poultry

Question 1

describe natural habitat and behaviour of chickens

Answer 1

• live in woods and forests (do not like open spaces)
• live in small groups with strong hierarchy (do not like large groups

Question 2

Answer 2

ancona

Question 3

Answer 3

araucana

Question 4

Answer 4

australorp
also white

Question 5

Answer 5

leghorn
also brown

Question 6

Answer 6

orpington
also black

Question 7

Answer 7

sultan

Question 8

Answer 8

columbian wyandotte

Question 9

Answer 9

pekin

Question 10

Answer 10

silkie

Question 11

Answer 11

yokohama

Question 12

what are the industry organisations involved in poultry production

Answer 12

• british poultry council
• poultry club (safegaurd of purebreed)
• british waterfowl association (safeguarding purebred)
• british egg information service
• national farmers union

Question 13

what is the optimum temperature to keep broiler chickens

Answer 13

21 degrees celcius
feed intake decreases at higher temp, increases at lower temp, optimum for growth at 21

Question 14

what is requirement for lighting in broiler systems as per DEFRA

Answer 14

must make sure that within 7 days of placing chickens in the building an until 3 days before expected time of slaughter the lighting must:
- follow a 24 hour rhythm cycle (at least 8 hrs of artificial lighting per day)
- include periods of darkness lasting at least 6 hours in total
- have at least 1 uninterrupted period of darkness of at least 4 hours excluding dimming periods

Question 15

what is the timeline of a broiler chicken from hatch to slaughter

Answer 15

placed in houses from 1 day old until 5-6 weeks of age (slaughtered before reaching sexual maturity)

Question 16

describe grading system for determining egg quality

Answer 16

grade A: naturally clean, fresh eggs, internally perfect with shells intact and the air sac not exceeding 6mm in depth. the yolk must not move away from the centre of the egg on rotation
grade B: these eggs are proken out and pasteurised
industrial eggs: these are for non-food use only and are used in products such as shampoo and soap

Question 17

explain how temperature can influence egg size and quantity

Answer 17

warmer temps (over 21 deg) = small and fewer eggs
optimal temp (21 deg) = good size eggs and lots
cold temp: larger eggs, fewer than optimal temp conditions

Question 18

what environmental controls are important to consider in poultry facilities

Answer 18

• temperature (should be 21)
• water/vapour (high humidity bad)
• gasses (CO2 kept below 0.2 %)
• ammonia from dust and feces (25-50 ppm causes resp probs)
• ventilation (to remove waste, heat gasses, water vapour, dust, provides fresh air)
• insulation to conserve metabolic heat in temperate climates and prevent condensation on inner surfaces
• heating very important for young stock

Question 19

in what direction should air circulate and why? why is it bad to circulate in the other direction

Answer 19

air should circulate clockwise to allow air to heat before reaching bird level
- air circulating counter clockwise is bad because it pushes cold air from the vents directly to bird level without allowing it to heat

Question 20

list common problems in housing management etc in poultry sytstem

Answer 20

housing:
- inadequate design
- poor ventilation
- unsuitable bedding
- poorly maintained premises/old building

management:
- poor attention to detail (biosecurty and prevention of disease)
- poor practices/lack of knowledge
- insufficient amount of staff to run farm

Question 21

young chicks regulate their body temperature how

Answer 21

poikilothermic: body temp depends on environment

Question 22

what does brooding refer to and what is the timeframe for brooding in chickens

Answer 22

he period immediately after hatch when special care and attention must be given to chicks to ensure their health and survival
- from hatching to around 10 days old

Question 23

describe optimum feed delivery and complications that can occur with poor feed delivery

Answer 23

should eb precise and adapt to growth of chicken
- wasting food is expensive
- once fod is split it fermets and reduces quality of litter (major problem for disease)

Question 24

describe complications of poor water delivery to chickens

Answer 24

• if spills litter get wet
• increases ammonia leading to resp issues in both birds and humans
• greater risk of pathogen proliferation in wet litter
• deteriorates fabric of building

Question 25

describe how to mitigate litter/building deterioration in poultry units

Answer 25

- prevent water/food spillage - litter should be sufficiently absorbant - diets should be quality (right amount of protein, not too much potassium, good quality oil)

Question 26

list legal mutilations in poultry

Answer 26

- beak trimming (only in laying hens under 10 days old, ideally 1 day old, infrared, person must be over 18, in accordance to veterinary surgeons act if not by vet) - desnooding (removing the fleshy extension on the forehead of turkeys) - de-toeing - dubbing (removing the comb or wattle from birds) - wing pinioning (only flight feathers on one wing, nothing that mutilates wing tissue!)

Question 27

what legislation prohibits any operation on a bird with the object or effect of impending its flight (other than feather clipping) or the fitting of any appliance which has the object or effect of limiting vision to a bird by a method involving the penetration or other mutilation of the nasal septum

Answer 27

the welfare of livestock regulation 1982`

Question 28

list abnormal behaviours seen in poultry

Answer 28

- feather pecking - cannibalism (observational learners) - loss of social hierarchy in single age sites/large groups - stereotypic behaviour - frustration if no nest building substrates

Question 29

list pertinent legislation to poultry

Answer 29

- animal welfare act 2006 - welfare of farmed animals regulation 2007 - animal health act 1981 - the mutilations regulations 2007 - DEFRA codes of practice

Question 30

what are the notifiable diseases of poultry

Answer 30

- avian influenza - newcastle disease

Question 31

list infectious bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal

Answer 31

viral: avian flu, newcastle disease bacterial: salmonellosis, escherichiosis, campilobacteriosis parasitic: endo and ecto parasites, coccidia spp.) fungal: aspergillus fumigatus

Question 32

what kind of birds are the primary natural reservoir for avian flu

Answer 32

aquatic birds

Question 33

how is avian flu spread

Answer 33

- bird to bird through droplets/aerosols from respiratory tract or feces - people and equipment - dust (airborne) - other animals (cats, rodents, people) - wild birds - drinking water

Question 34

how do you control avian flu

Answer 34

- vaccination is possible in countries where the diseas in endemic - PPE worn at all times - strict biosecuroty - hand washing after removal of PPE

Question 35

how is newcastle disease spread

Answer 35

- route of infection dependent on the organ on which the virus multiplies, hence most common routes for infection are secretion of respiratory tract and feces - wild carriers infected with low virulence strain big concern - humans, equipment, bird movements (live/dead and feces used in fertilizers) markets etc - infected material might remain contaminated for a relevant amount of time in the absence of heat as virus particles are thermolabile and can be destroyed by cooking - verticle transmission possible (mother to child)

Question 36

what are the clinical signs of newcastle disease

Answer 36

- depression - mortality - prostration - diarrhea - oedema of the head - nervous signs - egg abnormalities - egg drop - resp disease

Question 37

describe zoonosis of newcastle disease in humans

Answer 37

- causes conjunctivitis and mild influenza or laryngitis - no human to human spread - usually transient symptoms (temporary)

Question 38

what body should newcastle disease be reported to

Answer 38

APHA

Question 39

how to control newcastle disease

Answer 39

- regular vaccinations (in ovo, live priming and injection of killed virus) - commercial birds only vaccinated in risk situations

Question 40

describe salmonella infections in birds

Answer 40

- causes diarrhea and mortality mostly in young birds up to 3 weeks - transmitted orally or transovarian - controlled and eradicated by serological testing and elimination of positive birds (lion code eggs must come from tested birds) - clinical signs include inappetance, depression, ruffled feathers, closed eyes, lameness, loud chirping, white diarrhea, vent pasting and gasping - post mortem signs include grey nodules in lungs, liver, gizzard wall and heart, intestinal or caecal inflammation, splenomegaly, caecal cores and urate crystals in ureters - diagnosed by cuture and typing serology - controlle by maintianing goof biosecurity, vaccination no commonly used and positive flocks tend to be culled, routine serological tests to ensure disease free flocks are sustained or bred from

Question 41

descrobe E.coli infections in birds

Answer 41

- clinical signs include respiratory signs, decreased appetite, poor growth, mortality, high morbidity - post mortem lesions: enteritis, arthritis, synovitis, omphalitis, salpingitis, peritonitis, perihepatitis, pericaditis, airsacculitis - diagnosis: culture, PCR - vaccination possible in breeders and layers