1. Meat producing breeds
2. Egg producing breeds
3. Dual purpose breeds (Meat and Eggs)

• Smaller bodies
• Start to lay eggs at approximately 20 weeks
• Average hen lays 20-23 dozen eggs the first year
• Molts at approximately 14-18 months
• Healthy hens lay for 2-4 years
• Example: White Leghorn

Meat-Producing Breeds:

• Broad breasted and larger than layers
• Produce 1 pound of meat for every 2 pounds of feed
• Can weigh 5-6 pounds at 8 weeks
• Harvested at 3.5-5.0 pounds
• Examples: Cornish and Cornish/Plymouth Rock Cross

• Your classic "backyard" chicken
• Large bodied birds
• Very hardy and self-reliant
• Most lay large, brown-shelled eggs
• Example: Rhode Island Red

• Are often raised for their meat-producng qualities.
• Various breeds within each species are available with varying qualities

• Healthy chicks
• Brooder & Brooder Guard
• Litter (Bedding Material)
• Feeders
• Waterers
• Fencing
• Feed

• Create a comfortable, sanitary and controlled environment for chicks that is safe from predators
• Set up for proper heating and lighting
• Provide for proper access to water
• Provide for proper feed

• Create an area to hold chicks for 7-10 days
• Objectives:
• Keep them warm/comfortable
• Keep them close to feed and water
• Help them adjust to their new environment
• Approximately 1 square foot per chick
• Housing options: Wooden/cardboard box, stock tank, brooder guard

• Set up lights and start heat lamps 24 hours in advance
• One 250-watt infrared heat lamp for every 25-100 chicks
• Provide a second lamp in case one burns out
• Recommended temperature is 90-95*f at bird level for first week
• Hang lamps 18"-20" above floor and adjust as necessary
• Provide a light source to keep chick out of the dark

• Week 1 90-95f
• Week 2 85-90F
• Week 3 80-85F
• Week 4 75-80F
• Week 5 70-75F
• Week 6 70-75F
• Week 7 70-75F
• Week 8 65-70F
• Week 9 65F Minimum

• Provide a one-gallon waterer for each 25 young birds to start
• Add electrolytes to water
• Provide 1" of feeder space per chick to start
• Clean and place feeders and waters before birds arrive
• Set the height of feeders and water even with the backs of young birds

• Good quality birds are essential for successful results
• Young birds should be vaccinated at the hatchery before shipping
• Check young birds carefully before placing them in the brooder
• Cull any stickly birds immediately

• Light improves their growth rate & performance
• Keep light on for at least the first 48 hours
• Turn lights off at least 1/2 hour the first two nights so birds don't panic if electricity is lost

• Use natural light during the day
• Provide 18-20 hours of light daily for days 3-7
• Reduce light gradually to 10-12 hours daily thereafter

Period Broilers Layers Turkeys Gamebirds & Waterfowl

• Scatter some feed on a newspaper the first day to chicks start eating sooner
• Keep feeders and waters full the first week
• Reduce feed in feeder to half-full after the first week
• Keep feeders and waters clean

• Coccidiosis

• Provide more space as chicks grow for living, feeding and watering
• Reduce temperature gradually by approx. 5*F per week until 65*F
• Keep litter clean and dry, adding bedding as necessary
• Disinfect waterers several times a week

• Clean & disinfect facilities in advance
• Buy Chicks from a reputable source
• Avoid mixing birds from different sources
• Keep facilities clean & dispose of litter properly
• Locate or build pens to minimize contact with wild animals
• Avoid borrowing or sharing equipment with neighbors (always wash & disinfect)

• After a show, isolate birds for a couple of weeks before exposing other birds to them
• Don't let friends or neighbors handle your birds
• Know the signs of sick animals (contact veterinarian or USDA Extension Office immediately)
• Go to this site to learn more about keeping you and your poultry safe: www.cargill-poultry-biosecurity.com

• Coops are ideal
• Allow at least 4 square feet per bird
• Provide enough roosts & laying boxes for each bird
• Provide bedding at least 6 " deep
• Make sure the space is draft free
• Provide an adjacent pen good for turnout
• Pen made of chicken wire is ideal
• Secure wire underground to protect against burrowing predators
• Netting or wire overhead protects against hawks, falcons or owls

• Runs for gardens are available
• Good option that safely provides birds an opportunity to eat bugs
• Free range or pastured poultry is another option but be mindful of predators

• Commerical Chickens lay between 265-280 eggs per year
• Chicken eggs can range in color depending on the breed of the hen.
• You can determine the color of egg that a chicken will lay by looking at her earlobe.
• Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs
• Chickens with reddish-brown earlobes lay brown eggs.
• Chicks are relatively quiet when they are happy

• Beak: aids in breaking down food
• Tongue: move feed around in mouth
• Esophagus: passageway from mouth to stomach
• Crop: serves as holding and moistening reservoir
• Proventriculus: site of gastric juice production

• Gizzard: reduces particle size of ingesta
• Ceca: emptied every 8 hours and secretes intestinal feces
• Cloaca: ureters empty into here and are excreted as a pasty white urine

• Many different factors influence the nutritional requirements of poultry, including
• Genetics
• Age
• Degree of production
• Health status
•  Environment including temperature, humidity, air quality and flock density