BACKYARD & PASTURE POULTRY

Dr. Jacquie JacobPoultry Extension Associate

Dept of Animal and Food Sciences, UK

2008 Fall ANR updateOctober 20, Winchester

DEFINITIONS

• Backyard poultry– Small flocks which may or may not be kept

‘for profit’• Pure-bred breeders, 4-Hers, family flock(s) for

meat and/or eggs, etc.

• Pasture poultry– A management method, regardless of flock

size

BACKYARD POULTRY

• Pure-bred breeders– Hatcheries sell day-old chicks to poultry

fanciers– Poultry fancier that breed their own flock,

not necessarily for sale

BACKYARD POULTRY

• 4-Hers/FFA– Poultry projects: Very from state-to-state and

within a state• Meat chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pigeon, guinea

fowl• Egg layers: brown or white chicken eggs• Purebred chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pigeon

(rollers, homers), guinea fowl

NPIP CERTIFIED

• National Poultry Improvement Plan– Probably the greatest single factor which limited the

early expansion of the U.S. poultry industry was the disease known as Bacillary White Diarrhea (BWD), caused by Salmonella pullorum.

• This disease, later called pullorum disease, was rampant in poultry and could cause upwards of 80% mortality in young poultry.

• The causative organism was discovered by Dr. Leo Rettger in 1899 and a diagnostic blood test was developed by Dr. F.S. Jones in 1913.

• Egg transmitted

NPIP CERTIFIED

• National Poultry Improvement Plan– Kentucky program run through state

veterinarian in the Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health

– Poultry program coordinator: Sue Blair • Phone: 502 564-5665 ext. 248• Email: sue.blair@ky.gov

BACKYARD POULTRY

• Family flock(s) for meat and/or eggs– Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons,

quail, guinea fowl, etc

WHITE EGG LAYERSWhat do they have in common?

White ear lobes

BROWN EGG LAYERS

What do they have in common?

Red earlobes

Green eggs

AMERAUCANAS versus ARAUCANA

Ameraucanas:Beard and muffsTail

Araucanas:No beardTuffs, not muffsNo tail

Dominique:Rose comb

BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK versus DOMINIQUE

Barred Rock:Single comb

FAQs

• How can I tell if an egg is going to hatch a male or female, so I only set eggs for laying hens?

Sexing eggs before incubating: Is it possible?

• Old wives’ tale– Shape of the egg: Football shaped eggs

house male chicks and more oval or round-shaped eggs house female chicks

– 50% accuracy which is slightly higher than for lucky guessers

FAQs

• I hatched out some chicks, but I am not allowed to keep roosters where I leave. How can I tell which is which?

Sexing young poultry

• Old wives’ tale– Tying a needle or weight to the end of a

piece of string and hold it over the young animal. If it the motion of the object is in a circular motion it is a female. If the motion is back and forth it is a male.

– 50% accuracy which is slightly higher than for lucky guessers

Sexing young poultry• Sex-linked

characteristics– Requires a specific

breeding program only– With proper training, is

100% accurate

Avian Genetics

• Mammals– Male XY– Female XX

– Males determine sex of offspring

• Birds– Male ZZ– Female ZW

– Females determine sex of offspring

BLACK SEX-LINKS(also called Rock Reds)

XOffspring:

- Both sexes hatch out red but males have a white dot on their heads

- Males feather out with Barred Rock pattern and females feather out black

Non-barred male Barred male

RED SEX-LINKSGolden Comet

X

White rock with silver factor

Offspring:

- Males hatch out white

- Females hatch out buff and feather out buff with white or tinted undercolor

RED SEX-LINKSCinnamon Queen

X

Silver laced Wyandotte

Offspring:

-Males hatch out white

-Females hatch out red and feather out red with white or tinted undercolor

RED SEX-LINKS

• Other red sex-link crosses (just referred to as ‘red sex-links’– Rhode Island White female x Rhode Island

Red male– Delaware female x Production Red male

OTHER SEX-LINK CROSSES

• California Gray rooster x White Leghorn hen = California White– California Gray is a dual purpose breed that has a heavier

type than a leghorn– Not flighty birds– Are excellent winter layers in cold climates

• Popular in northern Midwest and Canada

SEXING YOUNG POULTRY• Vent sexing

– Developed by a Japanese professor, Kiyoshi Masui

– Involves holding the day-old chick upside in one hand and while visually examining the vent area for the presence or absence of a rudimentary male sex organ.

– Trained, non-professionals typically 60-70% accuracy

– Professionals typically have 95% accuracy

SEXING YOUNG POULTRY• Best way to tell is to wait till they grow up

Comb size

Wattle size

Tail feathers

Spur size

FAQs:Why have my hens stopped laying?

FAQs:Why have my hens stopped laying?

• Nutrition

• Disease

• Age

• Management

Why have my hens stopped laying?

Management – Light:For most of the year require supplemental light to maintain egg production

FAQs related to eggs

• Where does the chick develop in an egg?

• There are these red spots in my eggs. Are these embryos?

No Fertilization

Fertilization has occurred

Candled appearance of a blood spot

FAQs related to eggs

• Is there any chance that the eggs from the store will hatch in my fridge?

• If I put fertile eggs in the fridge and then decided to incubate them later, will they still hatch?

• Is it okay to eat fertile eggs?

• How can I tell if an egg is fertile without breaking it open?

KIDS AND CHICKS

• Will my kids get sick from handling baby chicks at the petting zoo?

• Can my kids catch chicken pox from our chicken flock?

KIDS AND CHICKS

• My kid was holding a chick and it just seemed to die in his/her hands. Is this normal? Were they stressed out? Were they sick?– The avian and mammalian respiratory

systems are very different: It is possible to suffocate a bird by holding it too tight?

HUMANS

Tidal respiration

Unique feature of birds: Air sacs

Air flow in avian lungs is in one direction

Inspiration Expiration

Birds don’t have a diaphragm

FAQs: Housing

• Are there any blue-prints I can use for building a house for my small poultry flock?

DEFINITIONS

• Backyard poultry– Small flocks which may or may not be kept

‘for profit’• Pure-bred breeders, 4-Hers, family flock(s) for

meat and/or eggs, etc.

• Pasture poultry– A management method, regardless of flock

size

Pasture poultry

Portable, bottomless pens

Pasture poultry

Feed trough

Automatic waterer

Pasture poultry

Pasture poultry

Pasture poultry

Remote monitoring

Day-range: Moveable, bottomless hoop barns

Pasture area surrounded by fence, mainly to keep predators out

Day-range: Moveable, bottomless hoop barns

To close the broilers in at night

‘Uses up’ the pasture

Day-range: Turkeys

Heritage turkeys are becoming popular

Day-range: Fixed housing for locking the birds up at night, free to roam around during the day

Day range: Geese

Free-range poultry

Multiple-age laying flock: A different breed introduced each year so that the age of the hens can be tracked

Barred Plymouth Rock Rhode Island Red Barred Plymouth Rock

Free-range poultry

Day range: ‘Eggmobile’

FAQs: Housing

• I want to have a small flock for meat and egg production. What kind of housing should I build? Can I renovate existing buildings?

FAQs: Housing

• Is it okay to house different species of poultry together?

FAQs: Processing

• Where can I get my birds processed?

POULTRY PROCESSING

• Very few independent/custom processors

• ‘Mobile’ slaughter facility

• Home slaughter

SLAUGHTER/BLEED OUT

SCALDING

DEFEATHERING/PLUCKING

REMOVE FEET

‘FREE’ CROP

OPEN ABDOMEN

EVISCERATE

Drop area allows for easy disposal of waste material

REMOVE LUNGS

FAQs: Processing

• I processed my chickens and they looked fine, but when I cooked them and went to carve the chicken for dinner, there was green disgusting meat in the breast. What is this?

Green Muscle Disease

BROILER QUALITY: Green muscle disease

• Also called Deep Pectoral Myopathy• A non-infectious, focal bi- or uni-lateral necrosis of

the deep pectoral muscle (breast tenderloin)• Initially noticed in fast growing turkeys• Recently observed sporadically in heavy broilers

destined for deboned breast meat production– Lesions observed during processing indicate that

birds are either genetically predisposed to this condition or some "stressor" acts as a trigger this condition during the pre-slaughter phase

ANY QUESTIONS?