Poultry Unit REVIEW (AEST Ag Systems)

starter/grower ration

Feed specially formulated for baby chickens, giving them the right amounts of proteins (18%), enzymes, and nutrients for the first 16 weeks. Next switch them to layer ration for the extra calcium to make strong egg shells.

pullet

Female poult around 5-7 weeks.

egg turning

For the first 18 days of incubation, turn eggs between 60* and 180* at least 3-5 times per day to keep yolks from sticking to one side of the egg membrane.

humidity

For the first 18 days, the incubator ____________________ should be maintained within 40% - 50% to keep the incubating eggs from losing moisture. Ours remains around 45%.

common chicken vaccinations

Given for Marek's disease (nuerological), Newcastle disease (respiratory), coccidiosis, infectious bronchitis, infectious laryngotracheitis, fowl pox, and fowl cholera.

breast quarter

Half a breast plus a wing and a portion of the back.

B grade egg

Has a large air cell and the yolk is clearly visible through the shell when candled. When cracked the white is thin and the yolk is flattened. Only used in dried, prepared foods.

A grade egg

Has a small air cell, but the outline of the yolk can be seen more clearly through the shell when candling. When cracked, the white covers more area than a AA egg.

AA grade egg

Has little to no air cell and the yolk is barely visible through the shell when candling. When cracked the yolk stands tall and the albumen looks thick.

assisted hatch

Helping a chick out of it's egg when there is NO HOPE of the chick hatching on its own; this is a last resort only.

pasture-raised

Ideally, a free-range chicken raised on fresh, green pasture. Operationally, broiler chickens are unable to free range due to genetic modification and are confined to chicken tractors.

free-range

Ideally, when chickens have access to outdoor spaces for their waking hours. Operationally, they have access for an undefined amount of time each day to an outdoor area that may be concrete, tiny, or may just be a "pop-hole" they can look out.

pullet

Immature female chicken between 10 and 32 weeks old

cockerel

Immature male chicken (juvenile, poult).

99.5*F

Incubator temperature must be maintained within 1 degree of this temperature (Farenheit).

factory farm

Industrial operation that values efficiancy and profit over animal welfare.

methods of giving chicken vaccinations

Injection, in drinking water, or eye/nose drops.

poultry by-products

Leftovers from poultry meat and egg production. Parts of the animal that remain after meat for human consumption is removed. They may include organs, necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. By-products are added to pet foods. Manure is used to make fertilizer.

60-70%

Lockdown humidity

drumstick

Lower portion of leg; includes hock and shank.

incubation

Maintaining the chicken egg at the most favorable temperature and humidity for its development.

culling

Male layer chicks are culled in hatcheries because layer breeds do not produce enough meat to be profitable. The day old male chicks in a layer operation are gassed with CO2, macerated, suffocated, or electrocuted. Layer hens are culled during their 2nd year.

cockerel

Male poult around 5-7 weeks.

hen

Mature female chicken or turkey

7-10

Maximum number of days eggs should be stored before putting them in the incubator. Less is best.

brooder bedding

Medium pine (or aspen) bark is a good choice for the bottom of the brooder, and clean mortar sand is a close second. It should be changed daily while chicks are in the brooder.

leg band

Metal or plastic ring placed on leg of chicken for identification.

brooder water

Must be changed multiple times a day to keep out bedding and contamination. Adding apple cider vinegar (ACV) is very beneficial for gut microbial environment.

21

Number of days it takes for a chicken egg to hatch. Turkeys and ducks take 28 days. Quail average about 18 days.

21

Number of days to hatch for chickens.

split breast with ribs

One side with ribs and skin.

45 - 65

Pre-incubation storage temperture range should stay between ____ and _____ degrees Farenheit. A one-time increase to 100*F for 3-6 hours will improve hatch rates.

candling

Process of shining a light through an egg to check embryo development; also used to grade for egg quality (checking for cracks, fertilization, large air cells).

layer operation

Produces chickens for eggs. Typically uses a White Leghorn (for white eggs) or a Rhode Island Red hybrid (brown eggs). They are in close confinement from average 6 months until 2 years when they are slaughtered, usually for by-product.

broiler operation

Produces chickens for meat. Typically uses a Cornish Cross hybrid that is slaughtered at 6-7 weeks. The chicken's muscle (meat) grows faster than the bones and organs can keep up.

debeaking

Removing the beak tip of chicks to prevent injury to other chickens when kept in close confinement in commercial operations only.

debeaking

Removing the tip of the beak to prevent injury especially in laying hens in industrial operations.

lockdown humidity

Should remain 60-70% to prevent the membrane from drying and causing"freeze-dried" chicks.

brooder temperature

Starts out the same as the incubator, then stays at 95*F for the first week. Each week after, the brooder temperature may be decreased by 5*F. Usually maintained with a heat lamp.

clutch

The average __________________ size for chickens is 12 eggs. It does not matter to the broody hen if they are all her eggs.

90

The average pounds of chicken meat eaten by people in the US each year.

bloom

The hen secretes a thin outermost coating around the shell as she lays it. This cuticle helps keep out bacteria and dust.

lockdown

The last 3 days during incubation of chicken eggs when they should NOT be handled or turned. The humidity should be raised during this time to around 60-70%.

shell

The outer covering of the egg: this part is made almost entirely of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals. It is a semipermeable membrane, which means that air and moisture can pass through its pores.

pullet eggs

The small eggs a pullet lays just before she is fully mature.

chalazae

These anchor the yolk in the center of the shell and allow it to twist but not touch settle on the membrane.

organic

These eggs or chicken meat can still be raised in a factory farm, but the feed given to the chickens has no pesticides or herbicides.

leg quarter

Thigh and drumstick with a portion of the back attached.

leg

Thigh and drumstick with no back.

membrane

Thin layer of flexible tissue between the albumen and the egg shell. The membrane keeps liquids from passing out of the shell, but allows transfer of gasses.

thigh

Upper part of leg (above hock) with bones.

boneless, skinless thigh

Upper part of leg (above hock) with no skin or bones.

freeze-dried

When a chick cannot make it through its membrane to hatch because the membrane is too hard and thick due to low humidity.

broody hen

When a hen's maternal instincts and hormones are surging and telling her it's time to sit on and hatch some eggs. These hens will stay with the eggs in a nesting box to keep them warm, turn them regularly, and provide care for the chicks once they hatch.

pasty butt

When a mat of feces sticks to the bottom of a newborn chick and forms an impenetrable mass. The chick cannot excrete waste and may die.

blood ring

When an embryo dies during its development and it's blood vessels leak blood. This blood forms a ring around the shell that can be seen when candling.

cage free

When chickens do not live in battery cages. Operationally, they are still packed into tight, bright, unnatural spaces with intense noise, heat, and fumes (ammonia) from their feces.

internal pip

When the chick pierces the air cell with the tip of its beak to take it's first breath from the air cell.

hatching

When the chick uses it's feet and head to push the two halves of its shell apart and come out of the egg.

external pip

When the chick uses its egg tooth to pierce the hard shell to take its first breath of outside air.

germinal disc

Where embryonic development begins in a fertile egg. As the embryo grows, it attaches to the yolk through it's umbilical cord, and blood vessels begin to form and attach to the membrane.

albumen

White, or CLEAR, portion of the egg, provides protein. The THICK albumen surrounds the yolk. The THIN albumen is mostly liquid.

yolk

Yellow portion of the egg - contains fat and cholesterol. Germinal disc grows on the yolk, and the chick absorbs the yolk through it's umbilical cord.

OUR hatch rate = 65%

17 eggs hatched/26 eggs incubated = ______ %

vertical integration

A business model in which a corporation controls all aspects of production from raw materials to packaged products, used extensively by the poultry industry.

electric shock euthanasia

A current of electricity is used to render poultry unconscious before slaughtering or culling.

brood

A family of young chicks that a broody hen hatches. She cares for all of them as her own regardless of whether they are hers or other hens in the flock's.

rooster

A mature male chicken. also referred to as a cock.

wing banding

A method of identification where numbered bands are put into the wing of a bird, usually as a day old chick.

mineral oil

A petroleum product used to coat eggs to increase shelf life in the store.

hatchery

A place where chickens are hatched for the purpose of hatching eggs to sell into the broiler or layer industries. They are also a source for backyard chicken keepers.

air cell

A pocket of air that lines between the egg membranes. This cell grows larger as a chick develops.

hatching (or lockdown) incubator

A separate container where eggs ready for lockdown are moved into that doesn't turn the eggs, increases the humidity, and is easy to clean.

confinement house

A type of housing where poultry are kept in a confined space and feed, water and ventilation are brought in to the birds. Also referred to as factory farms.

zippering

After resting, the chick continues to peck around the top of the egg in a circular pattern until the egg is divided into 2 parts.

wing

All 3 parts of the wing: wing tip, wingette, and drumette.

spraddle leg

Also called splayed leg, a deformity in chicks caused by keeping them on a slippery surface, like newspaper.

incubator stabilization

Always set up the incubator at least 24-48 hours before putting eggs in so the temperature and humidity can be set to the correct numbers.

yolker

An egg that has not been fertilized or has died early in it's development. When candling, these eggs appear clear with only the yolk and albumen visible.

brooder

Any heated area or unit for raising young birds.

6 weeks

Average age when broiler chickens are slaughtered for meat. The chickens usually weigh between 3-4 pounds at this age.

6 months

Average age when chickens start to lay eggs.

300

Average number of eggs laid in a year by a production layer chicken.

250

Average number of eggs people in the US eat in in a year.

chick

Baby chicken, also called a "peep"!

chick

Baby chicken, peep.

juveniles, or poults

Between 5-7 weeks, their teenage phase, you can begin to visually distinguish males from females. The combs and wattles of cockerels often develop earlier than the pullets and they are usually larger.

boneless, skinless whole breast

Both sides of the breast with no skin, no bones, and no wings.

whole breast

Both sides of the breast with skin and bones- no wings.

CO2 euthanasia

Carbon dioxide gas is used to render poultry unconscious before slaughtering or culling.

capon

Castrated male chicken. Castration usually occurs between 3 and 4 weeks of age and is more common in French cuisine and culture.

cannabalism

Chickens naturally peck at anything red, so a red light will block out this color and prevent cannabalism.

straight run

Chicks are not sexed or separated by gender. On average, your hatch will be an approximately 50/50 split between male and female.

vaccinations

Commonly given for Mareks Disease and Newcastle Disease in commercial chicks through feed, water, eye drops, and injection.

sexing

Determining the gender of chicks through feather shape, wing tips, vent shape, behavior, and other features before they are mature.