3 – Meat Birds (Production and Management) Flashcards
(69 cards)
1
Q
Brooding definition
A
- Period of early life characterized by requirement for supplemental heat
2
Q
Rearing definition
A
- Period of time from the end of brooding to onset of sexual maturity
3
Q
Reproduction definition
A
- Onset of sexual maturity until end of reproductive cycle
4
Q
Breeding cycle: housing
A
- 2/3 slat and 1/3 litter or cage
5
Q
Brooding and rearing: housing
A
- Litter floor barn
6
Q
Why control body weight?
A
- Growth vs. reproduction
o Double yolk=not good for hatching - Prevent obesity and improve reproductive performance
- Decreased mortality
- Control sexual maturity
o Too fat=lower sperm count - *controversial
7
Q
What is done for feed intake control during brooding and rearing?
A
- As much as they want until 2-3 weeks of age
- Initiate weekly sampling by at least 2 weeks of age
o Allocate feed based on sample weights - *start restricting feed on daily basis and then SOME switch to feeding twice the restricted amount on every other day basis
- Return to everyday feeding at ~20 weeks of age
8
Q
What is done for feed intake control during the laying or breeding cycle?
A
- Feed levels increase prior to sexual maturity
- Start breeder ration by at least 22 weeks of age
- Reduce feed intake when egg production starts to decline
9
Q
What percent of flock mortal is due to disease?
A
- 10%
10
Q
What are some ways to control disease?
A
- Isolation: ALL SPECIES
- All in all out management
- Clean out and disinfection
- Source of stock
- **Vaccination (with antibody testing)
- Test barns and take blood samples every 2 weeks
11
Q
What are some processes done in the hatchery for managing males?
A
- Dubbing: removing comb
- Trimming dew claw and inner toe nails
12
Q
Why is dubbing done to males at hatchery?
A
- Easiest way to ID males coming from specific genetic lines
- *only dub the A males (not the C males)
13
Q
Why is trimming of dew claws and inner toe nails done to males at hatchery?
A
- Aggression
o For when they mount females - *infrared toe treatment: just end of claw so no nail growth at edge of bone
14
Q
How are males housed?
A
- Separate at least to 6 weeks of age
- Separation to housing in breeder barn preferred
15
Q
What are the 2 types of beak TREATMENT for males?
A
- Hot-blade trimming
- Infrared beak treatment: prevents epithelial re-growth
16
Q
Sex ratios: 3 categories
A
- Natural mating
- At hatching: 13-15 males per 100 females (to account for mortality)
- *At breeding: 8-10 males per 100 females
17
Q
Why do you want to separate male feeding during breeding?
A
- Controlling male weight
- Male nutritional requirements
- *results in better fertility late in breeding cycle
18
Q
What are some methods of feeding males and females separately during breeding?
A
- Usually like to stick to their different feeders
19
Q
What is adding spiking males?
A
- Bring younger males (spiking males)=stimulate testosterone in older males
- *increases fertility (increase the old, and added from the new)
o BUT: then not all in all out=biosecurity
20
Q
What is the age of the hens at their first egg?
A
- 23-24 weeks of age
21
Q
Egg production peak is
A
- 85% hen day egg production
22
Q
What is the egg production at 64 weeks of age?
A
- 50% hen day egg production
23
Q
How many eggs do you normal get per hen and what is the hatchability?
A
- 171 eggs/pen
- Hatchability: 85%
- *145 chicks per hen
24
Q
What are the types of meat chickens?
A
- Rock Cornish Game Hen (whole females)
- Broiler (whole, cut up male or female)
o KFC, Swiss Chalet, further processed meat - Roasters (whole male or female)
25
Aviagen Ross 308 Guide
- To look at hatched performance objectives
- *see if they are growing good
26
What is the floor in broiler housing?
- Litter floor
27
What is the floor in turkey housing?
- Litter floor
28
Environmental quality and bird comfort + health (broiler/turkey): areas to consider
- ***Ventilation (fan capacity)
- Barn construction (insulation, unintentional openings)
- Outside air (RH,T)
- Heat sources
- Inside air (RH, T)
- Feed
- Bird number and sizes (CO2, manure)
- Bacteria
- Litter quality and quantity
29
Birds are homotherms
- able to control body T at 7-21 days
- *higher T than us (41.9 degree C chickens)
30
What are the two methods of heat loss in birds?
1. Sensible (direct)
a. Conduction, convection, radiation
2. Insensible (indirect)
a. Evaporative
31
Conduction
- Transfer of heat form molecule to molecule
- Ex. what skin is in contact with
- *stocking density
32
Convection
- Involves movement of air
- *want to prevent too much of this happening in poultry
- Ex. air comes in and the heat is removed and the cool air goes over your skin
33
Radiation
- Heat in the form of electromagnetic waves
- In Canada: don’t have open sided barns
34
What is the order of sensible heat loss in order of importance?
- MOST important: convection (VENTILATION)
- Conduction
- Radiation
35
What are some thermoregulation methods?
- Behaviours
- Ptiloerection
- Vasomotion
- Shivering
- Panting
36
How is the barn temperature monitored?
1. Thermometers in representative location
2. Bird behaviour and appearance
a. Huddling, shiver, ptiloeretion, panting, space distribution
37
What are the brooding temperatures?
- Initial: 30-32 decree C
- Decrease weekly by ~2 degree C
- Final temperature: 21 degree C
38
What are the two ways to provide a heat source?
- Whole room heating (make sure the whole room is warm enough before the chicks arrive)
- Localized heat sources
39
How is temperature managed in brooding?
- Use brooder guards and attraction lights (not as often anymore)
- Distribution of feeders and waterers (increase the amount)
40
What is the light management in brooding?
- OLD: 24hr continuous light
- NOW: Darkness can allow natural diurnal patterns and improve sleep and alters behaviour
o 23hr light, 1 hr dark, slowly increase to 6hr dark, 18hr light
41
What are the sources of moisture in the brooding barn?
- Poultry feces (70-80% moisture)
- Respiratory evaporation
- Incoming air
- Spillage
42
What are the recommended humidity levels?
- 55-70%
- Variable during broiler growth cycle
43
Why do you not want high humidity?
- Cold temperature conditions
o Reduced ventilation
o Damp litter
o Increased ammonia
- Warm temperature in combination with high humidity
o Pathogens
o Disease
o Ulcerations on foot pad
44
Why do you not want low humidity?
- Excessive ventilation
o Dusty
o Poor feathering and growth
- Early brooding
o Combination of winter brooding and weak chicks
o Starveouts: wont eat or drink
45
What are the gases in a barn?
- Ammonia (NH3)
- Hydrogen sulfide
- Methan
- CO2
- CO
46
What are the sources of gases in a barn?
- Anaerobic degradation of manure organics
- Animal respiration
- Fuel burning heaters
47
What is the ammonia tolerance level?
- 25ppm
48
What are the adverse effects of ammonia?
- IRRITANT
- Increased susceptibility to respiratory disease
- Increased incidence of breast blisters, ulceration of foot pad
o Breast on wet litter
- Keratoconjunctivitis
- Decreased performance
49
What are the sources of dust?
- Feed
- Litter
- Feathers
- Dander (skin scales)
50
What are the contributing factors to dust?
- Flight ability (poulet barn=more flying to perches)
- Behaviour
o Dust bathing
o Foraging
51
How can dust be controlled?
- Ventilation rate
- Misting
52
What are some of the detrimental effects of dust?
- Vector of microbes (Marek’s disease)
- Direct damage to the lung and respiratory tract
53
What are some of the factors that influence space requirements? (4)
1. Type of bird
2. Management factors
3. Quality of management
4. Other environmental factors
*linear ADDITIVITY of CONCURRENT STRESSORS
54
What happened at too low of stocking density?
- Too much movement=injuries
55
What are the effects of inadequate space?
- Decreased performance
- Reduced uniformity
- Increased mortality (reduced immune function)
- Increased carcass defects
- Increased condemnation at processing (meat stocks)
56
What are the 3 different components of light?
- Light wavelength
- Light intensity
- Photoperiod length and distribution
57
Light wavelength examples in birds
- Blue light during handling=calmer birds (can see it better!)
- Red light=reduces cannibalism
o *superior for lay/breeding period
- *birds have more cones (see a broader colour spectrum then we do)
*can see light through their skull (hits pineal gland)
58
What is light intensity measured in?
- Lux
- Foot candle (American)
- CLUX/GALLILUX (should be the standard)
o ‘chicken lux’: takes into account birds perception under a specific light colour
59
Light intensity can be manipulated to influence bird behaviour to
- Increase activity
- Reduce cannibalism
- Reduce feed wastage
- Decrease bruising
60
What is the recommendation for light intensity during early + late brooding and rearing?
- Early brooding: >20lux
- Later brooding and rearing: 5-10lux (turkeys: 5 lux)
61
How can exposure to darkness benefit bird health?
- Physiological changes associated with darkness
o Reduced early growth using extended darkness
- Increased exercise
- Good performance, improved feed efficiency and reduced electrical costs
62
What are the potential negative aspects of dark exposure?
- Reduced growth in short grow out period
- More difficult to handle at marketing
- Reduced breast meat yield
- *need a balance of positive and negative aspects of darkness exposure (aim for 18light, 6 dark)
63
Level and balance of nutrients is important in nutrition
- More than 40 chemical compounds or elements necessary to support growth, reproduction and life
- *there are major classifications and sources
64
What are the 4 major classifications and sources of nutrients?
- Energy
- Protein
- Vitamins
- Minerals
65
Energy nutrient feed ingredients (high to low)
- Cereal grains
- Fat
- Protein concentrates
66
Protein nutrient feed ingredients (high to low)
- Protein concentrates
- Cereal grains
- Purified AA
67
Vitamins nutrient feed ingredients (high to low)
- Vitamin supplements
- Other feed ingredients
68
Minerals nutrient feed ingredients (high to low)
- Mineral premixes/specific supplements
- Other feed ingredients
69
Example of a broiler diet is Western Canada
- *mainly wheat
- Source of protein: barley
- Soybean
- Minerals+
