Poultry Industry

By: Laura Prentice

One of the fastest growing segments of the animal industry

What I am going to talk about…

• Consumption

• Largest Producers

• The Broiler Industry

• Broiler Houses

• Cannibalism

• Broiler Production

• Egg Production

• Egg Hatching

• Layer Industry

• Turkey Industry

• Other Poultry

• Careers in the Poultry Industry

Consumption and ProducersCountries that consume and produce the

most poultry

China

United States

Brazil

Mexico

India

Other

U.S

ChinaBrazil

29%

49%

13%

Mexico 3%

4%

Oth

er

India 2%

Top US. Producers

Live Weight (in pounds, per year)

GeorgiaArkansasAlabamaNorth CarolinaMisssissippi

Georgia

Arkansas

Alabama

North Carolina

Mississippi

6,882,700

5,937,500

4,766,000

5,419,200

5,787,000

Broiler Industry• Roasters (chickens under 13 weeks old) constitute

virtually all commercial chicken production.

• Roasters also weight about 5 to 8 lbs. when processed

• Broilers are the same type of bird but younger (under 8 weeks)

• Broilers will weigh in at 3 to 5 lbs.

Broiler Production• The process starts with the chicks hatching out of

eggs

• Parents are selected from breeds that are large and muscular

• And that is good for meat (larger the bird the more meat you get)

Broiler Production• Most broilers are hybrids derived from mating of

different breeds

• Usually mated through artificial insemination

• And then results in hybrid vigor

Hybrid Vigor•The resulting of the offspring being healthier and out producing the average of their parents.

• Cornish Rock• Plymouth Rock cross with a white Cornish

Plymouth Rock

White Cornish

What do you get when you cross…

Broiler Production• Most broilers are white

• Colored broilers have pigmentation spots in their skin which is undesirable to the consumer

Broiler Houses

• The typical modern broiler house holds from 10 to 100,000 birds, with automated feeding and watering.

• The houses are generally lighted for 24 hours a day to cut down on cannibalism

Cannibalism• Cannibalism is a problem that is associated with

large poultry flocks where the birds kept in close confinement peck at associated birds.

• Toe picking in chicks• Feather pulling in older birds from the head, tail or

body• Vent picking in older birds

Egg Production• The eggs are expelled from the hens body and the

embryo develops outside the hens body

• Eggs are encased in a hard shell and can weigh several ounces

Egg Production• The process begins with the release of the ovum

(yolk) from the ovary

• If the female has been mated, the ovum will be fertilized within the infundibulum.

• The albumin or white of the egg is secreted by cells in the magnum.

Egg Production• The Chalazae is formed• It is a ropelike substance which holds the yolk in place in the center of the egg.

• Inner and outer shell membranes are formed in the isthmus

Egg Production•The shell is formed in the uterus

• In 18-20 hours the shell is completed and moves to the vagina and out of the hens body.

Egg Production• Hens prefer nesting boxes that are enclosed

• Gives the chickens a feeling of security

Egg Production• Some facilities collect eggs with the use of a conveyor belt

• The egg rolls out of the nest box and onto the belt

Egg Production• Eggs must be kept clean and free from contamination

• If the egg becomes soiled it will not be used for hatching

• Dirt may be easily scrubbed off the egg

Egg Production

Egg Hatching• Eggs are stored at 70-80 degrees

until being placed in the hatchery

• Within 48 hours after incubation begins the embryo has developed a circulatory system

Egg Hatching• The circulatory system sustains life by carrying nourishment from the yolk to the embryo

• The eggs are turned at least two times per day

Egg Hatching• Turning eggs keeps the embryo from sticking to the inside of the shell

• By the end of the first week, embryos are recognizable as chickens

Egg Hatching•After two weeks, the chicks are covered with down

• Incubation takes about 21 days.

Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!

Egg Hatching• After hatching, chicks are removed from the incubator, dried off, cleaned, and placed in a warm dry environment. (brooder)

• The chicks are sexed and separated into groups.

Egg Hatching• At one day of age chicks are

vaccinated and the beaks are trimmed to prevent cannibalism.

• Chicks are then placed in ventilated cardboard boxes to be shipped to the broiler house.

Egg Hatching• Before the chicks arrive at the broiler

house it must be cleaned and disinfected.

• Fresh bedding is placed in the house.

• Heaters, called brooders are suspended from the ceiling to keep the birds warm.

Egg Hatching• Chicks are usually kept in the broiler house for seven to eight weeks.

• At that time they weigh about 5 to 7 pounds and are ready for market.

Egg Hatching• When the broilers are transported

to the processing plant, the house is again cleaned.

• The bedding is very high in Nitrogen and is used for fertilizer, it may also be used as a source of

protein in cattle rations.

Layer Industry•Per capita egg consumption in the U.S. has drastically decreased over the past thirty years.

•Even with the decrease in demand, the layer industry is quite strong.

Layer Industry• Over 90% of eggs produced are by layers in cages.

• The most common grouping is four hens per cage.

• Some layers produce brown eggs and some produce white eggs.

Layer Industry•Most eggs sold in the U.S. are white.

• In commercial operations, lighting is used to stimulate the hormonal activity of the hens to increase their production of eggs.

Layer Industry•They produce eggs naturally when the days are longer than the nights.

•Most operations allow 14 - 15 hours of light per day.

Layer Industry•As eggs are laid they roll onto a conveyor belt where they go to a work room where they are cleaned if necessary and refrigerated.

Layer Industry•Eggs are coated with a thin coat of mineral oil to prevent carbon dioxide from escaping from within the egg.

•Eggs are graded according to size and checked for cracks and interior spots by candling.

The Turkey Industry• Turkey represents a high quality, low cost, nutritious source of food protein.

• One third of all turkey sales occur during the weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Turkey Industry• The sale of turkey is second to chicken in

the overall sale of poultry meat.

• Between 1980 and 1990 turkey consumption increased 92% in the U.S. and is still rising

The Turkey Industry• The modern white turkey is a

descendant of the wild turkey

• But as a result of a mutation which left the gene out for feather and skin pigmentation.

• Heavy muscled, broad breasted birds have been developed instead.

The Turkey Industry• These highly developed birds are not

efficient breeders.

• The physical act of mating is difficult because of the weight of the birds and because of this they are needed to be A.Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgf6h588v-I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo2tQ6IL0mA&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LL7kNYfu3NdYzxQ0a9-siG_Q

Other Poultry• In some parts of the world ducks and geese make up a major portion of the poultry raised and consumed.

• This is true in China and Southeast Asia.

Other Poultry• In some areas quail and pheasant are grown for the gourmet food and restaurant market and for release in the wild to stock the population for hunters.

Other Poultry• Game birds are also considered poultry

• They consist of:

• Peafowl• Pheasants• Quail• Pigeons• Guinea Fowl

Sites sourced • http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/al175e/al175e.pdf

• http://www.animalfarmlife.eu/images/chickens/hens_broiler_1.jpg

• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PrTCh_DtR5g/UF2wexfnUiI/AAAAAAAAAL8/HQv5HYmhBCU/s1600/broiler-chicken.jpg

• http://static2.mypetchicken.com/images/ChickenPix/medium/Studio_WhCrnshCkrl_297_M.jpg

• http://static2.mypetchicken.com/images/ChickenPix/medium/Studio_BarredRockHen_1045_M.jpg

• http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/about-the-industry/statistics/top-broiler-producing-states/

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/80739/broiler-house

• http://poultryscience.uark.edu/ABRU.gif

• http://www.vivid.ro/images/90/broiler-house.jpg

• http://gothunts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/quail.jpg

• http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/golden%20pheasant