Topic 1: Poultry
Production and
Management
Poultry species
Chicken (Gallus gallus
domesticus)
• Rooster or cock –
mature male chicken
• Hen – mature female
chicken
• Cockerel – young
male chicken
• Pullet – ready-to-lay
female chicken
• Broiler – meat chicken weighing 1kg LW in
5-6 wks
• Fryer – overgrown broiler
• Roaster – chicken old enough but
sufficiently tender
• Capon – male chicken without testes
• Slip – imperfectly caponized chicken
• Poulard – female chicken whose ovaries
are removed
Ducks (Anas boschas-Mallard duck,
Cairina moschata- Muscovy, Anas
platyrynchos- Pekin)
• Drake – male duck
• Duck – female duck
• Duckling- young duck
• Green duck – young duck for meat
purposes
• Mule duck – cross of Muscovy and
mallard, sterile
Muscovy
mallard
Pekin (Chinese Duck)
Turkey (Meleagris
gallopavo)
• Tom – male turkey
of any age
• Hen – adult female
of any age
• Gobbler – male
turkey at maturity
• Poult – young
turkey
Pigeon (Columba livia)
• Cock – mature male
pigeon
• Squab – young
pigeon
• Hen – mature female
pigeon
Quail (Coturnix
coturnix)
• Hen – mature female
quail
• Cock – mature male
quail
• Chick – young quail
Guinea fowl (Numida
mileagris)
• Cock – mature male
guinea fowl
• Hen- mature female
guinea fowl
• Keets – young
guinea fowl
THE CHICKEN: CLASSES, BREEDS AND
VARIETIES
A. Origin
• Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) – native of SE
Asia
• Gray Jungle Fowl (G. sonnerati)
• Ceylonese Jungle Fowl (G. lafayetti)
• Javan Jungle Fowl (G. varius)
B. Development of Modern Breeds and
Varieties
• To improve egg and BW; wild jungle fowl
weighs only 0.9kg and lays only few eggs,
while modern hen lays as much as 320 eggs
and weigh 1.5 to 2.0 kg at 6 weeks old.
What brought the change?
• Genetic mutation – chemical change in
gene frequency
• Selection –
Natural (survival of the fittest)
Artificial – interference of man to
achieve a certain goal
Classification of breeds and
varieties
• Breed – a group of chicken (fowls)
possessing certain conformation or shape of
body that distinguishes them from others
• Variety – a group of chicken within a breed
that possesses the same plumage color or
type of comb
• Strain – a group of chicken within a variety
of a breed which has been under constant
specific selection particular trait in a period
of 5-8 years
Breed Variety Strain
Leghorn White, single Starcross
comb
Plymouth rock White Some broilers
Utility class Standard class
Egg class American class
Meat class Asiatic class
General purpose class Mediterranean class
Fancy class English class
Fighting class Others (Polish, French,
Hamburg, Oriental)
ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
A. Poultry Production
Breeds and breeding
1. Chickens
• Present day chickens are classified into
Utility or Place of Origin:
• Utility – according to purpose for which
the bird is raised
1. Egg Type
✓comparatively
small
✓white/cream
white earlobe
✓no feathers
on the shank
Ancona
Egg Type
✓active & nervous
temperament
✓early maturing
✓white-shelled eggs
✓non-sitters
•Mikawa • Leghorn
•Ancona • Minorca
Egg Type Breeds
Ancona Leghorn
Meat Type Breeds
Cochins
2. Meat Type
✓large body size
✓slow movement
✓quiet & gentle disposition
✓late maturing
✓brown-shelled eggs
✓sitters & good mothers
Meat Type Breeds
✓Chinese Shanghai Fowl
✓profuse soft
feathers
✓bulky appearance
✓Yellow skin color
✓brown-shelled eggs
Cochin
Meat Type Breeds
✓Known as Indian Game
✓Composite of several
blood lines
• Asil
• Black-Red Old English
• Malay
✓Both M/F is of the same
body conformation
Cornish
3. General-Purpose Type
✓medium body size
✓less active the egg breeds
✓brown-shelled eggs
✓sitters & good mothers
General-Purpose Type Breeds
Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock
✓Known as Indian Game
✓composite of several
blood lines
• Dominique male
• Black Cochin Female
✓yellow skin color
✓brown-shelled eggs
General-Purpose Type Breeds
Wyandotte
Wyandottes
✓American Sebright
✓broad feathers
✓smooth fitting
plumage
✓medium weight
✓yellow skin color
✓egg shell vary from
light to rich brown
General-Purpose Type Breeds
Rhode Island Red
Rhode Island Red
✓cross bred of
• Red Malay Game
• Leghorn
• Asiatic Native
✓excellent egg
production
✓yellow skin color
✓brown-shelled eggs
General-Purpose Type Breeds
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
✓from foundation of
Rhode Island Red
✓very light shade of
surface color
✓rapid growth &
weight
✓yellow skin color
✓brown-shelled eggs
4. Fancy Type
✓unusual appearance and
beauty of plumage
✓raised as ornamental fowls
•Frizzles
•Silkies
•Bantams
Frizzles
Silkies & Bantams
Poultry Classification
B. Place of Origin Classification
➢ standard classification based
on the place of origin
1. American Class
✓crosses of
• Black Java
• Dark Brahmas
• Black Langshans
✓large & very heavy
✓rapid growth &
weight
✓yellow skin color
Black Jersey Giants ✓brown-shelled eggs
2. Mediterranean Class
Ancona
✓non sitting fowl
✓excellent layers
✓rapid growth &
weight
✓yellow skin color
✓white-shelled eggs
3. English Class
Australorps
✓noted for its
splendid egg
production
✓medium weight
✓active bird laying
a tinted egg
4. Asiatic Class
Brahma
Brahmas
✓with many names
• Chittagongs
• Gray Shanghais
• Brahma Pootras
✓Smooth fitting
plumage not loose
feather
✓yellow skin color
✓brown-shelled eggs
5. Other Classes
Polish
a. Polish Class
✓large protuberance
on top of the skull
✓large cavernous
nostrils
✓ornamental fowls
✓non-sitter
✓white-shelled eggs
b. Hamburg Class
✓German breed name
but Dutch origin
✓good layers
✓ornamental fowls
✓non-sitter
✓white skin color
✓white-shelled eggs
Transylvania Naked Neck
✓Turken
✓skin turns red when
exposed to sun
✓no feathers on
the neck
✓less feathers on
its body
✓less resistant to
cold temperature
Ducks- egg type
Indian Runner – small
size, upright carriage
of body
• Three (3) varieties:
• White
• Fawn and White
• Penciled
Buff (also called Buff
Orpington) –
originated from
England. The plumage
is an even shade of
fawn, except that in
the drake, the head
and upper portion of
the neck are seal
brown
• Khaki Campbell –
larger than the
Indian Runner and
is biff in color
except for bronze
shading in the head,
neck, and wings of
the male
Ducks – meat type
• Muscovy – South
American origin. Roost
on convenient places
(fyer). Females do not
quack. Good forager
but grows slower than
Pekin
• Weight : Drake (adult) –
4.54 kg
• Duck (adult) – 3.18
kg
• Varieties – a) White b)
Colored
Turkey
Narragansette
• Plumage: the plumage
that of the Bronze, but
there is no red-green
sheen and no bronzing.
Color is metallic black,
and main tail feathers
and tail coverts are
penciled, light brown
and black
Slate
• Plumage: slate color
in all sections
• Shank color: pink
Toulouse (from
Toulouse, France)
• Large and gray
• Popular for meat
• Bill is pale orange
and the shank are
reddish orange
Embden
• Pure white, bill and
shank are orange
color
• Excellent for meat
Egyptian
• Very attractive looking
bird with part color
plumage
• Head is gray with a
reddish brown patch
around the eyes
• There is a ring of black
around the neck
• Always mate in pairs
QUAIL
Breeds
• Bobwhite (most
numerous)
• Gambrel
• Mountain
• Scaled
• Mexican
• Texas
• Masked
PIGEONS
Pigeons- in developed areas pigeons are
raised for:
• Squab production for profit
• Racing pigeons for carrying messages
• Ornamental varieties for pleasure
Giant Homer
• Good breeder and
feeds its young as
well
• Less compact body
than King but has
broad deep breast
French Mondain
• Short body but with
very deep and broad
breast
• White variety is the
most popular of
several varieties
Breeding Practices for Poultry
Chicken
• Sexual maturity occurs in about 12 to 16 weeks of
age.
• The breeding ratio under natural mating systems is
1:12.
• Ten to fourteen days breeding season should be
allowed to be certain of maximum fertilization in
mass-mated flocks.
• In artificial insemination, inseminate the birds weekly
to ensure high fertility.
SPECIALIZED FIELDS IN POULTRY
PRODUCTION
A. Breeder farm
• Source of commercial chicks for poultry
producers
• Working of geneticist using parent stocks
• Limited to those technically and financially
capable
B. Egg Farm
• Two phases: raising
pullets, and
layer/egg
production
• Hens are kept for
one year laying
period, then culled
and replaced by
young set of pullets
C. Broiler Farm
• Growing of meat-
type chicken in 6-7
weeks of age
• Utilizes both male
and female chicks
• Most common is
“contract growing”
(integrator provides
chicks, feeds and
drugs, and grower
provides housing
and labor)
D. Other specialized industries
• Feed milling industry
• Medicine, feed supplement and
biologics
• Farm equipment manufacture
• Poultry and egg processing, storage
and distribution
POULTRY PRODUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
A. Brooding
Management
a. Brooding
temperature (day-old
until 4 weeks)
Day-old to 1 week 90-95ᴼF (32.2-35ᴼC)
1-2 85-90ᴼF (29.4-32.2ᴼC)
2-4 80-85ᴼF (26.7-29.4ᴼC)
Growing period requires 75ᴼF or cooler
Source of heat:
• Electricity
• LPG
• Infra-red lamp
• Kerosene lamp
• Charcoal
b. Floor space requirements
• Egg type Chicken
1 day -3 weeks 0.3 sq. ft./bird
3-8 weeks 0.5 sq. ft./bird
8-12 weeks 1.0 sq. ft/bird
• Meat type chicken
1 day - 2 weeks 0.3 sq. ft./bird
2 weeks - market 1.0 sq.ft./bird
After 12 weeks, floor space requirements
vary according to the system:
Litter floor 2.0-2.5 sq. ft./bird
Slat floor 1.5-2.0 sq. ft./bird
Cages 0.75-1.0 sq. ft./bird
c. Light requirement
• 24 hours during the first few days of brooding
• Never increase light during the growing period,
never decrease light during the laying period
• Increasing day length for growers will hasten sexual
maturity and produce more pullet eggs (small); or
will make layers prone to prolapse and shorter egg
production cycle.
• Recommended day light must not exceed 11-12
hours during growing stage (4-18 weeks)
Feeds, feeding and watering
• Water given first at the brooder; feed is
provided 2-3 hours after. Add dextrose
powder/sugar to the drinking water at 5-10%
in the first 6-8 hours.
• Chick starter mash, on paper matting or
chick feeder
• Supplement water soluble vitamin mineral-
antibiotic preparation to give a good start
B. GROWING MANAGEMENT
a. Systems of rearing
1. Range system
Requires bigger area; common in native
chicken and duck production
2. Semi-confinement system
Area for pasture/grazing and
housing/shed
3. Complete confinement system
• Modern trend, using:
• Litter floor
• Slatted floor
• Combination
• Cages
b. Rearing pullets
1. Feeding and growing pullets
• Feeding high CP rations result in early
sexual maturity, smaller pullets with small
eggs and do not carry long egg production
period
• Pullet developer ration can be extended up to
22 weeks if pullets mature early
• Growing ration in mash, crumbles, or pellet
forms
• Birds should clean out feed in the hoppers
before next feeding to prevent wastage of
musty or stale feed
2. Culling and revaccination
• Transfer healthy pullets only, as follows
• Vigorous and active
• Bright and alert eyes
• Prominent red combs and wattles
• Developed body, yellow beaks/shanks
• Revaccinate for NCD before transfer
3. Signs of sexual maturity
Development of sexual organs starts
after 16 weeks old – for egg laying
characterized by:
• Comb and wattles increase in size and
becomes red in color
• Friendly and cackle
• Docile (easily managed) and gregarious
• Vent and abdomen becomes enlarged
Egg production starts at 22 weeks. To early
maturity leads to:
• Production of too many small eggs
• Lower egg production rate-whole period
• High mortality
• Higher incidence of prolapse
4. Vaccinations, medication and debeaking
Cannibalism among growers
• Starts at feather picking, than cannibalism
• Causes are:
• Imbalanced ration- high energy, low protein
• Overcrowding, insufficient feeding and
drinking space
• Extended period without feed and water
• Poor ventilation
• Excessive heat and too much light
• May be a strain characteristic
Prevented by proper feeding, housing
and debeaking
C. LAYER FLOCK MANAGEMENT
1. Housing layers
❖Design and construction should provide for:
• Top performance of layer
• Optimum environmental control
• Maximum labor efficiency
• Satisfactory waste disposal
• Minimum cost per dozen eggs produced
❖Layer houses can either be:
• Litter floor
• Slatted floor
• Combination of litter and slat floor (for
breeder flock)
• Cages (must recent trend)
• Single bird cages
Multiple bird cages (2 or more)
Colony cages (20-30 pullets)
Size of cages:
• Height: 41-47cm (16-18 in)
• Floor area: 0.4-0.75 sq. ft./bird. A high
density is favorable when prices of eggs are
high
Layer cage arrangements:
• single deck
• double deck
• triple deck
• four deck
• flat deck
Transferring pullets to layer house
• pullets are not to lay eggs on rearing floor to
avoid egg-eating habit
• at 16-18 weeks of age; transfer before they
commence laying so as not to affect laying
performance
Feeding and watering layers
• more frequent as they have small depository
organ for feed
• layer ration or breeder ration (15-18% CP); at
90-140 grams/head/day (40-42 kg/layer/year)
• at least twice a day, AM and PM, 3x daily.
Automatic feeders can be set to move every
2-3 hours
• minimize feed wastage
• drinking water available at all times; egg
having 65-70% water; 100 layers need about
7 gallons/day that can increase during hot
days egg collection
• one egg a day every 23 hours
• oviposition (act of laying) takes place at
7:00AM to as late as 4:00PM; majority at
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• do collection more than once daily
• eggs in pens are exposed to dust and dirt,
high temperature, or trampled
• culling and flock replacement because of the
desire to have a constant egg supply, design
a flock replacement program
• it can vary from set of one flock every
three months, to as often as monthly,
depending on the program and
availability of facilities, considering the
following:
productivity of layers is 1-1.5 years
it needs 16-18 weeks growing period
of pullets
• culling is executed at any time, based
on hen-day egg production (say below
65%)
• the pointers for culling are based on:
comb and wattles/earlobes, pubic
bones, vent, abdomen, span and
pigmentation
2. Culling poor layers. Consider the
following pointers in culling poor layers
Characteristic Description
Comb, wattle, earlobes Small, pale, cold, shrunken and dry
Pubic bones (2 small bones extending along the Close together, only one finger can be
sides of the vent) placed between them, thick and hard
Vent Small, dry puckered and round
Abdomen Hard with thick skin, contracted
Span (distance between end of breast bone and About 1-2 fingers in width
end of pubic bones)
Pigmentation (yellow beak and shanks) Remains yellow even after months in laying
Body Part Time After First Egg
• Vent 4-7 days
• Eye Ring 7-10 days
• Ear Lobes (white leghorn) 14-21 days
• Base of Beak 4-6 weeks
• Tip of Beak 6-8 weeks
• Bottom of Feet 8-10 weeks
• Front of Shanks 15-18 weeks
• Rear of Shanks 20-24 weeks
• Hock Joint about 24 weeks
B. Types of floors
• Solid (concrete or clay) floors – ideal for
poultry breeder farms
• Slatted floors – the floors through which
feces and urine pass through
Essentials of poultry housing
• Locate poultry house in area where there is
free circulation of air
• Construct long narrow poultry house (8-10 ft
wide) for better ventilation and light. For
broiler production, a medium width (10-24 ft)
or a wide house (24-36ft) is preferred
• Orient the length of the house on a north
east south west direction
• Provide sufficient air vents to permit hot air
to escape. Use monitor type or semi monitor
roof
• Use roofing materials that provide good
insulation. Cogon or nipa are cheap and
cool; but, not durable and are fire hazards
• Walls: except for curtains or canvass, the
poultry house should be kept open as
possible
D. Housing requirements
1. Feeding and watering space (sq. cm/bird)
Age (2 Egg type Broiler type
weeks)
Feeder waterer feeder Waterer
0-2 2.5 0.5 2.5 0.5
2-6 4.5 1.0 4.5 1.0
6-8 7.5 2.0 7.5 2.0
8-20 7.5 2.0
20-more 8.0 2.5
2. Floor space
Age (weeks) Space requirement (sq.in)
1-2 10
3-4 20
5-6 30
7-8 40
9-10 60
Growing stock 1 sq.ft/bird
Layer
Light breeds 2 sq.ft./bird
Medium breeds 2 ½ sq.ft./bird
Heavy breeds 3 sq.ft./bird
4. Light requirement – light plays an important
role in stimulating egg production
Age (weeks) Period of continuous light
(hrs)
0-4 24
4-20 13
20-24 14
24-28 15
28-70 16
E. Types of poultry houses in an egg farm
1. Brooder house
• Litter floor pens
• Slat floor
• Battery or cage brooders
2. Grower house
• Litter floor growing house
• Slat floor pen growing house
• Cages (smaller space, 0.75 sq. ft. per pullet)
• Range grower house
3. Layer house – this can either be litter floor,
slatted floor, or combination of the two
Types of feeds/ rations of poultry
a. Egg type
• Chick starter – 21%CP – 0-6 weeks
• Grower mash – 17% CP – 6-12 weeks
• Pullet developer – 14% CP – 12- 18 weeks
• Layer mash – 16 -18% CP – 18-40 weeks
b. Broiler
• Chick booster – 25% CP – 0-2 weeks
• Broiler starter – 23%CP – 2-4 weeks
• Broiler finisher – 21% CP – 4-6 weeks
• System of feeding poultry
a. Ad libitum feeding – this is the practice of
giving feed more than what the birds can
eat; free choice with a little extra feed at the
end of the day
b. Restricted feeding – this system of feeding
is limited, sometimes called hand feeding;
practiced to accomplished the following
• Delay the sexual maturity
• Lower the body weight at onset of lay
• Decrease number of pullet eggs at onset of
lay
• Increase number of large eggs
• Reduce hen housed mortality
• Reduce cost of rearing birds to sexual
maturity
• The system of feeding takes the following
forms
1. Limited feeding
• Providing something less than the full
amount of energy the hens would voluntarily
consume. This can be accomplished by
limiting the amount given at the time of
feeding
• Defects of limited feeding
Dominant birds reach feeders first and
get most of the feed
Shy birds have less chance of getting
food resulting in uneven growth and higher
2. Skip-a-day feeding – the practice of giving
double ration in one day and no feed for the
next day
• Applied at 10-12 weeks of age, the idea is to
give a large amount of feed in one time
without increasing the total amount
• Permits smaller birds to eat because the
more aggressive birds fill up earlier and quit
eating. Even rate of growth is observe.
3. Phase feeding – the system of feeding
where protein and calcium requirement
of the hens is adjusted according to their
basic requirements
D. Broiler production
- Meat-type, marketed at 1.6-2.0 kg LW in 35-42
days, with FCE of 2.0-2.5 kg
1. Factors to consider in broiler raising
• Market outlet
a. Assured before venturing, because birds
raised beyond 8 weeks:
• Why broilers should not
be kept longer than 8
weeks?
• FCE becomes poorer as birds grow old.
• Oversized birds difficult to market, with
low price per unit weight
• Physiological changes e.g.
conformation due to sex differences
• Schedule of raising next batch
disrupted and health program for next
batch affected due to short interval
Regular supply of good broiler chicks
a. Effective program of growing and selling can
be achieved; 5-6 batches per year
b. 5 batches/year: 52 weeks/5 = 10
weeks/cycle; 6-7 weeks growing, 2-4 weeks
cleaning or preparing
c. 6 batches per year: 52 weeks/6 = 8.7 weeks
cycle; 6 weeks growing, 2.7 weeks cleaning or
preparing
• Constant supply of feeds, feed
supplements, medicines
• Capitalization
• Example: 100 broilers requires
Php70.00/bird operational cost,
excluding housing, profit of Pph5.00-
10.00/bird
2. Systems of broiler operation
a. All-in, all-out system
• One age, sold out one time. Exclusive for one
farm, and can be effective if other neighbor
raising broilers
b. Two-stage operation
• Two age groups are being kept in one farm
• Requires separate brooder and grower
houses
c. Multiple stage broiler operation
• Daily turnover can be weekly, bi-weekly etc.
• Ideal for marketing contracts requiring more
frequent deliveries
d. Contract-growing
Integrator (company, contractor)
• Supply of chicks and feeds
• Technical services and guidance
• Pay fixed fee for broilers – as embodied in
the contract, plus bonuses and incentives
• Gets back the broilers from farmers
Farmer (grower)
• Provides housing and facilities
acceptable to company’s standard
• Provides labor, and reports any
unexpected mortality
3. Broiler strains marketed in the
Philippines
• Anak 2000 - starbro
• Anak 180 - Peterson
• Cobb - ross
• Arbor acre - avian
• Pilch - hubbard
4. Important parameters in broiler production
• Total feed consumed = 3.5-3.75kg/bird
• Feed conversion ratio (FCR) = 2.0-2.5
• Mortality = 5%
• Dressing percentage = 70%
• Feeding system = ad libitum
• Labor: broiler ratio = 1:5000 birds
Thank you for listening!
