University of Manitoba
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Course Information
Course Title: Avian Production Systems (ANSC 4550)
Department: Animal Science
Academic Session: Fall 2014
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites:
ANSC 2500 Animal Production
Lectures:
Tuesday and Thursday
1:00 - 2:15 pm
Laboratory:
Thursday
2:30 - 5:30 pm
Instructor Information
Name & Title: Mahshid Radfar (DVM, PhD candidate)
Office Location: Room 227, Animal Science Department
Phone: 204-4748181
E-mail: umradfar@cc.umanitoba.ca
Office hours: Monday to Thursday 10:00am - 4:00pm (appointment required – email)
______________________________________________________________________
General Course Description
The poultry industry; marketing system, breeding, hatchery practices, management and feeding of large
scale turkey and chicken enterprises.
Describes the various avian systems in terms of size, complexity, and relationship to the economy and
gives an understanding of the management and marketing practices in the usual poultry systems
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
To gain a sound knowledge of the diversity and organization of poultry production.
To gain knowledge in the basic management practices employed in various avian production
systems.
To learn about methods and management strategies for optimizing production efficiency.
To gain a good understanding of frequent practical problems encountered in avian production
systems.
5.
6.
To learn to integrate information from previous courses (anatomy, physiology, reproduction, growth,
environment, etc.) with management information for the purpose of on-farm problem solving.
To gain knowledge and experience in proper handling of poultry.
Lectures, Labs and Exams
 During each class period, a 65 - 70 minute lecture will be presented on the major concepts dealing
with the topic of a particular unit.
 The rest of the class period will be used for discussions or lecturing aids.
 Guest speakers’ lectures and laboratory material will be examinable.
 Class and laboratory attendance is expected.
 Laboratory assignments due one week after completion of lab.
o Detailed assignments will be provided in the lab sections.
 Certain lectures, syllabus, assignments etc., will not be available online but will be emailed
directly.
 No assigned textbook for the course (check the suggestions for term paper).
Mark Distribution
Percent of Grade
15%
30%
30%
25%
100%
Lab assignments
Midterms (2 x 15% each)
Major assignment (presentation and paper)
Final Exam
Total
Course Content
Topic
Introduction, Class Outline, Expectations, Grading System
Origin and History of Poultry Species
Biology of Poultry (Digestive and Reproductive tracts)
Terminology & Structure of Poultry Industry
Breeding and Selection – Angela Bergman
Managing Hatching Eggs and Incubation
Hatcheries
Manitoba Chicken Producers & Marketing – Val Weeks
Broiler production and processing
Laying Hen Management – Dr. Wei Jia
Manitoba Egg Farmers, Supply Management & Marketing – Cory Rybuck
Poultry Welfare
Poultry Diseases
Food Safety
Organic Chicken and Egg Production – Hermann Grauer
Number of Lectures
1 lecture
1 lecture
2 lectures
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
1 lecture
Manitoba Turkey Producers – Krista Pratt
Other Poultry Industries in Manitoba & Niche Markets
1 lecture
1 lecture
Lab Schedule
September 25th
Biosecurity lab
nd
October 2
Biology lab
October 9th
Granny’s hatchery
October 16th
Embryology lab
th
October 23
University of Manitoba Barn tour
October 30th
Dunn-Rite Processing Plant tour
Nov 6th
Burnbrae Farms Processing Plant tour
November 13th
MAFRI Lab tour
st
November 20
Work on presentations
November 27th
Presentations
*This schedule is tentative and subject to change throughout the semester.
Important Dates
September 23rd
October 2nd
October 14th
November 6th
November 6th
November 11th
November 25th & 27th
December 5th
No classes (DIPLOMA) - Excused
Submit topic for term presentations and papers (by email)
Midterm #1
Midterm #2
Outline for presentation and paper due
Remembrance Day – No classes
Presentations (submit presentations and abstract)
Paper submission
Course Policies
Email Communication: Effective September 1, 2013, the U of M will only use your university email
account for official communications, including messages from instructors, department or faculty,
academic advisors, and other administrative offices. Please claim and activate your university email
account. Additional information can be found at http://umanitoba.ca/registrar/email_policy/.
Additional information on how to set up email to your iPhone can be found at
http://umanitoba.ca/computing/ist/email/software/iphone_ipod.html.
Late Assignments: Hand-in, hard-copy assignments must be submitted by the end of the day (4:30 pm)
on the date that it is due. Electronically submitted assignments must be submitted by the end of the day
(11:59 pm) on the day that it is due. There will be a 10% deduction for every 24-hour period the
assignment is late.
Missed Assignments: Unexcused missed assignments will be given a grade of zero. Where assignments
are missed and excused through written notification such as a doctor’s certificate of illness, evidence of
death in the family, or other circumstances that are beyond the control of the student, the student may be
given the following options: 1) complete the assignment and receive the late assignment penalty as
describe above; 2) establish a new due date with the instructor and complete the assignment without
penalty when handed in by the new due date; or, 3) the final grade will be determined by increasing the
value of the final exam by the amount that would have been allocated to the missed assignment.
Missed Exams: Unexcused missed exams will be given a grade of zero. Where exams other than the final
exam are missed and excused through written notification such as a doctor’s certificate of illness,
evidence of death in the family, or other circumstances that are beyond the control of the student, the
student may be given the following options: 1) re-schedule a date for the exam with the instructor and
complete the exam at that time (the instructor has the option to set a different exam); or, 2) the final grade
will be determined by increasing the value of the final exam by the amount that would have been
allocated to the missed exam. If the final exam is missed and an appropriate excuse has been provided,
another exam date will be set at the discretion of the instructor.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism or any other form of cheating in examinations, term tests or academic
work is subject to serious academic penalty. Cheating in examinations or tests may take the form of
copying from another student or bringing unauthorized materials into the exam room. Exam cheating can
also include exam impersonation. A student found guilty of contributing to cheating in examinations or
term assignments is also subject to serious academic penalty. Students should acquaint themselves with
the University’s policy on plagiarism, cheating, exam impersonation and duplicate submission
(http://umanitoba.ca/student/resource/student_advocacy/academicintegrity/Academic-Integrity-policiesand-procedures.html).
Additional Information: The 2013-14 University of Manitoba academic calendar can be found at:
http://crscalprod1.cc.umanitoba.ca/Catalog/ViewCatalog.aspx.