.

20 C 68 F

At what age are the pullets moved to the laying house and photostimulated?

20-23 weeks

At what age are the birds moved to the laying house?

20-24 weeks

It takes a chicken ________ days to hatch, but development really takes _____ days (since some development occurs within the oviduct.

21 22

It takes a chicken ________ days to hatch, but development really takes _____ days (since some development occurs within the oviduct.)

21 22

What is per capita egg consumption in the US?

248 eggs per year

How many dozen eggs are produced in the US each year?

3 billion dozen eggs

What is non-stimulatory light?

A non-stimulatory lighting program is one which does not provide light of adequate intensity in the photo-sensitive period

What are the advantages / disadvantages of ice packing?

Advantages: cheap and yields an attractive fresh product. Ice pack chickens can be shipped for short distances in large 1000 lb containers Disadvantages: the pack drips water and is messy, requires dedicated transport and holding rooms, and the ice adds considerable extra bulk and weight during shipping

What is the advantage / disadvantage of using an automatic cutter?

Advantages: faster and more efficient than humans Disadvantages: yield is lower

What does aerobic, anaerobic and facultative mean about bacteria?

Aerobic- require free oxygen for growth Anaerobic- grows in the absence of free oxygen and cannot grow in the presence of free oxygen Facultative- can grow with or without oxygen

What is "further processing?"

Any handling or activity beyond bulk packing of whole carcasses

Why wider houses?

Better bottom line

Goal of minimum ventilation?

Bring air across the ceiling to increase its temperature and drop it to the floor on the birds (prevent chilling the birds and remove moisture from the house)

What is the goal of minimum ventilation?

Bring air across the ceiling to increase its temperature and drop it to the floor on the birds. Prevent chilling the birds and take moisture out of the house.

What is a BTU?

British Thermal Unit equivalent to heat coming from a match

Whose job is it to minimize stress? What are some methods to accomplish this?

Broiler producer Optimize temperature, air, and litter quality and minimize pathogens, changes, and disturbances

Why is it difficult to design a machine that can debone?

Building a machine to cut in multiple planes with multiple inputs is very difficult

The number of days in a row that a hen lays an egg is referred to as _________.

Clutch size

What are the top primary breeder operations?

Cobb, Avigen, Hubbard

What are the two ways chicks lose heat?

Convection (40%) and evaporation (60%)

Know what happens during the following days of embryonic development: days 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 20, and 21

Day 3- heart beats, blood vessels visible Day 6- appearance of beak and voluntary movement Day 8- feather tracts seen Day 12- first visible feathers Day 13- appearance of scales Day 14- embryo turns with head towards large end of egg Day 20- embryo is now breathing and punctured air cell Day 21- pipping

What are some issues with dropped curtain housing?

Difficult to regulate temperature, not air tight

What are migration fences and when can they be used to increase the efficiency of production in the house?

Done during brooding so you only have to heat part of the house Done during grow out to more evenly distribute the flock

Know the three different embryonic tissue layers

Ectoderm- first, a single layer of cells forms over the yolk at the germinal disc- outer or upper layer Endoderm- second, a thickening of the Ectoderm leads to the development of an inner layer of cells Mesoderm- finally, the initial 2 layers develop separately and form a cavity where the embryo will develop, and in which a 3rd middle layer develops

Know what major organ systems does each of the embryonic tissues eventually lead to creating.

Ectoderm: skin, feathers, beak, claws, eye, nervous system, mouth, vent lining Endoderm: muscles, bones, blood, reproductive system, excretory system Mesoderm: digestive system, respiratory syatem, endocrine system

How does the route of slaughter differ between European nations and the United States

Europe uses electrocution and LAPS US uses stunning followed by exsanguination.

This type of scalding at 55-60 removes the cuticle. What is the advantage of this scalding method?

Hard Scalding Better for further processing and batter/breading adhesion.

What does HACCP stand for?

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System

Why must eggs be quickly removed from the house? Floor?

House- to keep the belts free of eggs so they don't break against one another Floor- because they can become soiled, and are likely to contaminate the hatch during incubation

What is the optimal temperature for development to occur during incubation?

Incubation temperature must increase to 37-38 C (98.6-100.4 F) for optimum development to occur

Name three of the top 5 table egg producing states

Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas

Trend in broiler production over the last 40 years

Live weight has increased, feed efficiency has improved, and percent mortality has decreased

What is a microorganism?

Living entity that is too small to be seen with the naked eye (< 0.1 mm) Not all microorganisms are harmful Microorganisms often occupy important ecological niches, and are not only beneficial, BUT essential

Why is sexing the birds important and what will change in the future about this process?

Male chickens are culled as only the females are used for production. Male culling is on its way out the door

What is marination? What are the two different marination methods? What are the disadvantages and advantages of these two methods?

Marination is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. Most marination is done in 2 ways: -Needle Injection ~advantages: large quantities of product injected in short amount of time in a continuous process ~disadvantages: needle could break off and cause a physical hazard -Vacuum Tumbling ~advantages: marinade penetrates deep into the meat. Better distribution of flavor. Used for breast fillets, wings, thighs, or diced meat ~disadvantages: batch process that takes time

What are the symptoms of a salmonella infection?

Nausea, diarrhea, fever, cramping, vomiting

Is there a difference in the supply tissues (heart, lung, liver) as a percent of body weight when comparing ACRB to the modern broiler?

No

What is protoporphyrin? Should you spend more money to buy eggs that have protoporphyrin?

Pigment resulting in brown coloration of eggs Nope

What is poikilothermic? Homothermic? How long does it take for a chick to become homothermic?

Poikilothermic: An organism whose body temperature fluctuates with and is similar to external environment. Homothermic: capable of maintaining a stable internal body temperature regardless of external environment 10-14 days.

What is modified atmosphere packaging ... what is the purpose of this packaging?

Removes oxygen and decreases aerobic pathogen growth and prevents oxidative damage (fatty acid oxidation).

How are roosters prevented from consuming the hen diet? Hens from consuming the rooster diet?

Rooster feeders are placed higher so hens can't eat them. Hen feeders have bars spaced close enough together that roosters can't place their heads in to eat.

What makes up the Spent Fowl Market? How are they sold?

Spent layers and broiler breeders Chopped, ground, and diced meat for soups, salads, and Lean Cuisine meals

What does physiological zero mean? At what temperature does it occur in chickens?

Temperature below which embryo becomes dormant and most development stops Temperature above which embryo development activity starts In CHICKENS, Physiological Zero occurs at 20 C (68 F)

What is temperature stratification in the house? Where is the temp the highest?

The differences in temperature between heights in the house. The attic

How are broiler breeder hens prevented from eating the rooter feed?

The feeding pans are suspended and too tall for the hens to reach

What is a clutch size?

The number of days in a row that a hen lays an egg

Why is beak trimming used in egg-laying hens and not in commercial broilers?

They live longer and engage in cannibalistic activities

Provide two reasons why egg companies should charge more for brown eggs than white eggs.

They produce less: White (265-290) Brown (240-280) FCR is worse: White (3 lbs per doz) Brown (3.5 lbs per doz)

What is the advantage of dry ice? Why isn't it regularly used in poultry?

This product is less messy to handle, has a longer shelf life, and is lighter for shipping and handling The added expense of packaging material and dry ice prevents this system for being more widely used

Be familiar with the names of the top broiler companies

Tyson, Pilgrim's, Sanderson Farms, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods

Define the following acronyms: WOG IOBW RTE RTC NYD FSIS

WOG: Without giblets IOBW: Inside outside bird washer RTE: ready to eat RTC: ready to cook NYD: New York dressed FSIS: Food safety inspection service

There are two different types of chilling methods that bring the carcass to 4C. What are they and what is an advantage of each?

Water immersion, increases moistness Air Chilling, reduce cross contamination

What technology does Pilgrim's Pride use in Athens to make the chicken sandwich and whole breast nuggets for Chick-fil-A?

Water jet

What are some differences between white and brown laying strains in terms of number of eggs produced and FCR?

White eggs hens will lay 265-290 eggs per year. FCR of 3 per dozen Brown egg layers will lay 240-280 eggs per year. FCR of 3.5 per dozen

Today, what percent of chickens are sold as: Whole Carcass, Cut-up Parts, Advanced Further Processing

Whole carcass: <10% Cut-up parts: ~50% Advanced further processing: ~40%

This pigment, which is rich in yellow corn, is largely responsible for coloration of egg yolks.

Xanthophyll

What is the function of the following Extra-embryonic membranes: Yolk sac, Amnion, Allantois

YOLK SAC -Covers yolk and produces an enzyme that converts yolk material into a food source -Any unused yolk post-hatch is drawn into the abdomen -This last portion of yolk is used for nutrition while newly hatched chicks learn what to eat/drink and where it is located (2-3 days) AMNION -Forms a sac that fills with fluid in which the embryo floats -Provides a shock-absorbing environment ALLANTOIS -Respiratory- the developing embryo respires (O2 in/CO2 out) but doesn't have the system to do it, so the Allantois completes gas exchange -Excretory- removes waste products from embryonic metabolism -Digestive- provides access to both the nutrition in the albumen and calcium in the egg shell

What is an advantage of having multiple silos at the same farm/house?

You can completely run through one silo before switching feed, you can reduce contamination

What is pipping?

breaking out of the egg shell

Basic need for broiler management:

clean and abundant feed clean and good quality water air quality protection from disease

What are the four ways birds lose heat?

conductance radiation evaporation convection

For every 20 degree increase in temperature of the house, the moisture holding capacity is ____________.

cut in half

Where is the number 1 employment areas in the processing plant?

deboning

What is the function of attic inlets?

during minimum ventilation, it allows air to come in and be warmed and helps with decreasing humidity

Where does most heat in the house come from?

from the birds

Listeria is a psychotroph, what does that means in terms of control?

it grows in refrigerated environments

What happens to the ovary if the broiler breeders are overfed?

may experience excessive follicular development, which can cause the production of double-yolked eggs and/or the production of more than 1 egg per day, which is undesirable

What bacteria type are more likely to be pathogenic?

mesophiles

What is "Complete Packaged?"

packed, weighed, labeled, and priced fresh poultry products supplied to retailers

What two physiological mechanisms are used by the birds to dissipate body heat?

panting and convection

What is deboning?

process to remove all bones and associated connective tissue (e.g., ligaments) from meat and skin

Why is sexing the birds important for the table egg industry?

reduces culling of males

What is feed restriction?

restriction of feed during rearing to prevent health problems and to reach better egg production

What is the primary pathogen target in processing plants?

salmonella

____________ is the primary target bacteria in poultry processing.

salmonella

What is the broiler breeder paradox?

selection for increased growth results in decreased fertility

What massive change is currently occurring in how table eggs are produced?

shift to cage-free

What is significant about 5 hours after "lights on" in terms of egg production?

that is when hens begin to lay eggs

What pan is the most important in the line to monitor? Why is this pan important?

the last one where the sensor is

Why most do we feed restrict broiler breeders?

to prevent health problems and to reach better egg production such health problems could be associated with obesity/overweightness

Why limit the pullets for 8 hours of light during rearing?

to regulate their eating and drinking

What is Par-Fried?

to set breading, but not fully cook

What are some engineering advancement that are now common in the modern broiler house?

tunnel ventilation, evaporative cooling cells, automatic sensors, automated control panel, automated feeders, nipple drinkers, water meters