An Overview of the
Poultry Industry
PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD, AND
NATURAL RESOURCES
12 – TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
RELATED TO ANIMAL SCIENCE
C- BREEDS AND CLASSES OF LIVESTOCK
Structure of the Poultry Industry
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 Vertical integration: all aspects of the industry
are owned by the same company
 For example: Tyson or Sanderson Farms own their
own feed mill, hatchery, and processing plants,
trucking fleet, employ their own veterinarians, etc.
 No middle man; reduces costs of paying a third party
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3
Broiler Industry
4
 Today, almost all market broilers are raised in large
operations
 The term broiler refers to chickens which finish
about 7-8 weeks of age and are raised for meat
 Broilers are being developed to finish more quickly
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Broiler Houses
5
 raised in large houses
where the birds spend
most of their lives
 designed to provide the
ultimate in
environmental
conditions for the
comfort of the birds.
 generally lighted 24
hours a day
 helps cut down on
cannibalism
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Broiler Production
6
 Meat-type birds
 Breed cross- White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock
 Go to market at 6-7weeks of age
 Males weigh about 7 lbs
 Females weigh about 5
 Birds are mostly white
 Americans consume about 88 lbs./year of broilers
per capita
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Egg Production
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 White Leghorn breed
 Only used for egg production
 Sexually mature at 20 weeks of age
 Weigh about 3.5 lbs
 Lay 250 eggs a year
 Americans consume about 250 eggs per capita
annually
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Turkey Industry
8
 The sale of turkey is second to chicken in the overall
sale of poultry meat.
 Turkey represents a high quality, low cost, nutritious
source of food protein.
 One third of all turkey sales occur during the weeks
around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Turkey Industry
9
 The modern market turkey is a descendant of the
wild turkey and is result of a mutation which left out
the gene for feather and skin pigmentation.
 Heavy muscled, broad breasted birds have been
developed.
 Most market turkeys are white-feathered
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Turkey Production
10
 Broad-Breasted White breed or strain
 Meat production
 Market at 20-24 weeks of age
 Males at 45 lbs
 Females at 30 lbs
 Americans consume approximately 20 lbs of turkey
per capita annually
 Natural mating is difficult due to the weight of the
birds
 Turkey breeder females are bred artificially – AI’ed
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Where are the birds?
11
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Ticket out of the Door
12
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mr. Jones just bought a White Leghorn for his chicken operation.
What type of production is the White Leghorn used for?
Your dad just bought a White Cornish male x White Plymouth Rock
cross. He’s not sure what he should use this chicken for. What do you
think?
Mrs. Dillon owns a poultry operation. He produces meat type birds
that reach about 5-7 lbs. at market weight. What type of operation is
this?
Johnny lives in the top producing broiler state. He always drives
around sees chicken houses and long metal buildings. He also smells
them quite often. In what state does Johnny live?
Tiffany lives in the top turkey producing state. Turkeys are always a
popular product at Tiffany’s Thanksgiving and Christmas
celebrations. In what state does Tiffany live?
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TEA © 2015
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