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Poultry Essentials

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Housing must be clean, dry, and ... 2 sq. feet needed per broiler. Have three open sides for clean ... should be wide throughout the length of the keel bone. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Poultry Essentials


1
Poultry Essentials
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
2
Facilities
  • Expensive housing is not needed
  • Housing must be clean, dry, and well ventilated.
  • Brooder or heat lamps must be present to warm
    chicks.
  • Feeders and waters needed
  • 2 sq. feet needed per broiler
  • Have three open sides for clean fresh air to
    enter
  • Floor should be at least 6 inches tall to prevent
    water from entering

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
3
Topics to Discuss
  • The following topics will be discussed
  • Facilities
  • Facility Preparation
  • Rearing
  • Lighting
  • Nutrition
  • Health
  • Selecting the Exhibition Entry
  • Conformation
  • Handling and Transportation

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
4
Facilities Preparation
  • Clean and disinfect poultry house, feeders, and
    waters before chicks arrive
  • Wash house with soap and water
  • Spray commercial disinfectant labeled for use in
    poultry houses.
  • Be prepared 2 days in advance
  • Put at least 4 inches of litter on the floor

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
5
Facilities Preparation cont.
  • Electric heat lamps are good heat sources for
    brooding chicks
  • Two 125-watt bulbs per 50 chicks are recommended
  • Lamps should be secured so they do not fall to
    the litter.
  • Should hang 18-24 inches from litter
  • Lamps can be raised or lowered depending on
    temperature.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
6
Rearing
  • Temperature should be 60-75 F at 4 weeks of age.
  • When weather permits during winter months house
    should be partially opened to improve airflow
  • Additional heat may be needed when low
    temperatures are present
  • Fans or evaporative cooling systems may be needed
    when hot temperatures are present (birds should
    be at least 4 weeks old)

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
7
Lighting
  • Lights should be on 24 hrs/day
  • 24 hour lighting improves feathering and
    increases weight, especially during summer months
  • Have 40-watt bulb at least 6 feet above birds
    after removing heat lamps

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
8
Nutrition
  • Optimum performance is dependent on proper
    nutrition
  • Fresh feed is important
  • Must have high quality poultry feed with at least
    20 protein
  • Turkey or game feed may be used in the beginning
    to stimulate early growth
  • Feed higher protein first two weeks, then switch
    broiler feed for remaining feeding period

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
9
Nutrition cont.
  • Small amounts of broiler feed lightly moistened
    with cooking oil and fed several times during day
    will stimulate older birds to eat more.
  • Do not put more moistened feed than the birds can
    eat in 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Do not moisten the feed until feeding time
  • An adequate level of vitamins is required to
    prevent leg weakness
  • Water soluble poultry vitamins can be added to
    water for first seven days.
  • Do not add vitamins past first seven days

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
10
Nutrition cont.
  • Feeder
  • One pie or cookie pan for feed and one chick
    waterer per 25 chicks are needed the first seven
    days.
  • First 4 weeks one tube-type feeder per 25
    chicks
  • After 4 weeks one tube-type feeder per 15 birds

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
11
Nutrition cont.
  • Water
  • Clean fresh water must be available at all times
  • First 4 weeks One 2-gallon waterer per 50
    chicks
  • End of 4 weeks One 2-gallon waterer per pen is
    required after birds are culled
  • Waterers should be rinsed daily and scrubbed
    twice a week.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
12
Nutrition cont.
  • Feed should be kept in front of birds at all
    times for maximum growth to occur.
  • Tube feeders are preferred over horizontal
    feeders
  • Feeders and waterers should be kept adjusted so
    that trough portion is level with the back height
    of the birds
  • Walk through birds and stir feed three to five
    times per day
  • Will provide exercise and increased feed
    consumption

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
13
Health
  • Keep all other poultry away from broilers and
    roasters.
  • Medication should not be given unless birds are
    sick or stressed.
  • Chicks purchased from late August to early
    November should be vaccinated for fowl pox by 14
    days of age.
  • Parasites are seldom a problem where birds are
    properly managed and sanitary conditions
    maintained

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
14
Selecting the Exhibition Entry
  • At show time examine birds carefully for physical
    defects that would cause them to be sifted. These
    include
  • Cuts and tears
  • Broken and disjointed bones
  • Skin or flesh bruises anywhere other than on the
    wing tip
  • Breast blisters
  • Insect bites
  • External parasites (lice, mites or fleas)
  • Extremely dirty birds

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
15
Conformation
  • Length. The breastbone should be long, straight,
    free from defects such as dents or knobs and
    carry well forward and back between the legs. The
    breastbone should be parallel to the backbone.
  • Width. The back should be long and wide with a
    broad spring of ribs.
  • Depth. The body should be full and deep.
    Body-depth must be consistent with breast width.
    Length, width and depth should be well balanced.
  • Fleshing (the amount and distribution of muscle
    or flesh on the bird) The breast, thighs and
    drumsticks carry the bulk of meat and should be
    examined closely. The breast meat is the most
    valued part of bird and should be given maximum
    consideration. Breast muscle should be wide
    throughout the length of the keel bone. The
    muscle should carry well up to the crest of the
    bone. A dimpled breast is desirable. The thighs
    and drumsticks should be heavily muscled.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
16
Conformation
  • Uniformity. Each broiler should be as near a
    carbon copy of its pen mates as possible in size,
    shape, fleshing and finish.
  • One bird can affect, the rating of the entire
    pen.
  • Uniformity is not a factor with roaster entries
    unless pens of two or three birds are shown.
  • Finish. (amount of fat in and immediately under
    the skin)
  • Without adequate finish, a well-fleshed broiler
    will lose a great deal of eye appeal.
  • Fat deposition between feather tracts on the side
    of the breast is the best indication of finish.
  • Do not confuse finish and pigmentation (skin
    color).
  • Skin Pigmentation. Skin pigmentation results from
    the deposition of yellow or yellow-orange
    pigments in the outer skin layer. It is not an
    indication of finish. Only minor emphasis should
    be placed on pigmentation

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
17
Handling and Transportation
  • Record leg bands of birds selected for show
  • Large cardboard boxes are ideal carriers.
  • Never place more than four broilers or two
    roasters in a box when transporting them to show
  • Put 4 inches of litter in the container so
    breasts will not bruise or become reddened
  • Be certain to cut adequate air holes in side
  • Avoid bruising birds while taking them out of
    container
  • DO NOT DROP CONTAINERS!
  • Check birds carefully for bruises one final time
    before presenting them to the sifter.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
18
Show Broiler Management - Timeline
  • Please refer to pg. 51 of the Managing County 4-H
    Livestock and Horse Programs User Guide

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
19
Conclusions
  • The importance of adequate facilities and
    facility preparation
  • The importance of properly rearing birds
  • Sufficient lighting is important for feather
    growth and warmth.
  • Proper diets and nutritional information about
    feeding birds should be identified.
  • Importance of health in raising poultry.
  • Selection of birds for show is based on many
    factors.
  • Confirmation of pen is a must in order to be
    successful
  • Mishandling and transportation to show can be
    detrimental to the success of the birds.

Texas 4-H and Youth Development
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