Poultry 2020 Test 2

At what time is feed withdrawn?

8-12 hours (more than 12 they lose weight or live shrink, less and gut may not be empty. Not done to prevent feed wasting).

About how many table eggs were produced in 2016?

88.4 billion

How many broilers are processed each year?

9 billion

Brooding Temperature

95 air temp, 90 floor temp

What time is harvesting best done and how is it done?

At night when it's cool and dark. Still done by hand, so one of the highest paid hourly jobs in processing (bad hours, dark and dirty work).

What are the ACRB and where are they housed?

Athens-Canadian Random Bred UGA research facility

Why might LED lights be placed on the last pan on the feed line?

Attracts birds to visit this pan.

Feathers are high in protein, but what is the issue with feather protein?

Pressure cooking is needed to break (cystine structure) disulfide bonds to increase its digestibility.

How long are broiler breeders in production?

Production ends at around 70 weeks.

What is clutch size? Who has a larger clutch size, table egg hens or broiler breeder hens?

The clutch size is the number of days in a row that a hen lays an egg. Table egg hens have a larger clutch size.

Why is feed restriction used during rearing?

To minimize genetic growth potential and improve uniformity.

What is the broiler producers job? How is this accomplished?

To minimize stress. Only enter the broiler houses when necessary, ensure appropriate conditions are supplied to the chickens, keep them fed

What is the overall goal of First or Primary Processing?

To produce a whole poultry carcass (WOG).

What is the goal of picking?

To remove all feathers.

What is the goal of evisceration?

To remove the visceral pack and associated organs from the carcass.

Water is most important for monitoring food uniformity, so

you want water consumption to increase daily

What is the percentage of egg laying farms that are organic, cage-free, and conventional?

5% Organic 11% Cage-Free 84% Conventional

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 (much better for batter/breading adhesion).

What percent of eggs are sold as shelled? Further processed?

66.6% 31.1%

What is Georgia ranked in egg production?

6th

What is pipping?

The breaking of the egg shell by the chick so it can hatch.

What is the purpose of scalding?

To loosen the feathers for easier removal.

Finances four poultry house

$250,000 to $300,000

What is the cost of "the big shift"?

$40 per bird $5.6 billion to make the change

What percent of live weight is blood in a broiler?

8%

What are the steps in Further Processing?

1. Cut-up 2. Debone 3. Portioning 4. Marination 5. Batter/breading 6. Cooking 7. Freezing

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

How many hens are there for each rooster? Hen/rooster ratio in the breeding house?

10 hens for every 1 rooster 10:1

When is homothermic obtained in broilers?

10-14 days

What makes up the Spent Fowl Market? Difference between heavy mature chickens and light mature chickens? How are they sold? What is TipTop poultry?

100% of broiler breeders (heavy mature chickens) and egg layers (light mature chickens) are further processed. Bred for different purposes. They are sold as chopped, ground, or diced meat to make soups, chicken for salads, and Lean Cuisine meals. TipTop poultry is a company that specifically further processes Spent Fowl.

What is the number of birds per day for Foster farms?

100,000-600,000

What is the maximum amount of water pickup allowed in the chiller by the USDA?

12%

How long does the sperm have to fertilize the ovulated ovum in the infundibulum? (What is the time frame for the fertilization window in chickens?)

15 minutes

How many processing plants?

150

What is a typical, modern broiler house dimensions?

40 to 50 ft wide, 400 to 600 ft long with 8 ft high walls

What is the target body weight of pullets and cockerels?

2.2 kg

At what temperature does physiological zero occur?

20 C

It takes a chicken ___ days to hatch, but development really takes ___ days.

21, 22

How many birds does an average plant do a day to keep up with the demand of 60 million a year?

24,000

What was the average US capita egg consumption in 2017?

267

On average, how many eggs does a laying hen produce per year?

289

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

3 hours after fertilization in the Isthmus

How many times should eggs be collected daily?

3-4 times a day

What percent of total blood volume is collected?

30% to 50%

What is the number of birds per day for Pilgrims Pride in Athens?

350,000

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

37-38 C

What is the difference between a WOG and a NYD?

A NYD has giblets while a WOG does not. A NYD bird has also been less processed than the WOG.

What is the function of the allantois?

A circulatory system infused membrane. When fully developed, it surrounds the embryo. Functions as the respiratory system and completes gas exchange, functions as the excretory system and removes waste products from embryonic metabolism, functions as the digestive system and provides access for both the nutrition in the albumen and calcium in the egg shell.

What is poultry by-product meal? Why is it good for pet food?

A combination of all poultry by-products processed together in the same proportions as they occur in the processing plant. composition can be quite variable for plant and batch to batch, depending upon what is being included. Good source of protein and energy (fat) source.

Be able to tell the difference between a fertile egg and an infertile egg.

A fertile egg has a fertile germinal disk with a hole in the middle, while an infertile egg has an infertile germinal disk that is a single white dot with no hole.

What is a WOG?

A poultry carcass without giblets.

Live Holding

A shed where the flatbeds can be parked and birds held until processing. Sheds have fans and spray or misting nozzles to keep birds cool.

Ectoderm

A single layer of cells that forms over the yolk at the germinal disk. Outer and upper layer

Endoderm

A thickening of the ectoderm leads to the development of an inner layer of cells.

How much would a typical farmer make per house (during mortgage payments)?

About $12,000 per house

What percent of broiler live weight is represented as viscera?

About 10%

When do broiler breeders start laying eggs (after being photostimulated at 21 weeks)?

About 26 weeks

What is the bleeding duration? How much blood is lost?

About 60-120 seconds. Ensures death and that at least 40% of the blood is drained from the bird.

When are table egg producers photostimulated for sexual maturation (egg production)?

About week 16

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an automatic cutter?

Advantage is it is a quick process that can be done in a single plane, but the disadvantage is there is always the possibility of losing yield.

How is the bird killed in the US?

After stunning, the bird passes through an automatic killer that places the bird's neck against a blade. Bird dies from cutting of the jugular and carotid, exsangunation, or bleeding to death.

What has become a popular niche market in the US?

Air chilling

Biosecurity measures for broiler breeders

All in all out One farm per day (if not, move younger to older flocks) Prevent unauthorized access to farm and keep a record of visitors

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

Always have access to excess feed in case there is a biosecurity issue or other issue

Stunning

An electrical stunning is used to render the bird unconscious in preparation for automated killing. Stunned so they are relaxed when they go through the blade.

Day 6 of embryonic development

Appearance of beak and voluntary movement

Day 13 of embryonic development

Appearance of scales

At what age are pullets and cockerels moved to the breeder house?

At 21 weeks of age.

When should the breeder be fed? Why is it important to keep feeding time consistent?

At lights on in the early morning To avoid stress and panic

What is on the floor?

Bedding and rooster feeders

Why wider houses?

Better bottom line

Why can't you just pump water in from a pond/lake?

Biosecurity issue

Hauling

Birds are placed into dump coops and loaded onto large flatbed trucks in the open air to help circulate air for fresh oxygen and cool the birds.

Hanging

Birds are transferred from conveyor belt to shackles in preparation for stunning (lot of manual work in the hangers, considered the toughest job in the plant).

What are New York Dressed birds?

Birds that have been killed, bled, and had the feathers removed. A traditional processing stopping point.

Blood Offal Products

Blood meal, blood flour, and fresh blood. Blood meal serves as a supplemental protein source in animal feed.

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 a BTU?

British Thermal Unit, equivalent to heat coming from a match

What is protoporphyrin?

Brown pigment derived from hemoglobin or bile

How do we prefer the birds lose heat? Why?

By convection because it doesn't cost energy

How do most plants complete washing?

By using a number of manual or automated carcass washing cabinets.

What are the two largest egg producing companies?

Cal-Maine and Rose Acres Farm

Washing

Carcass must be free of any contamination prior to entering the chilling system.

What are the basic needs for broiler management?

Clean and abundant feed Clean and good quality water Air quality Protection from disease

What is an immature male chicken called?

Cockerel

What are the different ways eggs are marketed?

Conventional Brown Cage-free Enriched colony Free-range Certified organic Vegetarian Omega-3

Steps of Slaughter

Coop Dumping Hanging Stunning Killing

What two breeds were crossed to generate the modern broiler chicken?

Cornish and Plymouth Rock

What is the function of the yolk sac?

Covers the yolk and produces an enzyme that converts yolk material into a food source. Any unused yolk post-hatch is drawn into the abdomen. The last portion of yolk is used for nutrition while newly hatched eggs learn what to eat.drink and where it is located (2-3 days).

Where is the number one employment area in the processing plant.

Deboning

Why is today's broiler less forgiving? Why is management increasingly important and challenging?

Demand tissue has really increased but supply tissue has not changed, so management has become a big challenge.

Endoderm (Organ)

Digestive, respiratory, endocrine

Why would biosecurity be more important in pullets/breeders than in broilers?

Diseases can be genetically passed down and easily spread to other chickens in the future through broiler breeders. Broilers also live for a shorter period of time and are more replaceable.

What is the function of attic inlets?

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

When is feed more severely restricted for broiler breeders?

During rearing.

Giblets

Edible organs of the carcass (liver, heart, and gizzard).

Day 20 of embryonic development

Embryo now breathing and punctured air cell

Day 14 of embryonic development

Embryo turns with head towards large end of egg

What is the big change in egg production that is currently underway? Why is this change being implemented?

Everyone is trying to move toward cage-free due to consumer demand.

What is the problem with pullets entering the breeder house overweight?

Excessive follicular development Increased incidence of oviductal prolapse Increased number of double yolk eggs (not hatchable) Egg yolk peritonitis (presence of yolk in the abdominal region) Erratic oviposition (laying eggs outside the normal laying times) Poor egg shell quality

Feather offal products

Feather meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, poultry feather meal, hydrolyzed poultry feather meal, and Keratin meal.

Why is blood a better protein product than feathers even though the percent of crude protein is relatively close?

Feather protein is mostly keratin while blood protein is amino acids.

Day 8 of embryonic development

Feather tracts seen

What percent of live weight is feathers? How is this different than the heritage breed (ACRB)?

Feathers represent about 4% of broiler live weight. This is less than the ACRB because the ACRB have more feathers.

Steps of Harvesting

Feed Withdrawn Harvesting Hauling Live Holding

Although the feed restriction is used for mature breeders, it is not managed in the same way. How is feed restriction different in pullets than breeders?

Feed is restricted more in rearing than during breeding.

What are the differences between growing broilers and pullets?

Feed restriction Frequent weighing Longer growout time Beak conditioning Lighting Otherwise, the housing and equipment are very similar.

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

Fences within the broiler house that allow the birds to migrate between areas. Can be used to space out the chickens by allowing them to migrate, allowing them to be more productive

Day 12 of embryonic development

First visible feathers

Coop Dumping

Forklifts dump coops from live holding. Dump coops are tilted and birds slide onto conveyor belt.

What is the function of the amnion?

Forms a sac that fills with fluid in which the embryo floats. It provides a shock-absorbing environment.

Cost difference between table eggs and hatching eggs?

Hatching eggs are about 100% more expensive then table eggs ($2 per dozen vs. $1.04 per dozen)

What has the United Egg Producers pledged to do by 2020?

Have no more male culling.

What is the advantage of adding fish meal to layer feed?

Healthy Omega-3 cholesterol in the egg during consumption. Can be charged at a greater price.

Day 3 of embryonic development

Heart beats, blood vessels visible

What is a popular term for carcass washing?

IOBW (Inside-Outside-Bird-Washer)

What is the problem with LAPS?

Identifying DOA (dead on arrival) and it is illegal to process a bird if it isn't alive going into the plant.

What is the typical yield for a broiler? What is offal?

In the US, the maximum percent yield of edible product from the various poultry species ranges. Broilers are generally about 72%. Inedible by-products from processing are generally referred to as "offal".

How is stunning done?

In the US, we use low voltage (12-40 V) and high frequency (500 Hz) for a short duration (3-5 seconds). Recoverable method in the US. In Europe, high voltage is used to electrocute the bird (kill it).

Tunnel Ventilation

Increases heat removal from the body and lowers body temperature

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

Increasing temperature from the floor to the ceiling of the broiler house. At the ceiling

What is IQF?

Individually Quick Frozen

What is the primary goal of feed withdrawal?

Intestinal emptying because there is zero tolerance for visible fecal material going into the chiller. All caucuses would be condemned.

What are the top 3 egg-producing states?

Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio

What are the advantages of water immersion chilling?

It increases product moistness, detractors say it increases the water in the carcass thus poultry companies are selling expensive water.

What are the advantages of using bedding?

Less harsh on broiler feet. No urea pools up on the floors because bedding acts as a sponge

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

Less than 10% About 50% About 40%

Over the past 40 years, what have been the trends in broiler performance?

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

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

Machines must be precise so as not to lose yield. Building a machine to cut in multiple planes with multiple inputs is very difficult. Yield is often sacrificed for speed and consistency.

Needle Injection, Advantages and Disadvantages

Marinade is injected into the meat or whole carcass using injector needles. Advantage: Large quantities of product injected in short amount of time in a continuous process. Disadvantage: Needle could break off and cause a physical hazard.

What are Mature light chickens? What are Mature heavy chickens?

Mature light chickens are chickens that are spent leghorns. Mature heavy chickens are chickens that are older broiler breeders.

What happens during "Batter and Breading"? Where does it normally happen?

Meat is dusted with flour or corn starch, then meat is coated with liquid batter containing spices. Then, the meat is breaded on the outer surface. Often happens off sight at a different location.

How does the breeder house differ from the pullet/broiler house?

Mechanical nesting Slats/Floor

What is molting? Why and how is it accomplished?

Molting is the loss of feathers. Forced molting, sometimes known as induced molting, is the practice of artificially provoking a flock to molt simultaneously, typically by withdrawing food for 7-14 days. During the forced molt, the birds cease producing eggs for at least two weeks.

Giblet Harvesting (US and World)

Most US poultry facilities recover heart, liver, and gizzard as giblets. Other parts of the world, several other organs (offal) are recovered.

Circulation Fans

Move hot air off the ceiling and into cooler parts of the house. This keeps the house temperature more consistent and decreases energy bill

Mesoderm (Organ)

Muscles, blood, bone, excretory system, reproductive system

What are the live production goals for the processing plant? Why?

Must achieve target average body weight to meet consumer demand. Must have good flock uniformity to maximize the automated process.

What are the top 5 turkey producing states?

NC, MN, IN, MO, AR

What are the two different marination methods?

Needle Injection and Vacuum Tumbling

What is on the slats?

Nest boxes, water, and hen feeders

What are some key differences between breeder feed and broiler feed?

Nutrients are very different. Broiler feed has more metabolizing energy and protein than broiler breeder feed.

How are pullets and cockerels grown?

On a growth curve to reach target body weight (2.2 kg) at 20-22 weeks of age.

Where in the house does the mating take place?

On the floor

How has picking been done over time?

Originally done by hand until the 1960s when it became automated.

Are the fans blowing air out or into the chicken house? Is it a negative pressure or positive pressure environment?

Out of the house Negative pressure

Transfer

The bird is removed from the shackle line and passed through a wall and rehung for evisceration.

Floors are ____ in the US and ____ overseas.

Packed dirt, concrete

What are the possible outcomes of inspection of the carcass?

Passed Condemned Viscera only condemned Trim and reprocessing (affected parts) Cleaning reprocessing (surface contamination)

What is one of the most high value edible product that is considered offal her but is high valued overseas?

Paws, you can get 2x more per pound for feet than leg quarters.

When do broiler breeders peak?

Peak in fertility at about 29-32 weeks.

What are some different bedding sources?

Pine shavings, rice hulls, peanut shells

Day 21 of embryonic development

Pipping

Offal

Portions of the carcass not normally consumed by humans.

What is precision portioning and why has it become increasingly important?

Precision portioning is cutting the pieces of chicken to a specific size during further processing. It has become an important part of the modern US poultry processing plant because many large processing plants service one or two major customers that have tight specifications on product size and weight.

What does further processing entail?

Preparation of a WOG into other products Cut-up Debone Marinating

What is the advantage of nipple drinkers?

Provide clean water to the chickens, easy maintenance, and easy to clean

What is an immature female chicken called?

Pullet

What are four ways poultry lose heat? How much heat do the birds lose to evaporation?

Radiation, Conduction, Evaporation, and Convection 60%

What are the advantages and disadvantages of air chilling?

Reduces cross contamination; drier carcass and less weight

What is rendering? Why render offal?

Rendering is the use of pressure and heat to cook raw offal materials to remove moisture and separate fat, protein, and bone. The rendered products are then sold domestically and exported for use in the manufacturing of pet food and livestock feed, soaps, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, plastics, personal care products, and even crayons. Rendered products have greater value than raw offal material because cooking significantly increases the stability or shelf life of the fat and protein, reducing the moisture content and killing the microbes present in raw offal.

Are pullets and cockerels grown out separately or together?

Separately.

What is Par-Fried? What is an advantage of Par-Fried?

Sets the breading but does not fully cook the product. Cuts down on time needed to cook it.

Where does most heat in the house come from?

The birds themselves

Ectoderm (Organ)

Skin, feathers, beak, claws, eye, nervous system

What are the feed restriction methods?

Skip-a-day 4/3 5/2 Low-density/high fiber diet

Why is it advantageous to meat quality to have a quickly a quickly frozen product vs a slow freeze?

So crystals of ice do not form on the meat and dries it out.

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

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

What is the second step of evisceration?

The USDA-FSIS inspector inspects each carcass and the digestive tract must be kept intact with the associated bird.

What is anthropomorphism?

The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal

What is portioning?

The cutting of chicken into an exact size with an exact weight.

What does the three-digit code on egg cartons represent?

The date of packaging.

How are hens prevented from eating rooster feed?

The feeders are raised above the hen's height.

During Cut-up, what is the broiler split into? Which is kept in the US and which is shipped overseas?

The front half and the rear half. The US keeps the front half while the rear half is shipped overseas.

Mesoderm (Define)

The initial 2 layers develop separately and form a cavity where the embryo will develop, and in which a third middle layer develops. Middle layer

Vacuum Tumbling, Advantages and Disadvantages

The marinade is placed into a large chamber with the meat and usually CO2 snow. A vacuum is pulled. Advantage: The marinade penetrates deep into the meat. Better distribution of flavor. Used for breast fillets, wings, or diced meat. Disadvantage: Batch process that takes time.

For every 20 degree increase in temperature

The moisture holding capacity (humidity) is cut in half

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

The one at the end of the feeder line, right where the mirror is located. The motor at the end of the feeder line activates when the feed level in the pan at the end gets low enough.

What is the egg cooler? At what temperature are the eggs kept after collection? Why?

The place where eggs are kept cool to prevent further development. 20 C so the eggs do not develop any further and can all be hatched at the same time.

What is homothermic?

The regulation of temperature within an organism.

What is deboning?

The removing of all bones and associated connective tissue (ligaments, from meat and skin).

What is used today to remove the feathers from the birds?

The rubber picking finger

What has been the general trend over time with processed birds?

The sale of whole carcasses has decreased, while the sale of further processed and cut-up parts has increased.

What is the first cut that is often made?

The shoulder cut.

What happens if a bird is still alive when it enters the scalder? What is this called?

The skin will be bright red. Called a cadaver (condemned.. a no no).

What is poikilothermic?

The variation of temperature with the surrounding environment. Cannot regulate its own temperature.

What does physiological zero mean?

The vestige of reptilian ancestry. At a temperature below which embryo becomes dormant and most development stops. At a temperature above which embryo development activity starts.

How are roosters prevented from eating hen feed?

There are slots within the hen feeders that prevent roosters from eating the hen feed due to their large combs.

What is the broiler breeder paradox?

There is a negative correlation between broiler and breeder traits, sometimes called the broiler-breeder paradox. This paradox states that if the broiler characteristics in a line improve, its reproductive capacity will be impaired. Simply put, selection for fast growth has impaired reproductive fitness in broiler breeders. This makes it difficult to manage broiler breeders for reproductive success.

How are broiler farmers paid? How are broiler farming contracts competitive?

They are payed per pound of live weight produced. Incentives for feed conversion are built in.

Why does a chicken jump around following decapitation?

They have pockets of sympathetic ganglia throughout their body. Thought to have evolved due to their being a species of prey.

What are some issues with dropped curtain housing?

They provide less efficient insulation, result in air leaks, provide less light control, and result in the inefficient heating of broiler houses

What would be the disadvantage of feeding them smaller amounts everyday (rather than increased amounts everyday)?

They would be far more stressed and begin to injure themselves and each other.

What is beak trimming? In terms of welfare, what are the advantages? Disadvantages?

This is the partial removal of the beak of some types of commercial poultry. Only 1/3 of the beak is removed. May be trimmed to prevent damage during mating. Commercial broiler chickens are not routinely beak trimmed as they reach slaughter weight before injurious pecking usually begins. May be painful to the chickens.

What is the goal of chilling?

To chill the carcass to 4 C in less than 4 hours.

Why should shadowed areas be reduced from the breeder house?

To keep the birds moving.

What are some engineering advancements that are now common in the modern broiler houses?

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

About how many feathers will be collected daily at a processing plant?

Typical US plant processing 200,000 bpd will collect 44,000 pounds of feathers daily.

Top Broiler Companies in United States

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

Top broiler producing countries

USA, Brazil, EU, China, India, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, Turkey

How many hours of light are provided to the immature chickens to prevent premature sexual maturation?

Under 8 hours

What is uniformity and why is it important?

Uniformity is the creation of chickens almost identical in weight and size. Broiler breeders cannot be too heavy or they will not be able to properly mate.

What is the alternative method of slaughter?

Use of LAPS (low atmospheric pressure system), birds die from asphyxiation. The post mortem birds are hung from shackles for processing.

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

Water Jet, 50,000 psi of water stream.

What is the most commonly used method for chilling in the US?

Water immersion because it works faster and takes less than an hour.

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

Water is accumulated on these pads and drawn through them where water was evaporated and the air temperature was reduced. Every 1 F cooling, relative humidity increases by 2.5%

Broiler Companies in Georgia

Wayne Farms, Columbia, Tyson, Pilgrims, Fieldale , Harrison, Mar-Jac, Claxton, and Sanderson

What are the differences between white and brown laying hens?

White birds will lay 260-285 eggs a year and eat about 3 pounds of feed for every dozen eggs they produce. Brown egg layers will lay 240-280 eggs a year and eat 3.5 pounds of feed for every dozen eggs they lay.

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

Yes, modern broiler has less supply tissue as a percent of body weight.

What is the problem with a machine harvesting broilers?

You would need to bring a backup and they are so large and have to be powered somehow.

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

Zygote