Overview of the Poultry Industry and Avian Influenza

Poultry

domesticated birds maintained for eggs, meat, by-products, and/or ornamental reasons

2014-15 HPAI outbreak

43 million birds were euthanized because it was HIGHLY pathogenic

Pathogenicity

ability to spread

Sick chicken on a farm

must euthanize all chickens on farm

Cost of managing the 2014-15 HPAI outbreak

$850 million for response activities

Costs of indemnity payment

$100 million (insurance pays for all the damage of lost chickens)

Government preparation for future HPAI outbreaks

allocated funds for future preparations

Broilers and eggs cash commodities in US

$44 billion

Broiler

birds raised for meat

Poultry and eggs farm cash receipts

10.4% poultry and eggs compared to total US farm cash receipts

Poultry Industry composition

broilers = 66.4%, chicken eggs = 19.1%, turkey = 11.4%, Other = 3.1%

Other types of poultry

ducks = 10 million, geese = 1 million/year, pigeons, peafowls, guineas, emus, ostriches

World's chicken eggs produced in US

8% of world's chicken eggs, 2nd to China in chicken egg production

Types of eggs produced

95 billion eggs per year, 70% consumed as fresh-shell eggs, 30% used in manufacturing/processed products

Processed egg product example

dehydrated, pre-made products

World's chicken meat produced in US

18% of world's chicken meat, largest producer of poultry meat in the world

World's turkey meat produced in US

47% of world's turkey meat, largest producer of turkeys in the world

World meat supply composition

All poultry = 36.3%, pig = 36%, bovine = 21.6%, other meat producing = 11.5%

Uses of eggs, feathers, and chicks

pharmaceutical and vaccine production, research, products (paints, varnishes, adhesives, printer's ink), photography, cushions, pillows, mattresses, dusters, and insulation material

Chick

young chicken or either sex from 1 day to 5-6 weeks

Pullet

immature female chicken (not yet started to lay eggs)

Hen

mature female chicken or turkey

Rooster

mature male chicken

Mature male turkey, goose, duck

Tom = turkey, gander = goose, drake = duck

Cockerel

intact male chicken (<1 year)

Capon

neutered male chicken (for specialty meat markets)

Poult

young turkey (male or female) from 1 day - 2 weeks

Poultry domestication

~3400 years ago in India and China

Incubation discovery

incubated eggs = warmed, humidified, turned by ancient Egyptians

Reason for incubation

hens lay eggs → removed to incubate → hen sees missing eggs → hens needs to lay more eggs

Discovery of capons

castrated roosters (capons) → encouraged weight gain (fatty meat) ~800 BC by Romans

Chickens' descent

Red Jungle fowl (from Thailand - DNA testing)

Poultry in US (1500-1800s)

transported to Western hemisphere by European explorers and settlers

Poultry in US (1800-1910s)

individual households with small flocks for family consumption and excess sold locally

Poultry advancements (1844 - 1918)

1844 = egg incubator patented, 1874 = chicken wire invented, 1889 = artificial light used, 1903 = Cornell gasoline brooder developed, 1909 = electric candler developed, 1918 = US post office allowed chicks to be mailed

Importance of artificial light

very attuned towards light to trick hens into laying eggs year round

Brooder

device controlled heat and light used to warm chicks from hatching to 5 weeks of age

Electric candler

hold egg up to light to see shell integrity and if fertilized

Hand candling

hold a shell egg directly in front of a light to see interior defects and cracks

Reason for shipping chicks

yolk sac = fanny pack with food (mail in cold weather)

History of Poultry (1920s-1930s)

1923 = electric incubator, 1926 = USDA poultry inspection service, 1929 = layers kept in individual cages, 1934 = legal standards for egg production

Fowl plague outbreak in NY Rail Systems

due to a lot of poultry being shipped and mixed together

Layers

hens meant to lay eggs kept in individual cages to prevent aggression

Food given to chickens

pellet food (can't sort preference)

Poultry advancements (1920s-1930s)

increasing demand for eggs, selective breeding for single-purpose, forced molting, first legal standards for marketing eggs

Molt

some or all feathers are shed and replaced, varies by species and season

Forced molt

force molting by withdrawing food or inhibiting egg production

Poultry advancements (1940s-1960s)

improved genetics, knowledge for nutrition, stable interior environments, improved disease control, birth of vertical integration

Reason for interior environments

prevents predators, stable temp, less disease spread

Poultry Industry (1940s-1960s)

cost of production cut in half, chicken became everyday food, profit margin declined for farmers, farmers responded by increasing farm size

Economy of scale

cost advantages obtained with cost per unit of output generally decreasing as fixed costs are spread out over more units of output

Funding farm expansions

farmers would borrow money from feed farms/companies and go into debt

Vertical integration

coordination of the various levels of producing, processing, and distributing poultry

Stages in poultry management

breeder flocks, hatcheries, feed mills, feed delivery, growout, processing plants, and delivery to buyers

Poultry Industry Trends (1970s-present)

decreasing number of farms and increasing flock size

Vertical Integration (Poultry)

99% of broilers are grown under type of vertical integration contract

Broiler meat production (1970 vs 2020)

1970 = 10 billion pounds, 2020 = 60 billion pounds

US laying rate (2000 vs 2020)

2000 = 264 eggs/year (per hen), 2020 = 296 eggs/year

Time to lay one egg

~25 hours

Top States for Egg Production (US)

IO, OH, IN, PA, TX, GA

Time from farm to store for fresh eggs

~24 hours

Meat consumption trends (1975-2016)

beef and pork = decreases over years; chicken and poultry = increased dramatically

Reasons for increased demand for poultry

1. health perception (seen as healthier), 2. convenience (able to freeze well), 3. fast food (easier to get at drive through), 4. low cost, 5. export

Edibility percentage of chicken and bovine

chicken = 70-80% edible; bovine = 45% edible

Largest cost in raising poultry

food

Feeding strategy for poultry

optimize growth of meat-producing animals to get birds to market faster with least waste and fastest

Time to get a broiler to market (1940 vs today)

1940 = 16 weeks of age; today = marketed at 5-9 weeks

Side effect of selective breeding for fast growth

put so much growth/genetic pressure = now cannot live past 5-9 weeks; heart will explode and will keel over (die)

Diet type of poultry

omnivores

Paired ceca

ferments; helps develop and digest fiber if they are fed forage

Production poultry diet

digest in mash or pelleted form

Species competing with poultry for concentrates

poultry and swine; ex. grains, soybeans, by-product feeds

Eggs laid per year by a hen

296 eggs/year

Replacement age for commercial hens

75-80 weeks (1.5 years)

Reason for replacing hens

hens produce 20-25% less eggs in 2nd year (egg quality decreases with age)

What extends hen's productive life?

include molt = extends hen's productive life to 110 weeks

Fate of older hens

can't really be sold for meat = not good quality; becomes meat in canned products

Number of ovaries in chickens

has 2 ovaries = ONLY USES LEFT; right shuts down (do not know why)

Sections of the oviduct

1. funnel/infundibulum, 2. magnum, 3. isthmus

Path of an egg in the reproductive tract

1. oviduct, 2. magnum, 3. isthmus, 4. shell gland/uterus, 5. vagina

Time egg stays in the uterus

21 hours

What happens in the cloaca?

waste tract and where egg exits

What is removed when spaying a chicken?

ONLY oviduct (bc ovaries are too close to major blood vessels)

Composition of the ovary

cluster of ova (yolks); ovum develops as yolk is added

What covers each yolk?

thin membranous follicle

Source of yolk color

fat soluble pigments (xanthophylls) in hen's diet

When does ovulation occur?

30 minutes after previous egg was laid

Time egg stays in the infundibulum

15 minutes

What occurs in the infundibulum?

engulfs yolk after ovulation; sperm reservoir; site of fertilization

Time egg stays in the magnum

3 hours

What happens in the magnum?

15 inches; 3 layers of the albumen are formed

Layers of the albumen

chalazae, inner thin white, thick layer

Time egg stays in the isthmus

1.25 hours

What happens in the isthmus?

4 inches; water and mineral salts added; 2 shell membranes are formed (thin membrane around white part of egg)

What happens in the uterus?

4 inches; shell and shell pigment are added

What happens in the vagina?

4 inches; cuticle added; muscle to move egg out here

Location of sperm host glands

just above vagina; stores sperm for 10-14 days

Ratio of male:female (layers)

1: 15-17

Most common breed of layer

white leghorn strain cross

Ratio of male:female (broiler)

1: 15-17