Poultry Terms cannibalism - the bad habit chickens
DEFINITION OF TERMS have of eating each other’s flesh, feathers
beak - the projecting mouthpart of the
chicken and turkey, consisting of upper
and lower mandibles; organs of
prehension
bill - the projecting mouthpart of
waterfowls, consisting of upper and lower
mandibles
breeder - general term that designate
the poultry raiser who produces fowls for
any special purpose with the object of
improving their value or in conformity
with an agreed standard of excellence.
The same term can be used to mean the
animals used for breeding.
breed - a race of domestic fowls which
maintains distinctive characteristic shape,
growth, temperament and shell colors of
eggs produced. Breed is a broader term
than variety. Breed includes varieties,
examples: Barred, White and Buff
varieties of Plymouth Rock breed.
broiler - meat type chicken commonly
grown up to 35-42 days and weighing
1.5-2.0 kg liveweight
brooder - a place where young
chicks/ducklings are cared for after
hatching until they have grown to a point
where they no longer need additional
heat
brooder guard - material which is
placed around the brooder heat source to
prevent the chicks from staying too far
from the heat source
brooding - the process of providing
supplemental heat to broiler chicks from
hatching up to the time they have grown
sufficient feathers to control their own
body temperature
broodiness - is the hen’s instinct to sit
on the egg for incubation and hatching
candling - a process of placing the egg
before a strong light to get an outline of
the egg content and to detect if the egg is
fertile or infertile
or eggs
capon - a castrated male chicken;
usually grown up to 4 months and weigh
up to 3 kg with more improved quality of
meat
chook - popular Australian term for
chicken
clutch - group of eggs laid for successive
days; all the eggs laid by a hen on
consecutive days, before she skips a day
and starts a new laying cycle
cock/rooster - a male fowl one year old
or over
cockerel - a male fowl less than one
year old
comb - made of vascularized tissue
growing on top of fowl's head, this
serves, as an ornamental function, signs
of status and condition of the male and
for heat dissipation. The standard
varieties of comb are single, rose, pea, V-
shaped, strawberry, cushion and the
buttercup; all others being modifications
of these.
crop - the receptacle in which the fowl's
food is accumulated before it passes
through the gizzard
culling - the removal of unprofitable
birds from the flock
culls - old hens that had passed their
usefulness for commercial egg production
debeaking - cutting part of the upper
and lower mandibles with the use of
electrically controlled cauterizing blade
having a temperature of 815C to destroy
the tissue responsible to generate beak
growth. This is done to prevent
cannibalism.
down (feather) - the first covering of
the chick whose major function is for
insulation
drake - a male of the duck family
dubbing- cutting of the comb, wattles or
earlobes so as to leave the head smooth
duckling - the young of the duck family
in the downy stage of plumage
feed conversion ratio - volume of feed
necessary to produce a kilogram gain in
weight
hatchability - percentage of fertilized
eggs that hatch under incubation
hatching - the process where the fully
developed embryo (chick) breaks out of
the eggs
hatchery - a place where the facilities
and process of incubation and hatching is
done
harvest recovery - the number or
volume of chicken sold/marketed based
on the number of day old chicks raised
hen - a mature female chicken
incubation - period (in days) where
embryonic development takes place
outside the body of the hen
layer - egg-type or dual-type 6 months
old female that lays eggs
liveweight - weight (in live form) of
chicken during harvest/market age
morbidity rate - number of chicken
afflicted by disease
mortality rate - number of chicken that
died based on the total number of
chickens raised
oviposition - act of laying eggs
ovulation- mature ova released from
the ovary which is affected by hormonal
secretion (LH)
pecking order - the social rank of
chickens
plumage - the feathers of a fowl
poultry breeding - sexual propagation
of poultry animals; the process of
bringing a rooster and a hen in a flock
together to mate with the aim of
improving the performance of the flock
poult - the young of a domestic turkey;
the term is properly applied until sex can
be distinguished and when they are called
cockerels and pullets
pullet - female fowl 5-6 months of age
intended for egg production
quill - the hollow, horny, basal part of
stem of a feather
strain- a family of any variety of poultry
that possesses and reproduces with mark
regularity, common individual characters
which distinguish it from the families of
the same variety
sexed (chicks) - newly hatched chicks
that have been sorted into males and
females
sexual maturity - the time when
primary and secondary sexual organs of
the birds are fully mature. (The surest
sign of sexual maturity is laying of the
first egg.)
straight run (chicks) - newly hatched
chicks that have not been ‘sexed’
vent pasting - a condition where the
chicks suffer from early diarrhea
wattle - the pendant growth at the sides
and base of the beak
Problems (Poultry)
• Insufficient and unstable supply of
feed grains and other important
ingredients for poultry rations
• Presence of many diseases
• Frequent climatic disturbances
• Lack of finances
• Environmental issues
• Smuggling
Advantages/Benefits (Poultry)
• Requires only a short period
• Provides employment
• Provides a continuous source of
food (egg and poultry meat)
• Farm by-products may be utilized
as poultry feeds
• Poultry manure and other waste
products can be used as fertilizers
Programs to be Implemented for the
Industry to Succeed
• Intensive feed grain production
• Intensified extension and
veterinary services
• Provision for marketing information
and better easy-term credits
• Tax incentives for imported inputs
(feed ingredients and veterinary
products) in order to effectively
reduce the price of products
• Additional funds for more relevant
researches
Specialized Fields in Poultry
Production
• Egg Farm
• Broiler Farm
• Breeding Farm
• Support Services
Egg farm
Two phases of egg farming:
• raising of pullets
• keeping of layers when they are in
the stage of egg production
Broiler Farm
• most recent specialized field
• growing of meat-type chicken
essentially for meat production
Breeding farm
real essence of the field:
• a system of researching or
discovering the best combination of
genes of parent stocks that will be
the source of commercial chicks for
poultry producer
Support Services
1. Feed milling industry
(most poultry raisers are
dependent totally or partially for
their feed supply from the
feed miller)
2. Medicine, feed supplement and
biological preparations
(without these segments, poultry
diseases cannot be controlled and
production can be uneconomical)
3. Farm equipment manufacturing
(feeders, waterers, feed mixers,
crates, automatic devices, etc.)
4. Poultry and egg processing,
storage and distribution of
products
(without the proper processing and
marketing channels of poultry products,
the producers may not be able to dispose
off all their products)
proper marketing: the ultimate
aspect in order to facilitate more
production at profitable levels
Structure of the poultry industry and
related industry sectors (Lambio,
2010)
Poultry - refers to the species of Common Poultry Species
domesticated birds which render (Egg Weight and Incubation Period)
economic services to man.
Ornithology - the science that deals with
the study of birds. Common Egg Incubation
Name Weight Period
Poultry Species (g) (days)
Domesticated birds and their origin Chicken 58 21
and economic uses (Lambio, 2010).

Pekin 80-83 28
duck
Muscovy 70 35-37

Mallard 60 28
(itik)

Turkey 80-90 28

Quail 10-15 18

Goose 200 30-34

The brown mallard (itik) and white Pea fowl 95 28

mallard developed by the National Swine
and Poultry Research and Development Guinea 40 26-28
Center in Tiaong, Quezon. fowl
Swan 285 42

Ostrich 1,400 42

Poultry Raising
– one of the most popular animal
enterprise in the country
poultry species:
- fast multipliers
-quick growers
-considered to be relatively more efficient
converters of feed to meat and eggs

Chickens
- probably the most numerous
domestic birds in the world
- most exploited, utilized for food
production
Genus: Gallus

Family: Phasianidae

Class: Aves
4 Wild Ancestors
 Gallus bankiva -red jungle fowl of
Asia
 Gallus sonnerati- gray jungle
fowl
 Gallus lafayetti -Ceylonese/Sri
Lankan
-jungle fowl
 Gallus varius-Javanese
black/green
- jungle fowl
Utility Classification
1. Egg type
2. Meat type
3. General purpose type/dual
purpose
4. Fancy type
5. Fighting type
Egg Type
– characterized by their
comparatively small size
– lay large, white shelled eggs
– very active and nervous in
temperament
– non-sitters
Examples: Leghorn, Minorca, Ancona,
Mikawa
Meat Type
– breeds that are large, slow in
movement, quiet and gentle in
disposition
– generally poorer egg layers
– generally lay brown shelled eggs
Examples: Brahma, Cochin, Langshan,
Cornish, White Rocks
General Purpose Type
– medium sized good layers
– the young are fast growers
– they are not as nervous as the egg
class but much more active than
the meat class
Examples: New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Red, Plymouth Rock, Lancaster, Nagoya,
Cantonese
Fancy Type
– characterized as possessing
decided beauty of plumage or form
of having a rare unusual
appearance
– most of them are raised chiefly as
ornamentals or pets by hobbyists,
regardless of their value as source
of food.
Example: Frizzle, Bantams, Long tailed
Fighting Class
– groups of chickens developed for
game/ recreation.
Examples: Ruble, Hulsay, Claret, Oasis
Standard Classification (origin)
1. American class
2. Asiatic class
3. Mediterranean class
4. English class
American Class
– Origin: America
– bred for egg and meat
– considered as brown egg layers
with yellow skin
Examples: Wyandottes, Hampshire,
Rhode Island Red
Asiatic Class
– Origin: Asia
– with yellow skin, large bodies
which are squarely shaped
Examples: Cantonese, Nagoya
Mediterranean Class
– origin: Europe
– smaller than American and Asiatic
class
– clean legged with white creamy
earlobes
– produce white shelled eggs
Example: Leghorn, Hamburg, Polish,
French
English Class
– Origin: English origin
– for egg and meat production
– have excellent fleshing quality
Examples: Orpington, Ancona
“Native” Chicken
- Descendants of those from
continental Asia
- Introduced during the early trade
(Must have evolved from domestic fowls
brought into the country by the early
Chinese, Spanish and Dutch settlers and
traders)

Dilemma faced by native chickens (resulting to poor performance)

 Farmers sell the best birds in a flock
 Retain the genetically inferior ones to reproduce
 Raised under poor conditions

Locally available commercial strains of layers and broilers

Egg type Meat type Source of Stock

Arbor Acres Arbor acres broiler San Miguel Corp.

Bobcock Cobb – Color – Sex Sarmiento Agric’l Dev’t

Broiler chicks

Dekalb Pilch-Dekalb broiler chicks General Milling Corp.

Hy-line Indian river broiler chicks Winmar Poultry Farm, Inc.

H&N Peterson RFM Corp

Kimber Lorenzo Poultry Farms

Starcross Starbro 15 Robina Farms

Hubbard broiler chicks Golden Country Farm

Goto White Rock Dalisay Farms