1. BACKYARD & PASTURE POULTRY
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
BACKYARD & PASTURE POULTRY
Dr. Jacquie Jacob
Poultry Extension Associate
Dept of Animal and Food Sciences, UK
2008 Fall ANR update
October 20, Winchester
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

2. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

3. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
BACKYARD POULTRY
Pure-bred breeders
Hatcheries sell day-old chicks to poultry fanciers
Poultry fancier that breed their own flock, not necessarily for sale
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

4. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

5. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

6. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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: ext. 248
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

7. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
BACKYARD POULTRY
Family flock(s) for meat and/or eggs
Chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, quail, guinea fowl, etc
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

8. What do they have in common?
WHITE EGG LAYERS
What do they have in common?
White ear lobes

9. What do they have in common?
BROWN EGG LAYERS
What do they have in common?
Red earlobes

10. Green eggs

11. AMERAUCANAS versus ARAUCANA
Beard and muffs
Tail
Araucanas:
No beard
Tuffs, not muffs
No tail

12. BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCK versus DOMINIQUE
Barred Rock:
Single comb
Dominique:
Rose comb

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

14. Sexing eggs before incubating: Is it possible?
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

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

16. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

17. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Sexing young poultry
Sex-linked characteristics
Requires a specific breeding program only
With proper training, is 100% accurate
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

18. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Avian Genetics
Mammals
Male XY
Female XX
Males determine sex of offspring
Birds
Male ZZ
Female ZW
Females determine sex of offspring
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

19. BLACK SEX-LINKS (also called Rock Reds)
Non-barred male
Barred male
Offspring:
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

20. RED SEX-LINKS Golden Comet
White rock with silver factor
Offspring:
Males hatch out white
Females hatch out buff and feather out buff with white or tinted undercolor

21. RED SEX-LINKS Cinnamon Queen
Silver laced
Wyandotte
Offspring:
Males hatch out white
Females hatch out red and feather out red with white or tinted undercolor

22. 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

23. 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

24. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

25. SEXING YOUNG POULTRY Best way to tell is to wait till they grow up
Tail feathers
Comb size
Wattle size
Spur size

26. FAQs: Why have my hens stopped laying?
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
FAQs: Why have my hens stopped laying?
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

27. FAQs: Why have my hens stopped laying?
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
FAQs: Why have my hens stopped laying?
Nutrition
Disease
Age
Management
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

28. Why have my hens stopped laying?
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Why have my hens stopped laying?
Management – Light:
For most of the year require supplemental light to maintain egg production
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

29. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
FAQs related to eggs
Where does the chick develop in an egg?
There are these red spots in my eggs. Are these embryos?
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

31. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
No Fertilization
Fertilization has occurred
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

32. Candled appearance of a blood spot

33. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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?
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

34. 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?

35. 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?

36. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
HUMANS
Tidal respiration
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

37. Unique feature of birds: Air sacs
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Unique feature of birds: Air sacs
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

38. Air flow in avian lungs is in one direction
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Air flow in avian lungs is in one direction
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

39. Birds don’t have a diaphragm
Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Birds don’t have a diaphragm
Inspiration
Expiration
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

40. FAQs: Housing
Are there any blue-prints I can use for building a house for my small poultry flock?

42. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
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
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

43. Backyard and Pasture Poultry
October 20, 2008
Pasture poultry
Presenter: Jacquie Jacob

44. Pasture poultry
Portable, bottomless pens

45. Pasture poultry
Automatic waterer
Feed trough

46. Pasture poultry

47. Pasture poultry
Remote monitoring

48. Moveable, bottomless hoop barns
Day-range:
Moveable, bottomless hoop barns
Pasture area surrounded by fence, mainly to keep predators out

49. Day-range: Moveable, bottomless hoop barns
To close the broilers in at night
‘Uses up’ the pasture

50. Day-range: Turkeys
Heritage turkeys are becoming popular

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

52. Day range: Geese

53. 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

54. Free-range
poultry

55. Day range: ‘Eggmobile’

56. 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?

59. FAQs: Housing
Is it okay to house different species of poultry together?

61. FAQs: Processing
Where can I get my birds processed?

62. POULTRY PROCESSING Very few independent/custom processors
‘Mobile’ slaughter facility
Home slaughter

63. SLAUGHTER/BLEED OUT

64. SCALDING

65. DEFEATHERING/PLUCKING

67. REMOVE FEET

68. ‘FREE’ CROP

69. OPEN ABDOMEN

70. EVISCERATE
Drop area allows for easy disposal of waste material

71. REMOVE LUNGS

72. 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?

73. Green Muscle Disease

74. 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

75. ANY QUESTIONS?