Poultry Egg Production Livestock Prouduction Ms. Boyt
Today we will… Identify the breeds of poultry most often used for egg production. Describe the components of an egg. List stages of egg development. Describe what happens during each stage of egg development.
Laying Hens Layers are housed in large laying facilities Laying lifespan of 2-3 years Average individual consumption of 247 eggs/year Most hens begin to lay around 4-6 months of age
Characteristics of Laying Hens Genetically selected for high egg productivity Small bodied (undesirable for meat production) ◦Allows them to put nutrients towards egg production instead of body size
Layer Breeds White Leghorn ◦Most common in commercial industry ◦Most abundant egg laying breed ◦Lays white eggs Brown Leghorn ◦Lays brown eggs Rhode Island Red ◦Lays brown eggs
Layer Breeds White Leghorn Rhode Island Red Brown Leghorn
What is an egg?
Chicken Embryo Development ADLGw ADLGw
Chick Development
Day 1Day 2 Appearance of vertebral column Beginning of nervous system, head, and eyes Beginning of heart and ears Heart beats
Chick Development Day 3Day 4Day 5 Beginning of legs, nose, and wings Beginning of tongue Formation of reproductive organs and differentiation of sex
Chick Development Day 6Day 7 Beginning of beak Toes are visible Intestines begin to loop
Chick Development Day 8Day 9 Beginning of feathers Mouth opening forms Claws begin to form
Chick Development Day 10Day 11 Beginning of beak hardening Flight feathers develop Bottom of feet become padded Chick begins to take in calcium from egg shell
Chick Development Day 12Day 13 Scales appear on lower legs Body fairly well covered with feathers
Chick Development Day 14Day 15 Embryo starts to turn its head towards the large end of egg Skull and ribs begin to ossify Scales, claws, and beak becoming firm
Chick Development Day 16Day 17 Albumen is nearly gone and yolk is increasingly important for nourishment Chick turns beak toward air cell
Chick Development Day 18Day 19 Amnion begins to disappear Yolk sac begins to enter body cavity Chick occupies all space in egg besides air cell
Chick Development Day 20Day 21 The yolk sac is completely drawn into the body The beak breaks through the inner shell membrane The lungs begin to function and to use the air cell for breathing
Tell me what you know… What are common breeds of chickens used for egg production? What are some characteristics of commercial egg producing breeds? Draw a quick sketch and label the components of an egg. How many days does it take for an egg to develop before it hatches? What is an overview of the stages of chick embryo development?
Today we… Identified the breeds of poultry most often used for egg production. Described the components of an egg. Listed stages of egg development. Described what happens during each stage of egg development.
References ns/poultry_chicks_embryo.html ns/poultry_chicks_embryo.html production-process/ production-process/ ms/PandEP_Curriculum/Documents/PDFs/ Lesson1/IntroductiontothePoultryIndustry ver3.pdf ms/PandEP_Curriculum/Documents/PDFs/ Lesson1/IntroductiontothePoultryIndustry ver3.pdf ubation/ ubation/