By: Laura Prentice One of the fastest growing segments of the animal industry

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

China Brazil 29% 49% 13% Mexico 3% 4% Other India 2%

North Carolina Mississippi 6,882,700 5,937,500 4,766,000 5,419,200 5,787,000

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.

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)

Most broilers are hybrids derived from mating of different breeds Usually mated through artificial insemination And then results in 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

Most broilers are white Colored broilers have pigmentation spots in their skin which is undesirable to the consumer

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 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

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

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.

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

The shell is formed in the uterus In hours the shell is completed and moves to the vagina and out of the hens body.

Hens prefer nesting boxes that are enclosed Gives the chickens a feeling of security

Some facilities collect eggs with the use of a conveyor belt The egg rolls out of the nest box and onto the belt

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

Eggs are stored at degrees until being placed in the hatchery Within 48 hours after incubation begins the embryo has developed a circulatory system

The circulatory system sustains life by carrying nourishment from the yolk to the embryo The eggs are turned at least two times per day

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

After two weeks, the chicks are covered with down Incubation takes about 21 days. Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They produce eggs naturally when the days are longer than the nights. Most operations allow hours of light per day.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.I L7kNYfu3NdYzxQ0a9-siG_Q

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.

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.

Game birds are also considered poultry They consist of: Peafowl Pheasants Quail Pigeons Guinea Fowl