Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 Slide 5 Left is broiler (for meat) bird (Cobb/Ross), have different nutritional needs to layers. From chick to kill can be as little as 34 days. Commercial layer (ends up as a re-homed hen) has a commercial life of about 72 weeks. Capable of laying 320 eggs up to that point.
Slide 6 Slide 7 Nesting is a drawn out process for the hen, she needs to have enough space to turn around and settle into laying the egg. Bedding needs to be clean and of good depth to cushion the egg. The nest box must be lower than the perch in order for hens not to roost in the nest box and make it dirty. Slide 8 The perch needs to be able to take the weight of the birds without moving, otherwise not very settling when they roost. The birds need to be able to get on and off the perch without struggling, otherwise injuries may occur. Also the diameter needs to be think enough so the feet grip it but not as wide to cause the foot to be flat. Make them higher than the nest box. Slide 9 Dust bathing is a social behaviour which is very important to the flock. There is a sequence of actions, starting with making a hollow, followed by bill raking then dusting themselves. The dry substrate penetrates the feathers and removes the preen oil. If birds have no access to a dust bath they will become very agitated. Slide 10 Hens are flock creatures and do not like being on their own or in pairs.
Slide 11 Broodiness is part of fowl reproduction therefore is completely normal for rare breeds to commonly go broody. Commercial layers have had the broodiness bred out of them (it can still happen) over time; otherwise there would be an egg shortage! Slide 12 Hens are very maternal creatures during the broody stage (21 days) and during brooding the chicks. Slide 13 Cockerels will stand tall when they crow, therefore make sure there is plenty of head height in the chicken house, as regularly crow on the perch in the morning. Also ensure if they have large combs they can get them in the feeders and drinkers. Slide 14 Specialist breeders are generally passionate about their birds and will keep them in good health, therefore the risk of disease is small. However, without knowing the site it is difficult to be sure of this. Agents buy in a group of pullets which will have been reared in one group and vaccinated fully for poultry disease. These are a good option as will lay well and be generally disease free. Dealers and markets tend to be in the same category of being a risky buy due to disease challenge of multi-age birds from many sources. Rescue birds are great pets but they do come with the higher incidence of problems. Remember these birds will have come to the end of their economic life on a farm and will produce thin-shelled eggs.
Slide 15 The Poultry Club of Great Britain will have a list of breed secretaries for the rare breed clubs. British Hen Welfare Trust website is a good source of information for re-homing hens. Slide 16 Markets are not a good place to buy chickens from due to the disease risk from multiple sites. Slide 17 The picture on the left is of a bird at the end of its commercial life. It is quite normal for birds to look like this at this time. They will soon go through a moult and grow new feathers. Slide 18
Slide 19 Slide 20 Commercial production is controlled very carefully especially with colony cages and aviary systems. The temperature, humidity, feed and water are all set on a strict program to avoid any changes which will cause stress in the birds. The lighting programme is one of the most important things to keep to otherwise egg production will be effected. Therefore when some birds are re-homed this can actually cause quite a stress on the birds in question. They will need time to settle in. Inside a free range house. Slide 21 Vaccinations will be covered in detail on a separate webinar. Slide 22
Slide 23 The key is to remember that you may need to know the sort of housing your clients are keeping their birds in. Often problems arise due to poorly housed birds too small, too draughty, no perches, dirty and so on. They need enough space to carry out their natural behaviours. Slide 24 This house is good quality and will last years. It will give great protection from the weather too. Slide 25 Ideal if you have enough lawn area to move on a regular basis. Need to be large enough to house the group of birds. Slide 26 Electric fencing is a great option with a large garden.
Slide 27 Slide 28 Slide 29 Keep rats under control as they carry disease. Slide 30
Slide 31 Selection of feeders. Slide 32 Selection of drinkers. Slide 33 Slide 34 It is illegal to feed scraps or anything from a domestic or commercial kitchen see DEFRA website. Also scraps can cause enteric upsets. Beryls will correct this in many cases.
Slide 35 Slide 36 Slide 37 Slide 38 Pullets coming into lay and older birds will commonly have egg abnormalities. Soft-shelled eggs are common at these times. Disease can also cause ridges in the shell, particularly Infectious Bronchitis.
Slide 39 Faecal material in the nest boxes will contaminate eggs and can be a risk for food safety in the kitchen environment. Washing eggs will remove the protective waxy cuticle on the outside of the shell which acts as a defence mechanism to bacterial invasion. Grade A eggs are never washed (purchased in super markets). Slide 40 Handling birds makes them more docile and enables the owner to know if they are heavy or light. The average weight of a hybrid layer (as picture) is about 1.8-2kg. Birds need to be supported under the body as shown to give support. Holding the legs helps to prevent any struggling. Slide 41 Moulting takes place when the bird has laid a clutch of eggs and is having some down time to regenerate before the onset of the next clutch of eggs. It generally takes place once every year between August and December. Use Amino Plus at this time. Slide 42 Pecking by birds to another birds head is termed as aggressive pecking. Pecking and feather pulling with no damage to body tissues is referred to as gentle feather pulling. Pecking can get out of hand and birds can cannibalise each other in extreme situations. Try and find out the route cause.
Slide 43 Remove bird from rest of flock. Make sure she has food and water to hand. If the client want to break her from being broody, place in light place in a dog cage placed on bricks, so there is good air circulation to make it a hostile environment for her to sit. Slide 44 Slide 45 Clip across one wing in a line below the secondary feathers. Slide 46
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