Poultry Essentials
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Facilities
• Expensive housing is not needed
• Housing must be clean, dry, and well
ventilated.
• Brooder or heat lamps must be present to
warm chicks.
• Feeders and waters needed
• 2 sq. feet needed per broiler
• Have three open sides for clean fresh air to
enter
• Floor should be at least 6 inches tall to
prevent water from entering
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Topics to Discuss
The following topics will be discussed:
• Facilities
• Facility Preparation
• Rearing
• Lighting
• Nutrition
• Health
• Selecting the Exhibition Entry
• Conformation
• Handling and Transportation
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Facilities Preparation
• Clean and disinfect poultry house,
feeders, and waters before chicks arrive
• Wash house with soap and water
• Spray commercial disinfectant labeled
for use in poultry houses.
• Be prepared 2 days in advance
• Put at least 4 inches of litter on the floor
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Facilities Preparation cont.
• Electric heat lamps are good heat sources for
brooding chicks
• Two 125-watt bulbs per 50 chicks are
recommended
• Lamps should be secured so they do not fall to
the litter.
• Should hang 18-24 inches from litter
• Lamps can be raised or lowered depending on
temperature.
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Rearing
• Temperature should be 60-75⁰ F at 4 weeks
of age.
• When weather permits during winter
months house should be partially opened to
improve airflow
• Additional heat may be needed when low
temperatures are present
• Fans or evaporative cooling systems may
be needed when hot temperatures are
present (birds should be at least 4 weeks
old)
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Lighting
• Lights should be on 24 hrs/day
• 24 hour lighting improves feathering and
increases weight, especially during
summer months
• Have 40-watt bulb at least 6 feet above
birds after removing heat lamps
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition
• Optimum performance is dependent on
proper nutrition
• Fresh feed is important
• Must have high quality poultry feed with
at least 20% protein
• Turkey or game feed may be used in the
beginning to stimulate early growth
• Feed higher protein first two weeks, then
switch broiler feed for remaining feeding
period
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition cont.
• Small amounts of broiler feed lightly
moistened with cooking oil and fed several
times during day will stimulate older birds to
eat more.
• Do not put more moistened feed than the
birds can eat in 10 to 15 minutes.
• Do not moisten the feed until feeding time
• An adequate level of vitamins is required to
prevent leg weakness
• Water soluble poultry vitamins can be added
to water for first seven days.
• Do not add vitamins past first seven days
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition cont.
Feeder
• One pie or cookie pan for feed and one
chick waterer per 25 chicks are needed
the first seven days.
• First 4 weeks – one tube-type feeder per
25 chicks
• After 4 weeks – one tube-type feeder per
15 birds
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition cont.
Water
• Clean fresh water must be available at
all times
• First 4 weeks – One 2-gallon waterer per
50 chicks
• End of 4 weeks – One 2-gallon waterer
per pen is required after birds are culled
• Waterers should be rinsed daily and
scrubbed twice a week.
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition cont.
• Feed should be kept in front of birds at all
times for maximum growth to occur.
• Tube feeders are preferred over horizontal
feeders
• Feeders and waterers should be kept
adjusted so that trough portion is level with
the back height of the birds
• Walk through birds and stir feed three to
five times per day
– Will provide exercise and increased feed
consumption
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Health
• Keep all other poultry away from broilers
and roasters.
• Medication should not be given unless birds
are sick or stressed.
• Chicks purchased from late August to early
November should be vaccinated for fowl
pox by 14 days of age.
• Parasites are seldom a problem where
birds are properly managed and sanitary
conditions maintained
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Selecting the
Exhibition Entry
• At show time examine birds carefully for
physical defects that would cause them to
be sifted. These include:
– Cuts and tears
– Broken and disjointed bones
– Skin or flesh bruises anywhere other than on
the wing tip
– Breast blisters
– Insect bites
– External parasites (lice, mites or fleas)
– Extremely dirty birds
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Conformation
• Length. The breastbone should be long, straight, free from
defects such as dents or knobs and carry well forward and
back between the legs. The breastbone should be parallel
to the backbone.
• Width. The back should be long and wide with a broad
spring of ribs.
• Depth. The body should be full and deep. Body-depth must
be consistent with breast width. Length, width and depth
should be well balanced.
• Fleshing (the amount and distribution of muscle or flesh
on the bird) The breast, thighs and drumsticks carry the
bulk of meat and should be examined closely. The breast
meat is the most valued part of bird and should be given
maximum consideration. Breast muscle should be wide
throughout the length of the keel bone. The muscle should
carry well up to the crest of the bone. A dimpled breast is
desirable. The thighs and drumsticks should be heavily
muscled.
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Conformation
• Uniformity. Each broiler should be as near a carbon copy
of its pen mates as possible in size, shape, fleshing and
finish.
– One bird can affect, the rating of the entire pen.
– Uniformity is not a factor with roaster entries unless pens of
two or three birds are shown.
• Finish. (amount of fat in and immediately under the skin)
– Without adequate finish, a well-fleshed broiler will lose a great
deal of eye appeal.
– Fat deposition between feather tracts on the side of the breast
is the best indication of finish.
– Do not confuse finish and pigmentation (skin color).
• Skin Pigmentation. Skin pigmentation results from the
deposition of yellow or yellow-orange pigments in the outer
skin layer. It is not an indication of finish. Only minor
emphasis should be placed on pigmentation
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Handling and Transportation
• Record leg bands of birds selected for show
• Large cardboard boxes are ideal carriers.
• Never place more than four broilers or two
roasters in a box when transporting them to
show
• Put 4 inches of litter in the container so breasts
will not bruise or become reddened
• Be certain to cut adequate air holes in side
• Avoid bruising birds while taking them out of
container
• DO NOT DROP CONTAINERS!
• Check birds carefully for bruises one final time
before presenting them to the sifter.
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Show Broiler
Management - Timeline
• Please refer to pg. 51 of the Managing
County 4-H Livestock and Horse
Programs User Guide
Texas 4-H and Youth Development
Conclusions
• The importance of adequate facilities and facility
preparation
• The importance of properly rearing birds
• Sufficient lighting is important for feather growth and
warmth.
• Proper diets and nutritional information about
feeding birds should be identified.
• Importance of health in raising poultry.
• Selection of birds for show is based on many
factors.
• Confirmation of pen is a must in order to be
successful
• Mishandling and transportation to show can be
detrimental to the success of the birds.
Texas 4-H and Youth Development