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• The material provided discusses general principles of animal production, poultry industry basics, and poultry breeding.

General Principles of Animal Production

• Zootechnics involves maintaining and improving domesticated animals through breeding, genetics, nutrition, and housing, representing the technology of husbandry.
• Animal science studies animals and their behavior, and includes knowledge of animal behavior, nutrition, genetics, health, bodily functions, reproduction, product care, and production of domestic animals.
• Animal husbandry is also known as animal production, deals with raising livestock and poultry.
• Livestock are farm animals raised for products and by-products for human consumption, such as cattle, goats, swine, horses, sheep, and camels.
• Poultry includes domestic fowls raised for products and by-products for human consumption, such as chickens, quail, ducks, and ostrich.

Poultry Terminology and Taxonomy

• Poultry refers to all domestic birds reared for egg and meat production and other economic benefits.

• Uses for poultry include: food (meat and eggs), fiber (feathers), entertainment, or work (messenger pigeons).

• Poultry's taxonomy:

• Domain: Eukarya

• Kingdom: Animalia

• Phylum: Chordata

• Class: Aves

• Order: Galliformes, Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Struthioformes

• Key terms in poultry production:

• Chick: young baby chicken of either gender

• Pullet: immature female chicken intended for egg production

• Hen: mature female chicken, usually more than 10 months old, that has started to lay eggs

• Cockerel: male chicken less than one year old

• Rooster: sexually mature male chicken

• Capon: caponized cockerel, usually grown up to four months and weighs up to three kilograms with more improved quality of meat

• Broiler or Fryer: young, tender male or female chicken marketed at 6-8 weeks

• Roaster: young male or female chicken marketed at 7-10 weeks

• Age for different types of chickens:

• Chick: 1-2 weeks

• Pullet: 15-22 weeks

• Hen: 22 weeks

• Laying Hen: 1 year+

• Duck-related terminology:

• Duckling: young baby duck

• Duck: adult female duck

• Drake: immature male duck

• Example species of ducks:

• Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) is a colored duck used for meat

• Pekin Duck (Anas platyrhyncos) is a white duck, used for meat

• Philippine Mallard(Anas platyrhyncos) is a white duck, used for eggs

• Other poultry terms:

• Muscovy: for meat

• Mallard: for laying eggs

• Poult: Young baby turkey, either male or female

• Jenny: Young female turkey

• Jake: Young male turkey

• Hen: Adult female turkey

• Tom/Gobbler: Adult male turkey

• Oviposition: Act of laying eggs

• Plumage: Feathers of a fowl

• Incubation: Period when embryonic development takes place outside the body

• Goat-related terminology:

• Kidding: Act of giving birth to goats

• Kid: Young baby goat

• Doe: Female goat

• Billy/Buck: Male goat

• Wether Goat: Castrated male goat before the secondary sex characteristics developed

• Sheep-related terminology:

• Lambing: Act of giving birth to sheep

• Lamb: A young baby sheep

• Shearling: Yearling sheep with two teeth

• Ewe: A female sheep

• Ram: A male sheep for breeding purposes

• Wether Sheep: Castrated male sheep

• Pelt: Wool and skin of sheep

• Fleece: Wool covering the sheep

• Cattle-related terminology:

• Calving: Act of giving birth to cows and carabao

• Ox: Ruminant member of the bovine family

• Bull: Male breeding ox

• Bull Calf: Young male calf

• Proven Sire: A bull whom one has a sufficient heifer

• Heifer: Young female ox, not yet given birth

• Cow: Mature female ox

• Caracow: Mature female carabao

• Carabull: Mature female bull

• Caraheifer: Young female ox

• Stag: Male ox castrated after sexual maturity

• Steer: Male ox castrated before sexual maturity

• Horse-related terminology:

• Foaling: Act of giving birth to a horse

• Foal: Young baby horse

• Colt: Young male horse, up to three years old

• Filly: Young female horse, up to three years old

• Broodmare: Female horse for breeding purposes

• Studhorse: Stallion used for breeding

• Mare: Mature female horse

• Gedling: Horse castrated young

• Stallion: Mature male horse

• Ridgling: Stallion with only one testis or none in its scrotum

• Equitation: Horsemanship, riding on horseback

• Swine-related terminology:

• Farrowing: Act of giving birth to pigs

• Boar: Castrated male swine kept for breeding

• Barrow: Castrated male swine raised for meat production

• Sows: Adult female pig

• Litter: Offspring at one birth

• Dam: The sow that gave birth to piglets

• Weaning Piglets: Young pigs under the care of a dam

• Gilt: Female swine for breeding

• Shote: Young pigs

• Multiparous Sow: Female swine that farrowed

• Barrow: Male swine castrated before sexual maturity

• Stag: Male swine castrated after sexual maturity

• Other important reproductive-related terms:

• Cryptorchidism: Defect involving one or both testicles to descend in the scrotal sac

• Estrus (or heat): Period of the reproductive cycle

• Feed Conversion Ratio: The amount of food required

• Average Daily Gain: The average amount of gain increased of pigs per day

Introduction to the Poultry Industry

• Poultry are popular because:
• Are fast multipliers. -- Quick growers, prolific -- Are relatively more efficient feed converters --Source of eggs and meat
• Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a conventional measure of livestock production efficiency, calculated as weight of feed intake divided by weight gained
• Lower FCR values indicate higher efficiency.
• Aquatic animals have fairly low FCRs compared to land animals
• FCR examples:
  • Beef cattle: 6.0-10.0
  • Pigs: 2.7-5.0
  • Chicken: 1.7-2.0
  • Shrimp: 1.0-2.4
• Chickens are the most popular species of poultry, followed by duck and quail.
• Filipinos eat an average of 12.8 kg of poultry per year.
• Chicken behaviors include cackling/singing to communicate, sand/dust baths, scratching for food, brooding, preening, pecking order, feather plucking, and cannibalism.
• Baby birds and reptiles use an egg tooth to break out of their eggs.

Interesting Facts Regarding Laying Hens

• The color of a chickens earlobe can tell you what color egg they will lay
  • White earlobe: white shelled egg
  • Red earlobe: brown shelled egg

Development and Prospects of Poultry Industry

• Increasing human population and rising demand for poultry/eggs will cause backyard growers to expand production
• This expansion creates business opportunities and the introduction of foreign breeds grown in commercial farms
• There's an opportunity for bright prospects for the duck industry
• More contract farms are forming to be integrators and companies that vertically integrate their operations

Current Problems of the Poultry Industry

• High production costs relative to selling prices.
• High cost and unstable supply of quality inputs
• Marketing system inefficiency, including lack of market information and unstable prices
• Poor grading standards for eggs
• Disease prevention and control
• Climate issues such as El Nino
• Insufficient funds
• Lack of government prices for poultry products

Examples of Poultry Species and Egg Data

• Examples:
  • Chickens (Gallus gallus): Egg weight 58g, Incubation 21 days
  • Ducks: -- Mallard (Anas platyrhyncos): Egg weight 60g, Incubation 28 days -- Muscovy (Cairina moschata): Egg weight 70g, Incubation 35-37 days
  • Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo): Egg weight 85g, Incubation 28 days
  • Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica): Egg weight 12g, Incubation 16-18 days

Origin and Development of Modern Chicken breeds:

• Chickens are believed to have descended from the Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus) from India.
• Wild jungle fowl hens are 0.9 kg and lay few eggs.
• Modern hens weigh 1.5-2.0 kg at 6 weeks and lay up to 320 eggs a year.
• Contributing species include Gallus Jungle Fowl, Ceylonese Jungle Fowl (Gallus lafayetti), and Javan Jungle Fowl (Gallus varius)

Changes in the Poultry Industry

• Changes happen through:
  • Genetic mutation where the genetic makeup has changed affected by invironment (transmitted thru generations)
  • Natural selection where the fittest survived (climate, nutrition, predators)
  • Artificial selection where people interfered to achieve a goal (meat, eggs, fighting, fancy)
• Crossbreeding has also been a significant factor

Classification of Chicken Breeds

• Classification is based on utility:
  • Egg class: Leghorn, Anconas, Minorca, Mikawa
  • Meat class: Brahmas, Cochin, Langshans, Cornish, White Rocks
  • Dual purpose

Classified Chicken Variety Examples

• The American class includes:
  • Black Jersey Giant
  • Rhode Island Red
• Other types include:
  • Ayam Cemani
  • Dragon Chicken
  • Australorp
  • Onagadori
  • Cochin Banatam
  • Frizzled Bantam
  • Silkie

Native Chicken Examples and Characteristics

• Darag which is from Islands of Panay and Visayas has has characteristics of yellow- brownish coloring, with a single comb, whitish earlobe, and grey shank.
• Banaba comes from Batangas with black plumage color, yellow laced hackle, and grey shanks.
• The Bolinao comes from Pangasinan and it's red plumage has black breasts and tail feathers and a bright orange hackle.
• Paraoakan from Palawan in Mimaropa Region has long legs, body, head, and neck and are mostly used for sports
• Camarines from Bicol region are patterned white and orange ad their hackles have an orange and white tinge and it also consist of alternating black patches on it's legs

Genetics of Breeds

• A breed possesses certain conformation or shape of the body that distinguish them from others.
• Varieties have the same plumage color and type of comb
• Undergone constant specific selection for certain traits by a specified breeder for a time period

Examples of Poultry Genetics

• Leghorn which has a variety of white and single comb and a breed of White/Single Comb, Brown/Rose Comb.
• Plymouth Rock, Barred

Broiler vs Layer Chickens

• Broilers are raised primarily for meat, ready to harvest around 6 weeks
• Layers begin laying eggs around 4 months and lay around year round.

Poultry Farming

• Specialized fields include:
  • Breeding farm: researches gene combination of parent stocks/source of commercial chicks. (Philippines- multipliers farms of franchised breeder farms)
  • Egg farm: consists of raising pullets and keeping layers to sell egg
  • Broiler farm: growing of meat-type chicken, boiler chicks for fast conversion and growth

Key Details of Modern Poultry Farming

• Broilers are at market weight at 45 days, both male and female
• Depends on breeder farm for chick supply
• Broiler production has "spin-off" industries in feed milling, medicine, equipment, and processing.
• Culling is common in poultry farming to remove unwanted individuals, specifically for breeders that are diseased, have poor growth, or low egg production.
• Phases of Poultry management: Brooding, Growing and Laying
• Brooding is a period of 0-6 weeks.

Growing and Laying of Poultry

• Growth is in weeks 6-18
• Preparation for laying is in weeks 16-24
• This phase focuses on the egg production for 24-78
• Layer farms focus on egg production, not body weight increase
• Production management cares for newly hatched chicks to ensure survival, lasting four weeks, and prevents cold shocks

Types of Brooders

• Cage-type and Battery Brooders
• Battery Brooders are mainly used in factory farms for various production methods

Brooding Essentials

• Light Requirement- 24hrs and will encourage the birds to keep close to a source of heat for growth because it is favorable
• Other sources of heat are electricity, LPG(liquefied petroleum gas), infra-red lamps, kerosene lamps and charcoal
• House temperature should be 31-32°C at the first week reduced by 2 °C per week
• Feeds, Feeding, Watering consist of:
  • Water (1 gal/100 chicks; ad libitum); The addition of 5-10% sugar in the drinking water for first 6-8hrs as a supplement for chicks.
  • After 2-3 after the chicks have learned to drink, chick starter mash (broiler or booster) must be provided, which they will gradually shift feeding.

Vaccination and Medication

• Marek's vaccine for fowl paralysis or neurolymphomatosis,
• Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) or avian pest Vaccine
• Culling/removal process that takes place in the poultry house
• Beak Trimming prevents toe or feather pecking
• Cannibalism can start from feather or toe picking which may result in wounding/death.

Factors Affecting the Brooding Period

• Weather and Climate Conditions
• Rate of Feathering
• Requirements for Successful Brooding

Poultry Rearing After Brooding

• Consists of Range systems, semi and complete confinement.
• The complete confinement involves deep or slatted litter systems, cage systems, and combination

Floor Space Requirements

• Requirements of the rearing system depends on litter, slat, and cage.

Pullet and Chick Feed Requirements

• 6-12 weeks grower relation with 16% protein
• 12-18 weeks pullet developer with 14% protein

Pullet and Chick Feed Consumption Details

• Growing ration may be mash, pellets and crumbles
• The feeder should be replenished 3-4 times a day to stimulate feed consumption

Key Notes on Growing Chicks

• All excess requirements must be followed, and the following rule:
• NEVER increase light during the growing period and never decrease light during the laying period.

Culling and Vaccination

• Re-vaccinate the chicks against New Castle Disease

Sexual Maturity and Housing

• There are sings to know when the birds have reached sexual maturity in order to prevent mortality and diseases from the birds
• Housing has to provide top performance with the 2-2.5 area for each of the birds must provide a solid waste disposal for the houses with litter floor pens, slat floor pens and cage systems

Transferring The Pullets To The Layer House

• The pullets must not be at a rearing floor level to avoid them from developing egg-eating habits
• There has to be a daily routine in the workforce which includes a high dietary diet which contains a large amount of protein(15-18%)

Flock Requirements

• Need to sync up replacement stocks to meet the flock maturity with that of the existing flock.
• Can vary the length of time from 12 months to 33 months which is the duration of effectiveness

Poultry Breeding Details

• Female Reproductive System:
  • Ovary: consists of numerous developing follicles
  • Infundibulum: receives yolk to fertilize
  • Magnum: secretes the thick white of the egg
  • Isthmus: surrounds the shell in membrane
  • Uterus: thin outer shell of the egg
  • Vagina: completed egg is stored till the laying of the shell

Male Reproductive System Details

• Includes:

• Testicles: produce the sperm

• Vas Deferens: Carries seminal fluid and sperm from testicles to cloaca

• Papilla: The organ in the wall of the cloaca

• Cloacal Kiss, or mating to exchange sperm

• Methods of Breeding:

• Inbreeding consisting of:

• Close line mating

• Line mating

• Outbreeding consisting of:

• Upgrading

• Outcrossing

• Crossb reeding

• Other breeding such as:

• Strands crossing

• Line crossing Consisting of: Pen mating, Stud mating, Flock mating

• Artificial Insemination also a method consisting of:

  • Semen collecting/artificial production of semen to be inserted in the egg