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Poultry farming
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What is poultry? The term poultry actually refers to a variety of bird types raised on farms for food. What are various examples? Chicken Turkeys Ducks Geese Quail Pheasants Ostriches, and many more. Chicken Facts Scientific classification What Is a Chicken?
The chicken has two legs and two wings, a fact that influences housing and management. Domestic chickens have essentially lost the ability to fly. Heavy breeds used for meat production cannot do more than flap their wings and jump to a little higher level or move more rapidly along the ground. The lighter-bodied birds can fly short distances, and some can fly over relatively high fences. The feet and shank portions of the legs have scales. Respiration rate is higher in chickens than in larger animals. In general, it can be said that the smaller the kind of bird the faster it breathes. For example, a hummingbird breathes more times a minute than a chicken. The male chicken breathes about 18 to 21 times a minute and the female about 31 to 37 times when they are not under stress. The heart beat of chickens is rather fast, being about 286 times a minute in males and 312 in females in a resting condition. Digestion rate is somewhat rapid in chickens. It varies from 2 1/2 to 25 hours for passage of food depending on whether the digestion tract is full, partially full, or empty when feed is ingested. The chicken's temperature is about 107 degrees to 107.5 degrees F. Chickens are hatched, not born in the truest sense of the word. Chickens are covered with feathers but have a few vestigial hairs scattered over the body. The average consumer does not see these hairs, because they are singed off in the processing plant. The chicken has a beak (or bill) and does not have teeth. Any mastication occurs in the gizzard. Many commercial poultry producers do not provide grit to their chickens, because they feed a ground feed of fine meal consistency that can be digested by the bird's digestive juices. The chicken has pneumatic bones, making its body lighter for flying, if it had not lost the ability to do so. There are 13 air sacs in the chicken's body, again to make the body lighter, and they are a functioning part of the respiratory system. Chickens have comparatively short life spans. Some live to be 10 to 15 years old, but they are the exception, not the rule. In commercial egg production, birds are about 18 months old when they are replaced by new, young stock. It takes close to six months for a female chicken to mature sexually and start laying eggs. Then, they are kept for 12 to 14 months of egg production. After that their economic value declines rapidly, so they are disposed of when they are about 18 months old. Chickens have both white (breast) and dark (legs, thighs, back, and neck) meat. The wings contain both light and dark fibers. There are approximately 175 varieties of chickens grouped into 12 classes and approximately 60 breeds. A class is a group of breeds originating in the same geographical area. The names themselves � Asiatic, American, Mediterranean, and so on � indicate the region where the breeds originated. Breed means a group which possesses a given set of physical features, such as body shape, skin color, carriage or station, and number of toes. Variety is a category of breed and is based on feather color, comb, or presence of a beard and muff. Thus, the Plymouth Rock may be Barred, White, Buff, or one of several other colors. The Rhode Island Red may have either a single or rose comb. In each case, the body shape and physical features should be identical. Breed and variety tell little about the qualities of good producing stock. Strain, however, does. A strain is a group or breeding population within a variety or cross that has been bred and developed by a person or organization to possess certain desirable characteristics. Many commercial strains exist, such as Babcock, DeKalb, Hyline, and Shaver, that have been bred for specific purposes. Chickens are classified by sex and age, too. Although these terms tend to vary considerably, depending upon whether they are being applied to exhibitions, or commercial poultry production. Cockerel is a male chicken under one year of age; cock or rooster is a male more than one year old; pullet is a female under one year, and hen is a female over one year of age. When chicks are first hatched, they may be separated by sexes and are then called sexed chicks. If they have not been separated, they are known as straight-run chicks. In market terms, a broiler or fryer is a young meat-type chicken that can be cooked tender by broiling or frying and usually weighing between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds. A roaster is a young meat-type chicken that can be cooked tender by roasting and usually weighing 4 pounds or more. A stewing chicken, hen, or fowl is a mature female chicken, often the by-product of egg production, with meat less tender than that of a roaster and can be cooked tender by stewing or a similar method. White Leghorn Chicken Hen 
White Leghorn Chicken Rooster  White Leghorn Chicken How are your chickens raised? On pasture, indoors, confined? Are they caged? Are your hens force molted? What are your hens fed? How much time do your hens spend outdoors each day? Are your hens given antibiotics? Here are further guidelines. |
What should be the dimensions of a poultry farm with the capacity of rearing 10,000 chicks per batch? |
| Chicken Hatchery |
| Poultry Farms |
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Poultry Cage Systems (Large Scale Industries) Recommended 
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Raised floor systems (Smalle Scale Industries)
 
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Are all hens getting enough feed? Is feed distribution uniform (continuous)? Is there adequate feeder space to allow all hens to eat? Does the feed contain the nutrients and energy calculated? Is the feed too fine or dusty? Are the birds consuming enough water? Was light intensity and duration adequate? Is energy intake adequate? Was energy intake adequate? Are we providing adequate light, feed and water? |
White Leghorns are selected from some of the world’s largest Poultry breeders. Producing 300 or more eggs in a yearly laying cycle, the eggs average 26- 28 ounces per dozen, utilizing 3.25 - 3.75 lbs. of feed per dozen eggs. This is a highly efficient white egg producer doing well in confinement housing.
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What's pastured poultry? A common way to raise pastured poultry involves putting 75 to 100 three- to four-week old meat chickens in movable pens during the growing season. These floorless 10� by 12� by 2� pens are moved daily by sliding them along the ground, providing fresh pasture. Chickens also receive a grain-based ration. At 8-14 weeks, the chickens are butchered and sold to consumers or restaurants. Why pastured poultry? Low capital investment Can start small and grow Strong demand Potential for extra farm income Can be run by one person Provides sustainably produced meat Chickens build soil fertility Chickens attract customers for other products How much money can I make with pastured poultry? With a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, CIAS studied five farms (four in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota) using the pastured poultry method described above. The farmers had 3 to 10 years of pastured poultry experience. Farmers charged an average of $1.90 per pound for the chickens and sold them from their farm, at farmers markets, and to restaurants. Returns to labor and management werecollected for four of the farms in 1997 and 1998 (see the table on below). The average annual net return per bird for all farms was $2.43, with a range that varied greatly from $-2.82 to $7.05. The average annual net return per farm for all farms was $3,580.25, with a range of $-1,609 to $11,040. While farms had similar overhead costs (buildings and land), their feed costs varied. Feed costs and experience level account for some of the variability in returns. The primary goal for the pastured poultry operation�whether monetary or something else (attracting customers, building soil fertility)�also explains the range. Annual gross and net returns per bird from pastured poultry, 1997 and 1998, four farms Farm A Farm B Farm C Farm D 1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998 1997 1998 Gross return $6.70 $8.47 $6.38 $3.80 $12.00 $5.61 $9.36 $7.05 Net return $3.81 $3.64 -$0.05 -$2.82 $2.39 $1.33 $7.05 $4.08 # Birds sold 2,898 2,100 633 420 1,110 2,174 700 986 How much time does a pastured poultry operation take? Five participating farmers kept journals to track the amount of time they spent on pastured poultry. Most of their time was spent feeding and watering chickens and moving pens. Average time spent on pastured poultry for 1998 and 1999 was 24 hours per week. One experienced farmer spent only 10 minutes per chicken from chick to processed bird; a less experienced farmer worked over an hour per bird. Family members or paid help provided some labor on most of the farms. Is pastured poultry a supplementary or primary farm enterprise? Based on the on-farm data, researchers developed a model of a 1000-bird supplementary enterprise. This enterprise showed an annual net return to labor and management of just over $5,000 after five years of operation and building management skills. Labor was estimated at 20 to 22 hours per week over a four-month production schedule. An efficient and experienced pastured poultry farmer could earn $10-15/hour. The model of a 5,000-bird operation (a primary enterprise) showed annual net returns to labor and management of over $18,000 in its tenth year. This would involve a 35 to 42 hour work week over a six-month production schedule. An experienced farmer could earn $12-18/hour. Where can I get birds butchered? That depends on how many chickens you sell, and where you sell them. To sell across state lines, you must have your birds butchered at a federally inspected plant. There are no such plants in Wisconsin for small batches. In Wisconsin, to sell more than 1,000 birds per year or to restaurants, you must use a Type 29 state-inspected plant. While there were five of these plants at the beginning of the study in 1997, only two are left (see box below). If you sell no more than 1,000 chickens, you can butcher them at home. Type 23 (exempt) poultry plants can also butcher no more than 1,000 birds for sale or home use. There are 11 of these plants in Wisconsin. You can sell live chickens to customers, but these birds cannot be butchered on your farm. The buyer has to take the chickens home to butcher them. Farmers in the study paid $2.75 per bird for processing at Type 29 plants; costs are expected to increase. Wisconsin Type 29 poultry plants for butchering 1,000 or more birds per year Dowty Poultry Processing N2434 Highway 47 Waldo, WI 53093 920-994-4758 Twin Cities Packing 5607 County Road J Clinton, WI 53525 608-676-4428 What other factors should I consider before raising pastured poultry? Pastured poultry can be a good supplementary enterprise on a diversified farm, especially for farmers already direct marketing other products. If not already selling farm products, a farmer will need to build a customer base. Even at a small scale, the operator is tied down by the need to feed and water the chickens and move cages. In a 1999 survey on the study farms, 83 percent of the customers felt the pastured chickens tasted better. But University taste and nutritional tests did not detect any differences between pastured poultry and conventionally raised poultry. Since these farmers are raising the same breeds of chickens as the conventional system, there may be a limit to how much the pasture can influence nutrition and flavor. Farmers report that finding a breed of chicken that is both appealing to customers and good at foraging is a challenge. The farmers in the study felt the biggest obstacle to making pastured poultry work is the processing�both the availability of licensed processors and the quality of the processing. There may be reason for optimism on the processing front: researchers found that an on-farm processor in Minnesota was just as clean as a USDA plant. And it may be possible to raise the Wisconsin on-farm processing limit�Illinois raised its limit to 5,000 birds in 1999. Where can I get more information? For more information on the CIAS pastured poultry study, contact these researchers: Gerry Campbell, Agricultural and Applied Economics (608) 265-8137, campbell@aae.wisc.edu Steve Ingham and Joyce Reyes, Food Science, (608) 265-4801, scingham@facstaff.wisc.edu Steve Stevenson, Kathryn Pereira, Rick Klemme, CIAS, (608) 262-5202, gwsteven@facstaff.wisc.edu For more information on pastured poultry, contact the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association at PO Box 1024, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729, phone 715-577-5966, e-mail grit@apppa.org, or visit http://www.apppa.org/ Predators (1) Baby Chicks (2) Hens and Eggs (8) Hatching Eggs (3) Coop Design and Construction (6) Roosts and Nests (6) Breed Questions (4) Food and Water (3) Roosters (7) Diseases and Disorders (8) Cold Weather & Chickens (4) Miscellaneous Questions (9) What Is a Chicken? Perhaps a simplistic review of what a chicken is could be helpful in understanding some of the "hows" and "whys" in poultry incubation, production, management, and health. A chicken is a bird. One of the features that differentiate it from most other birds is that it has a comb and two wattles. The comb is the red appendage on the top of the head, and the wattles are the two appendages under the chin. These are secondary sexual characteristics and are more prominent in the male. A few other birds have a comb or similar appendage, in some cases bearing a different name such as helmet in the guinea, and a few have wattles with some having a single median one rather than a pair. The comb is the basis of the Latin name or classification of chickens. In Latin, gallus means comb, and the domestic chicken is Gallus domesticus. The Red Jungle Fowl, ancestor of most domestic chickens, is Gallus bankiva. There are eight recognized kinds of combs: single, rose, pea, cushion, buttercup, strawberry, V-shaped, and silkie. The chicken has two legs and two wings, a fact that influences housing and management. Domestic chickens have essentially lost the ability to fly. Heavy breeds used for meat production cannot do more than flap their wings and jump to a little higher level or move more rapidly along the ground. The lighter-bodied birds can fly short distances, and some can fly over relatively high fences. The feet and shank portions of the legs have scales. Respiration rate is higher in chickens than in larger animals. In general, it can be said that the smaller the kind of bird the faster it breathes. For example, a hummingbird breathes more times a minute than a chicken. The male chicken breathes about 18 to 21 times a minute and the female about 31 to 37 times when they are not under stress. The heart beat of chickens is rather fast, being about 286 times a minute in males and 312 in females in a resting condition. Digestion rate is somewhat rapid in chickens. It varies from 2 1/2 to 25 hours for passage of food depending on whether the digestion tract is full, partially full, or empty when feed is ingested. The chicken's temperature is about 107 degrees to 107.5 degrees F. Chickens are hatched, not born in the truest sense of the word. Chickens are covered with feathers but have a few vestigial hairs scattered over the body. The average consumer does not see these hairs, because they are singed off in the processing plant. The chicken has a beak (or bill) and does not have teeth. Any mastication occurs in the gizzard. Many commercial poultry producers do not provide grit to their chickens, because they feed a ground feed of fine meal consistency that can be digested by the bird's digestive juices. The chicken has pneumatic bones, making its body lighter for flying, if it had not lost the ability to do so. There are 13 air sacs in the chicken's body, again to make the body lighter, and they are a functioning part of the respiratory system. Chickens have comparatively short life spans. Some live to be 10 to 15 years old, but they are the exception, not the rule. In commercial egg production, birds are about 18 months old when they are replaced by new, young stock. It takes close to six months for a female chicken to mature sexually and start laying eggs. Then, they are kept for 12 to 14 months of egg production. After that their economic value declines rapidly, so they are disposed of when they are about 18 months old. Chickens have both white (breast) and dark (legs, thighs, back, and neck) meat. The wings contain both light and dark fibers. Classifications of Chickens The breeds and varieties of domestic chickens known today are generally believed to have descended mainly from the Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus bankiva, also called Gallus gallus) of Southeast Asia where it still exists in the wild. Domesticated chickens may have been kept in India as long ago as 3,200 B.C., and records indicate they were kept in China and Egypt as early as 1,400 B.C. The earliest domestications of fowl were mainly for cockfighting rather than for food. Cockfighting was suppressed in the Western World and replaced by poultry exhibition before the 18th Century. Poultry exhibitions started in America in 1849. Interest in these shows grew and numerous breeds and varieties were and continue to be developed, leading to the large number of varieties now in existence. There are approximately 175 varieties of chickens grouped into 12 classes and approximately 60 breeds. A class is a group of breeds originating in the same geographical area. The names themselves — Asiatic, American, Mediterranean, and so on — indicate the region where the breeds originated. Breed means a group which possesses a given set of physical features, such as body shape, skin color, carriage or station, and number of toes. Variety is a category of breed and is based on feather color, comb, or presence of a beard and muff. Thus, the Plymouth Rock may be Barred, White, Buff, or one of several other colors. The Rhode Island Red may have either a single or rose comb. In each case, the body shape and physical features should be identical. Breed and variety tell little about the qualities of good producing stock. Strain, however, does. A strain is a group or breeding population within a variety or cross that has been bred and developed by a person or organization to possess certain desirable characteristics. Many commercial strains exist, such as Babcock, DeKalb, Hyline, and Shaver, that have been bred for specific purposes. Chickens are classified by sex and age, too. Although these terms tend to vary considerably, depending upon whether they are being applied to exhibitions, or commercial poultry production. Cockerel is a male chicken under one year of age; cock or rooster is a male more than one year old; pullet is a female under one year, and hen is a female over one year of age. When chicks are first hatched, they may be separated by sexes and are then called sexed chicks. If they have not been separated, they are known as straight-run chicks. In market terms, a broiler or fryer is a young meat-type chicken that can be cooked tender by broiling or frying and usually weighing between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds. A roaster is a young meat-type chicken that can be cooked tender by roasting and usually weighing 4 pounds or more. A stewing chicken, hen, or fowl is a mature female chicken, often the by-product of egg production, with meat less tender than that of a roaster and can be cooked tender by stewing or a similar method. 1. What is the best breed for laying eggs? Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Australorps and Orpingtons are all very productive breeds. 2. What breed should I get? top Decide what you want from your chickens. If you want them for eggs, you should get a breed that lays a lot of eggs. If you want them for meat, you should get a breed that grows heavy at a young age. If you want them for pets, you should get a breed that is calm and easy to handle. 3. What is the difference between a bantam and a regular chicken? top A bantam is a miniature chicken, usually about 1/4 to 1/2 the size of a regular chicken. 4. What is the difference between a cockerel and a pullet? top A cockerel is a young rooster. A pullet is a young hen. 1. Will racoons hurt my chickens? Yes. Racoons are one of the most common predators of chickens. They will attack mainly at night, and can tear a bird apart very quickly. They frequently will kill more than one. Good secure coops will help to protect your flock from racoons 1. Should I buy pullets or straight run chicks? Pullets have been sexed by the hatchery and are usually sexed 90% accurately. Most hatcheries or feed stores will refund your money or buy back the cockerels which exceed 10%. Straight run chicks are usually less expensive, but they are 50% pullets and 50% cockerels (more or less). 2. When can my chicks go outside? You should wait until they are fully feathered to put them outside. Depending on the temperature, they can go outside when they are from 5 to 12 weeks old. 1. How many eggs will my hens lay? On the average, 3 hens will give you 2 eggs a day. That means to get a dozen eggs a day, you would need 18 hens. submitted by admin , answered by admin , last updated Jun 04, 2008 2. Should I wash the eggs my hens lay? This argument rages forever - I wash mine with a scrubby sponge and cold water when I'm ready to eat them. Some people use anti-bac soap, others claim you are washing off the "bloom" and letting bacterian INTO the egg by doing that. I like a nice clean egg when I'm going to cook it or give it to someone. 3. What is the difference between a bantam egg and a regular egg? top A bantam egg is smaller. Nutritionally there is no difference. 4. How long do chickens lay eggs? Chicken can lay eggs into their teens, although they sometimes stop earlier. 5. When will my hens start to lay eggs? Most hens start to lay around 4-6 months of age, more or less. However, for various reasons (time of year, temperature, etc.) they may wait until the next Spring to start laying eggs. 6. How do you tell what color eggs a hen will lay? You can tell by the color of the earlobes in general. A white lobed hen will lay white eggs, while a red lobed hen will lay brown eggs. The exception to this would be the Easter Egger, Ameraucana, and Araucana breeds. They will lay eggs in colors ranging from khaki green to sky blue, to pink tinted, to occasionally lavender tinted. they will usually have red ear lobes. 7. where does the egg come from, and how does the shell harden or form around the egg? After the yolk is formed in the hen's single ovary, the yolk drops into the body cavity. From there it goes into the infundibulum, or "funnel". It then starts it on its way down the oviduct. The oviduct is more than 2 feet long and is lined with glands that secrete the materials for the albumen (egg white), shell membranes, and shell. The egg color pigment is added in the last stages of this process. It takes twenty-four hours or more from the time the yolk is released until the completed egg is laid. 8. One of our chickens laid an egg without a shell. Is this a cause for concern? A soft or even no-shelled egg is something that happens occasionally in even healthy hens. It's generally no cause for concern, unless there is other sign of illness or it's a regular occurance. 1. What is a broody hen? A broody hen is a hen who is trying to hatch out eggs by sitting on them all day and all night, only taking breaks once a day to eat, drink, and defecate. 2. How long does it take to hatch an egg? top About 21 days. 3. Which is better, natural or artificial incubation? The advantages of natural incubation (i.e. a broody hen) are that the hen does all the work for you and she will probably hatch out a high percentage of the eggs. The disadvantages are that you can only fit a certain amount of eggs under a broody hen, you can never tell when a hen will go broody, and you can't be sure her chicks will be tame. The advantages of artificial incubation (i.e. an incubator) are that you can incubate a large number of eggs, you can incubate whenever you want, and since you will be raising the chicks yourself, you can make sure to tame them. The disadvantages of artificial incubation are that it takes effort and worry on your part, the percentage of eggs that hatch will probably be lower than natural incubation, and you will inevitably have problems with temperature and humidity that could damage the chicks. 1. How tall should the side fences be on the chicken yard? Is seven feet sufficient? Six feet is a common level for poultry fencing. Seven feet would be sufficient in most cases. There have been cases of chickens flying out even at that level, however. Chickens can be kept contained in their pens as well as protected from overhead predators by covering the pens with some form of netting. A common, lightweight, and easy to use netting is deer netting available in most large home improvement stores as well as hardware stores. 2. What is the best material to spread on the coop floor? Pine shavings (or similar)work very well. Straw is also ok, but has spaces inside which can harbor mites and other pests. 3. How much space do I need in my chicken house and run? top Inside a minimum of 2 square feet of floor space. Outside, a minimum of 10 square feet in the run per bird (some say 4 sq. ft., but that's only 2x2, and I personally think that's restrictive). 4. Can a 6x8 garden shed be used as a chicken coop? What is a nesting box? Are they necessary? A standard garden shed can be converted nicely into a coop..you want to provide about 4 square feet per bird, so the size will shelter about 12-14 birds easily. You want to ensure that it is draft free and secure from predators, and has adequate ventilation. Heat and insulation needs vary based on location and climate. 5. Will painting the interior of the coop cause any health risk to the hens? If the paint is non toxic, and well dried, with good ventilation, it should cause no harm to the hens. 6. Could deer netting be used to fence my chickens in during the day? Will it be effective for keeping them out of the garden? Another way to address this concern is to put the deer netting around the garden. This way you can use permanent support such as t-posts or wooden fence posts to support it. 1. What should I use for perches? Wooden perches should be 2" in diameter for regular sized chickens and 1" for bantams. Plastic or metal is too smooth for the chicken to grasp. You can also use branches for a more natural setting. Note: in cold climates, people use flat 2x4s for perches. That makes the chicken sit on its feet, keeping them warm. submitted by admin , answered by admin , last updated Jun 04, 2008 2. How much roosting space do I need on the perches? top You will need a minimum of 8" of perch space for each chicken. submitted by admin , answered by admin , last updated Jun 04, 2008 3. How high should my perches be? top The lowest perch should be 18-24" off the ground. There can be multiple perches - chickens will jump up from perch to perch. Some people use a "leaning ladder" perch arrangement. 4. How many nest boxes do I need? Generally, one box for every 4 hens. 5. How big should my nest boxes be? top For larger breeds, a box 12" high, 12" deep and 14" high is fine. 6. How far off the ground should I place my nest boxes? 18" to 24" is a good height. 1. What is the best breed for laying eggs? Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Australorps and Orpingtons are all very productive breeds. 2. What breed should I get? Decide what you want from your chickens. If you want them for eggs, you should get a breed that lays a lot of eggs. If you want them for meat, you should get a breed that grows heavy at a young age. If you want them for pets, you should get a breed that is calm and easy to handle. 3. What is the difference between a bantam and a regular chicken? top A bantam is a miniature chicken, usually about 1/4 to 1/2 the size of a regular chicken. 4. What is the difference between a cockerel and a pullet? A cockerel is a young rooster. A pullet is a young hen. 1. What should I feed my chickens? Starter ration until they are 8 weeks old, grower ration until they are 18 weeks old, then layer ration; or combination starter-grower until they are 18 weeks, then layer ration. It is a good idea to supplement the layer ration with ground oyster shell. Oyster shell helps keep eggshells thick. Can I feed my chickens treats? Yes. Scratch is a good treat for chickens. Chickens like many things: cooked spaghetti, clean vegetable peels, fruit, cereal, meal worms, bugs, and snails. Avoid strong tasting foods like onions and garlic; some sources say this makes their eggs taste funny. 2. What is scratch? Scratch is a cracked corn and wheat mix for chickens. It is available at most feed stores. 3. Should chicks be fed raw oatmeal? Young chicks can be fed raw oatmeal as long as there is sufficient grit added to their diet. Without the grit, they won't be able to process the oatmeal in their crops. This can lead to problems with the crop becoming impacted. 1. How do roosters mate with hens? The sex organ of a rooster is located internally, inside the Cloaca, which is the opening where the feces comes out, and in the hen, the eggs. When mating, the rooster's organ is extruded (comes out) in order to place the sperm in the cloaca of the hen. The rooster "mounts" the hen, holding on with his beak to her head or neck feathers, in order to be in the proper position for fertilization to occur. 2. I have two roosters. One was the alpha but has been challenged by the other. Can they live in peace or must one go? top You will not be able to make them be friends. They may work out the new positions themselves and the pecking might subside. If not you may have to find a way to let them out alternate days with the hens. A product called Blu Kote, sold in most tack stores for cuts on horses, is good to put on the injured comb to discourage more pecking and help it heal. Use a Q-tip to apply it, careful to not get it in the eyes. 3. Do roosters need to be separated from each other when they are in with pullets? If so, at what age? Roosters that grow up together generally get along and may not need to be seperated. Even if one is bantam and one is a standard they could live in harmony especially if they have a large area. It is individual however and can change with age so always keep an eye out. 4. Will my hens lay eggs if I don't have a rooster? Yes. A hen only needs a rooster in order to lay fertile eggs that could hatch. 5. How many roosters do I need for my chickens? One rooster for every 8-12 hens will probably produce fertile eggs. 6. When and how can I tell if a chicken is a rooster? It is VERY difficult to tell male from female at an early age. Depending on the breed, cockerels (males) develop larger combs and wattles earlier than pullets (females) and will start trying to crow at 6 to 10 weeks (we had one start to crow at 16 weeks - it's not a precise science, sorry!) Cockerels tend to bigger and/or taller than the pullets. You may also observe more aggressive "rooster behaviors", like play fighting, hassling, mounting and such. 7. Why do roosters crow? There's many reasons why A rooster crows.. He could be announcing his territory, or letting the hens know he's there. It can also be a challenge to another rooster. 1. Why aren't my chickens laying? 1) they might be too young 2) they might be too old 3) if they look sick, an illness may have caused them to stop laying 4) chickens frequently stop laying while they are molting and 5) they might just need a break! 2. My hen chickens are laying thin-shelled eggs. What do I do? Try giving them oyster shells - the calcium helps keep the shells thick and strong. 3. My young hen lays soft and misshapen eggs. Is this a problem? When they start laying eggs their young systems will produce eggs that are softshell, irregular shaped, real large, real small, etc. It takes a while for their reproductive system to get the complete "hang of it". 4. My chickens are eating their own eggs. What should I do? Usually, egg-eating is due to a need for more calcium. Supplement with crushed oyster shells (available at feed stores). In a pinch, crush up regular chickens eggs and supplement with that (although that may encourage them to peck at eggs). For occasional stubborn hen who has just decided she likes the taste of eggs, you may have to try a nest box that allows the eggs to roll out of reach. 5. What is coccidiosis? A protozoa in the droppings, easily spread from chick to chick. Cocci can be prevented with medicated feed. Older chickens can be treated with Corrid or Albon. Usually readily available at most feed stores. Cleaning the feeder and waterer at least daily is an important step in the prevention and treatment. 6. Is it all right to clip a chicken's toe nail ? It is alright to clip a chicken's toenails.. You need to be careful not to go too far up into the nail, or it may cause pain and bleeding. 7. Is there a salve to put on the hens backs to heal and prevent the rooster's plucking? Can I snip the tip of His beak to make it more sensitive? You can put neosporin on the hen's back if there's any broken skin.. You can also use blu-cote on it to reduce the chances of picking. It turns the skin dark and is therefore less attractive to any "pickers". Trimming the beak is an option if he's picking with it. It will not make it more sensitive. It will make it shorter so he cannot get a good grip on feathers. However the rooster damage may come from the toenails, rather than the beak. Feather loss on hens is very common. 8. One of my hens has a protrusion ouside her vent. What can cause this and do I need to take her to the vet? What you're describing is a prolapsed vent. This can happen when a hen strains too hard to lay an egg, or the egg is so big it causes some damage to the vent as it is laid. It's fairly common. What to do for it is to lubricate the vent gently with preparation h cream, or any of the hemorrhoidal creams and using a finger, gently push the vent back inside. The cream will then need to be applied twice a day till the vent is healed. It may help to keep the hen in a dark place to discourage laying while the healing takes place. The hen will need to be watched in the future, in case of re-occurance. Rapid treatment is necessary not just to aid healing, but to prevent the other birds from picking the exposed tissue. 1. How can I prevent frostbite? using 2 x 4 roosts, laid flat, make the chickens roost on their feet, which will keep them warm. For combs and wattles, some vaseline will help prevent frostbite from happening. For VERY extreme conditions, heat the coop with a ceramic or red-bulb heating light. 2. It's been extremely cold in the northeast . My rooster now has blackness on his comb with yellow blisters. What this is and how can I treat it! Sounds like frostbite. Chickens commonly get it on the comb, wattles, or feet. It is best treated with an antibiotic ointment (like Polysporin) over the blisters and blackened areas. The blackened areas may wither and fall off if the frostbite is full thickness. Frostbite can be prevented with a thick coating of Vasaline over the comb and wattles and wide perches such that their feet are flat, like a 2x4 on side, not edge, so that their feet are warmed by the body. Reducing drafts in the coop in winter is important but do not allow the coop to be without ventilation as high humidity will increase the chances of frostbite happening. 3. What do I do if I live in a very cold climate? Insulate the coop, use heat lamps if needed, heat the waterer to keep it from freezing. 4. In colder climates, is it normal for chickens to stop laying in winter? It is normal for hens to stop or slow down laying in the winter months. The shorter days trigger this slow down, rather than the temperature. In order to keep hens laying all winter, artificial light can be used to equal 14 hours of light per day. 1. Can you wash a chicken? Yes. Show chickens are given baths often so their feathering is perfect for showing. Most people recommend Dawn dishwashing soap as it is gentle and will remove grease. Others prefer baby soap or shampoo. Chickens may have a variety of reactions to being bathed, but some seem to like it, especially silkies. You can also blow dry them on low after you're done. 2. Where can I buy egg cartons? http://www.eggcartons.com 3. What is the best way to introduce new chickens to an already established flock? Separate newcomers and established birds with a barrier (i.e., wire), so they can see each other but not directly interact for a period of 1-4 weeks. This will help keep fighting to a minimum. Always introduce them while SUPERVISED, so you can control any fighting. 4. How long do chickens usually live? Most people say up to 10 years or more if they stay healthy. We have one hen, still laying, that is five years old. 5. When meat chickens are ready for processing, can you take them somewhere to have them done or do you have to do it yourself? Yes you can take them to processors to be killed and cleaned in most areas. Contact your local Poultry Club to find out if there is someone doing that as a business near you. 6. What is the moult? The moult is an annual process in which the chickens lose and regrow their feathers. Usually chickens molt in the late summer or early fall. They may stop laying eggs while they are moulting. 7. Do chickens smell bad? No. The only time chickens will smell bad is if they are sick or their coop is not cleaned often enough. 9. How can I promote the regrowth of feathers on the back of my white wyandotte hen? I think the other hens are pecking out the emerging pinfeathers as soon as they appear. You can suppliment her feed with small cut dry or canned cat food three or four times a week to add protein, which will promote feather growth. To keep the other hens from picking at her, you can either separate her till the feathers are back or get her a "chicken apron" which will cover her back till the feathers grow in.. You can also try coating the area with "blu-coat" to lessen the attraction to the other hens.. A Public Health Investigation of Poultry on a Farm Objectives: � Assess clinical symptoms among poultry for index of suspicion of AI infection � Prioritize response actions with partner agencies � Evaluate biosecurity measures during an outbreak Instructions: For this exercise, you will work with your group to complete a case study investigation. Each segment of case study information will be followed by a series of questions. Your facilitator or one person in your group should read the information aloud to group members. Then, work as a group to generate one answer for each question asked. Time allotted: 30 minutes Question 1 � What types of diseases, for which poultry are not typically vaccinated, cause large die-offs in a short period of time? Suggested answer � Avian influenza and Exotic Newcastle Disease of chickens and turkeys with various levels of pathogenicity are frequently indistinguishable on clinical and post-mortem examination from: mycoplasmosis; fowl cholera; Escherichia coli cellulitis of the head; acute pasteurellosis; infectious laryngotracheitis; infectious coryza; avian chlamydiosis; acute poisoning; The Situation You are a public health officer in a rural part of the country. This is an area where there are many moderate and large poultry operations. You get a courtesy call from the local office of the State Agriculture Department saying that a particular layer operation of 30,000 chickens has recently experienced a large number of die-offs. Over a 6 day period of time, over 20% of the poultry have been found dead. This farm has an excellent record for vaccinating its flock for the recommended diseases. The office is concerned that this illness could be something unusual and potentially hazardous not only to other poultry farms, but to poultry workers and possibly the public as well. or misadventure causing high mortality (for example smothering, heat stress, or dehydration). HPAI should be considered as a rule-out disease whenever sudden bird deaths occur with severe depression, loss of appetite, nervous signs, watery diarrhea, severe respiratory signs and/or a drastic drop in egg production, with production of abnormal eggs. The likelihood of AI is increased by the presence of facial subcutaneous edema, swollen and cyanotic combs and wattles, and petechial hemorrhages on the internal membrane surfaces. Question 2 � Would you be worried about HPAI at this point? Suggested answer � Yes. Given the symptoms and the rapid onset of disease, there is definitely a potential for HPAI to be the etiologic agent involved. Question 3 � How would you begin your public health investigation, and how would your investigation overlap with that done by State Agriculture and the AVIC/FADD? Current Conditions Of the animals at this particular operation, approximately 95% of the visibly ill layers have died. The farmer is worried about continued die-offs and asks for help trying to figure out what to do. He is worried about the rest of his flock, as well as the potential income loss from any type of outbreak situation. Additional Background The symptoms include a large decline in egg production, swollen wattles and combs, and strange hemorrhages under the skin. The farmer also reports that some poultry were found dead with no apparent symptoms. The farmer has said that this illness has seemed to come on very swiftly with no previous illness in the flock within the last month. The symptoms were first reported by the farmer to his veterinarian; the veterinarian contacted the State Agriculture Department. The State Agriculture Department, in turn, contacted the Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC) and that office�s Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician (FADD). Suggested answer �This is probably premature but if you were aware from recent events or surveillance data of the presence of other avian influenza virus subtypes known to cause human illness you would probably start by talking to state and federal officials to coordinate interviewing the farmer. You are all likely to have many of the same questions. The interview could be done jointly, or State Ag/AVIC/FADD could conduct the interview and pass the information on to Public Health. If further information is need for public health purposes, you could then arrange an additional short interview with the farmer. Some key questions to ask would include: Are any of his workers or family members sick with flu-like symptoms? Since 72 hours prior to the onset of clinical disease in the poultry, who has had contact with the poultry, poultry carcasses or other poultry products that may be infected? How extensive is that contact for each person? What is the contact information (address and phone number) for every person who has had contact with the poultry (for continued follow-up if necessary)? What types of routine procedures or PPE were used by workers when working with the poultry? Who has been to the farm to provide ancillary services during this time (such as the veterinarian)? What other farms have they visited since that time and have any of those farms had any clinical signs? It is important for agricultural and public health responders to also be aware of the kinds of questions each may be asking on the farm. Questions of concern to agricultural investigation: Where does he get his birds? When was his last shipment of new layers? Do his birds have access to the outside of the facility (including any potential shared water sources, holes in building structure). Do his poultry have any access to wild birds? How are dead poultry handled? Have any other birds or animals on the farm been sick or died unexpectedly in the 72 hours prior to onset of clinical disease in the poultry? Does he operate any other poultry facilities? Where does he get his feed? Does he share equipment with any other farmers? How and where are poultry and eggs sold, and when did the last transaction occur? Does he practice all-in, all-out management? You should also inquire as to any active HPAI surveillance in poultry or wild birds in the area and any positive findings. Both Public Health and Agriculture/AVIC/FADD will need to ask these types questions to assess types of exposures and the biosecurity practices in place on the farm. The first set of questions is more specific to Public Health. Public Health would also have the responsibility of educating the farmer about symptoms of the disease and appropriate personal protective equipment. Question 4 � If you were to visit the farm to participate in the investigation, what biosecurity measures should you take to ensure that the virus is not spread off the farm (by you)? Suggested answer � Some measures include spraying car tires with bleach, washing and changing boots, and washing hands. Often health professionals are unaware that these measures need to be taken. Avian viruses are typically much hardier than human influenza viruses. They can remain viable in the environment for several days to weeks and can be spread from place to place on contaminated objects like tires and egg crates. Discussion Question � In your jurisdiction, is there a protocol or understanding in place between the Departments of Public Health and Agriculture as well as federal veterinarians for investigations concerning avian influenza on a poultry farm? Suggested answer � It is critical that public health workers not inadvertently break the biosecurity of a farm under quarantine for infectious poultry disease. Therefore it is very important to coordinate any plans to visit premises. Because all of these entities will want much of the same information, coordination between agencies is also essential to prevent individuals associated with the farm from answering the same questions twice. Information collection could be done by a team with representatives from both agencies, or one agency could gather the information and share it with the other. Have the group identify appropriate mechanisms for sharing information, communicating results, discussing PPE, and assuring the health and safety of workers and response personnel. Encourage participants who can identify key players in the poultry industry, public, veterinary professional community, and USG regulatory community to share their protocol. Keep in mind that some investigations of human risk associated with poultry outbreaks would be research and require the necessary human subjects and IRB approvals. Question 5 � What does this information tell you? Suggested answer � This information is helpful because it does suggest that H5N1 HPAI has been detected at least in a nearby part of the country. Since H5N1 HPAI can be carried by wild birds, you cannot rule wild birds out as a potential source of this outbreak, even if there are currently no other reports of HPAI H5N1 in the ______. Question 6 � At this point, would you involve other national organizations in your investigation? Suggested answer � Yes. It is clear that this is an agent that exhibits very high morbidity and mortality among poultry. There is a very short list of diseases that do this in vaccinated poultry flocks, most of which are reportable. Since there has been some H5N1 HPAI activity at least in a nearby part of the country, it would be best to involve national organizations in your search for the cause, due to potential economic consequences, the need for coordinated risk communication efforts, and also due to expanded networking and laboratory facilities. Although only confirmed H5 is reportable, the state veterinarian�s has contacted USDA already with the details on this situation. Contacting CDC and FDA would be advisable. Note that when any foreign animal disease is probable (highly suspect symptoms, suggestive or presumptive screening test, etc), the state veterinarian is already in consultation with USDA. This occurs before final confirmation and formal announcement of a "Positive FAD" case. Additional information You, a representative from the Department of Agriculture, and the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician talk to the farmer. He tells you that he recently (in the last 2 weeks) obtained some new stock from a company that he has been using for over 10 years. His operation is not all-in all-out. The building where the poultry live is well constructed with no access possible to the outside environment. The flock is fed and watered with no possible contamination from wild birds outside the premises. No one in his family or crew appears to be ill at this time. You also inquire into the human, poultry, and wild bird HPAI surveillance and there has been no reported activity in your immediate area. There have, however, been reports of a confirmed case of HPAI H5N1 in a duck in another nearby part of the country. Question 7 � You are to be involved in carrying out testing and quarantine, if necessary. What are your suggestions to the farmer and his family as to their risk of infection? What other individuals should you be concerned about testing and/or counseling? Suggested answer � Since the cause of the disease is not yet known and there is the possibility of HPAI, you could suggest to the farmer that he and his family institute standard PPE measures when working with the poultry, including face masks/respirators, latex gloves, and basic infection control (washing hands, etc) especially after coming into contact with any live or dead chickens, or any potentially contaminated materials. You could also suggest that workers and family members should monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of AI for 10 days following their last exposure to any potentially infected poultry. If they become sick with a fever, respiratory symptoms, or other clinical signs and symptoms of AI during this time, or if they have a fever without respiratory symptoms, they should notify you or another public health official immediately. You should interview all workers and family members to determine their exposure to the infected poultry and to institute antiviral prophylaxis among exposed persons. It is important to note that public health workers are also responsible for safeguarding the health of those who respond to the outbreak. This includes farm employees and State Ag employees, as well as veterinarians, public health officials, and anyone else who has entered the premises to work on the investigation. It is important to build a collaborative relationship with these individuals � State Ag would be lead in the investigation, and you can assist them by ensuring that their workers are appropriately followed up. USDA/APHIS Directive 6800.1, dated 5/10/06, states � �The following summarizes recommendations for protecting at-risk workers developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Employees involved in HPAI control and eradication activities must take these precautions. Workers also are highly encouraged to receive an influenza antiviral drug daily (that is approved for use as prophylaxis), for the duration of time during which direct contact with poultry, their secretions, or contact with contaminated surfaces occurs and continuing 5-7 days after the last day of Testing The State Department of Agriculture is assisted by the USDA to institute quarantine and movement control procedures on the farm in question. They immediately begin testing of the flock for foreign animal diseases of concern. potential virus exposure.�Also note thatin general, industry has incorporated the CDC/OSHA guidance for protecting their workers against AIV infection/disease during a suspected or confirmed outbreak, including the use of antivirals. Question 8 � As a public health responder, what other activities should you undertake immediately, before conclusive test results come back from the laboratory? Suggested answer � Many responses need to occur at the same time. The on-site response has primarily been discussed here. Additional response activities would involve getting prepared to take immediate action should H5N1 HPAI be confirmed. This includes getting lists of people on the farm and their contacts and crafting communication messages aimed at the community, industry, and other groups that may be affected. Question 9 � If the disease in question had turned out to be H5N1 HPAI, how do you think that the investigation would have continued? Suggested answer � Quarantine/isolation of the affected farm would have remained in place, and the entire flock would have been depopulated and disposed of using approved techniques. Testing for HPAI would have continued through virus isolation or PCR. The quarantine and testing area would have expanded to include the surrounding area. Movement restrictions for poultry and poultry products would have been placed in a zone around this area with increased surveillance for H5N1 HPAI. Wild birds in the area may have been tested as well. Continued monitoring and prophylaxis of farm workers and family would have been instituted. Any contacts that developed respiratory symptoms would have been immediately treated as suspected cases, isolated and treated appropriately. They would be given supportive care and anti-virals such as Oseltamivir as well as having contacts followed. Specific procedures for contacts may depend on the state � some states may ask asymptomatic contacts to limit Conclusion The next day, the results come back. The illness in question is determined to be Exotic Newcastle Disease. Several other farms in the area have become infected also at this point. The affected flocks are being depopulated. The USDA determines that the index case occurred in an animal shipped to the farmer from his supply company. Since this disease is not a threat to humans, you are relieved for the farmer and his family (and, if necessary, recommend discontinuation of oseltamivir). However, you wonder about the one positive case of H5N1 HPAI that had been found in another part of the ______. II. WHAT IS BIOSECURITY? Biosecurity as it pertains to poultry farm farms is the protection of poultry flocks from any type of infectious agent, whether viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic in nature. Due to the number of birds confined in one place, and the speed at which many infectious agents travel through flocks, outbreaks may have catastrophic results for poultry growers and processors. Biosecurity has three major components: 1) Isolation, 2) Traffic Control, and 3) Sanitation. Isolation refers to the confinement of animals within a controlled environment. Buildings or fences keep birds in, as well as keep other animals (including humans) out. Traffic Control includes inter-farm as well as intra-farm vehicle patterns. Sanitation is the disinfection of materials, people, and equipment entering the farm as well as on the farm. III. GUIDELINES A. ADVANCE NOTICE Whenever possible, annual inspections should be scheduled in advance, preferably 48 hours prior. This will allow the poultry grower to be present to answer inspection questions, and will ensure that the grower has some control over traffic onto the farm and proper sanitation. Complaint driven inspections and other unscheduled inspections or visits should involve a telephone call to the poultry grower, whenever possible. B. DISINFECTION Disinfection is very important in controlling disease-causing organisms. A brief description of disinfectant types and some brand names is found in Attachment A. DEQ staff should use a broad spectrum disinfectant (e.g. Virkon) or phenolic disinfectants whenever possible, due to their ability to retain more activity in the presence of organic material than iodine- or chlorine- containing disinfectants. DEQ staff will be expected to do the following: 1) All vehicle tires must be disinfected before entering farms or DEQ staff must meet the poultry grower at the entrance and ride in the grower�s vehicle while conducting the inspection. If the grower�s vehicle is routinely used to transport farm staff working with poultry or poultry waste, the use of disposable coveralls by DEQ staff riding in these vehicles may be warranted. 2) Rubber boots that have been disinfected or plastic disposable boots shall be used on the farm while conducting inspections. 3) Farms may have coveralls, plastic disposable boots, etc. that are provided for visitor use. DEQ staff should respect a grower�s request to wear provided clothing. 4) Disposable boots and provided clothing should be placed in any provided receptacles when leaving the farm. 2 Page 3 C. SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE DEQ has been informed by the poultry industry that certain types of poultry operations are more susceptible to disease transfer than others. The following is a general ranking of types of poultry operations, from most at risk to least at risk: - Turkey breeder - Chicken breeder - Turkey growout - Chicken growout When devising an inspection strategy, regional offices should attempt to visit the most susceptible operations earlier in the week. Another option is to assign one inspector to handle these susceptible types of operations, depending on manpower. D. DISEASE POSITIVE OPERATIONS Disease positive operations may be identified with a sign posted at the entrance, but this does not always occur. Often only the grower and/or integrator know of disease problems. DEQ inspectors should contact growers or integrators affiliated with growers prior to regularly scheduled inspections. Only essential visits should occur on these operations. Depending upon the nature of the disease, it may be appropriate to delay on-site inspections until the farm is free of disease, and instead requesting an off-site meeting with the operator and/or having copies of required records mailed to the regional DEQ office for review. If it is necessary to visit a disease- positive farm, the visit should be scheduled last and preferably at the end of the work week. The same inspector should never visit a disease-free farm after visiting a disease-positive farm on the same day. E. VEHICLE CLEANLINESS DEQ vehicles entering poultry farms should be kept clean at all times. If it is necessary to visit a disease positive farm, the vehicle should be cleaned and disinfected as soon as possible after leaving the production area of the farm. F. COMMUNICATION DEQ staff should remain in contact with the VPF or Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI), and commercial poultry integrators to advise them of any questionable disease situations encountered on farms. DEQ will receive updates on disease positive farms from the VPF, DPI and/or commercial poultry processors. G. POULTRY HOUSES It is not necessary for DEQ staff to enter poultry houses to conduct inspections under the poultry waste management regulation. This protects flocks of birds from potential disease transfer, and reduces the possibility that staff might cause a catastrophic disease outbreak. H. ADDITIONAL BIOSECURITY MEASURES Upon recommendation by the Virginia State Veterinarian, DEQ will modify the biosecurity measures outlined in this strategy as necessary to respond to specific animal disease threats. Modifications will conform to recommendations outlined by the State Veterinarian. IV. SUMMARY DEQ staff will strive to follow these guidelines when scheduling and performing visits. Lines of communication among poultry growers, poultry processors, VPF, DPI, State Veterinarian�s office, and DEQ must be kept open to protect against catastrophic disease outbreak. DEQ staff will follow these guidelines or biosecurity procedures in place on the farm visited, whichever is more protective. 3 Page 4 4 ATTACHMENT A: DISINFECTANTS Virkon If disinfection of non-disposable boots or vehicle tires is performed, DEQ staff will typically use at least a 1% solution of Virkon when visiting poultry farms. While Virkon and Virkon-S have the same chemical composition, the S version is intended for veterinary and animal livestock use. However, Virkon (without the S) is manufactured under more strenuous production controls with additional quality assurance testing intended to make it marketable for broader human applications. Virkon is also available in a tablet form that minimizes the health risks due to exposure to the dust produced when mixing Virkon-S. Use of the tablet form has been recently adopted by many regional DEQ offices. Other Disinfectants The following list of additional disinfectants is adapted from various Cooperative Extension documents and a list of USDA approved disinfectants for use on avian influenza. Disinfectants can be placed into the following classes based on chemical composition: Phenols, Hypochlorites (chlorine), Iodophors (iodine), Quaternary ammonium, Formaldehyde gas, Formaldehyde powder, Alkali (lye), Chlorhexidine (Nolvasan) The most commonly used disinfectants are the phenols, iodophors, hypochlorites, and quaternary ammonium. Disinfectants are more effective at warmer temperatures. Phenols. Phenols are coal-tar derivatives. They have a characteristic pine-tar odor and turn milky in water. Phenols are effective antibacterial agents, and they are also effective against fungi and many viruses. They also retain more activity in the presence of organic material than iodine- or chlorine- containing disinfectants. In commercial poultry operations, phenols are used for egg dipping, hatchery and equipment sanitation, and footbaths. Examples of the phenol class include: 1 Stroke Environ, Advantage 256, Bacto-Phene, Gil-Phene-Plus, LpH, Lysol, Pine-Sol, Tek-Trol. Iodophors. Iodine compounds are available as iodophors, which are combinations of elemental iodine and a substance that makes the iodine soluble in water. They are good disinfectants, but they do not work well in the presence of organic material -- that is, on dirty surfaces. Iodophors are effective against bacteria, fungi, and many viruses. In hatcheries, iodine is used on equipment and walls and for water disinfection. Iodine is the least toxic of the disinfectants discussed here, but it can stain clothing and some surfaces. Examples of the iodophor class include: Betadine, Iodet, Iofec, Isodyne, Lifex-1, Losan, Tamed Iodine, and Weladol. Hypochlorites. Chlorine compounds are good disinfectants on clean surfaces, but they do not work well on dirty surfaces. Chlorine is effective against bacteria and many viruses. These compounds are also much more active in warm water than in cold water. Chlorine solutions are somewhat irritating to skin and are corrosive to metal. They are relatively inexpensive. Examples of the hypochlorite class include: Clorox, Chloramine-T, and Halazone. Quaternary Ammonium. Quaternary ammonium compounds are generally odorless, colorless, non- irritating, and deodorizing. They also have some detergent action, and they are good disinfectants. However, they are inactivated in the presence of some soaps or soap residues. Their antibacterial activity is reduced in the presence of organic material. Quaternary ammonium compounds are effective against bacteria and somewhat effective against fungi and viruses. These compounds are use widely in commercial hatcheries. Examples of the quaternary ammonium class include: Roccal, Germex, Hi- Lethol, Quat, San-O-Fec, Warden and Zephiran. Site Reports for Poultry Farms: 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Why do I need to prepare a site report? The Pollution Prevention and Control (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003 and the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 require that the condition of the site (normally the farm) must not deteriorate over time as a result of the permitted operation i.e. pig or poultry farming. In other words it must not be in a more polluted state than it was when the permit was issued. To determine whether the site has become more polluted requires an examination of the site prior to the permit being issued and a second examination when the permit is surrendered for any reason. The findings of these examinations must be recorded in a site report, the first of which forms part of the application. A comparison can then be made of the two site reports to determine if the site has become polluted as a result of the permitted operation. It is therefore in the interests of the operator to ensure that the condition of the site is accurately described at the time of the application, otherwise they may not be able to prove that any contamination existed before a permit was issued and was not a result of the pemlitted operation. The Regulations don't consider whether the site is acceptable, they only require that a reference is established against which any deterioration as a result of the permitted activity can be assessed. 1.2 What constitutes the site? The site includes all of the land where the activities of the installation are carried out. On a poultry farm for example this would usually include the buildings, hard standing areas around the buildings, access areas where vehicles manoeuvre, any swales, incineration, feed or manure storage areas. It would not include fields on which manure litter or slurry are spread as the nutrient status of fields used for land spreading must be recorded in a manure management plan. The site plan required as part of the main application (also required for the emergency plan) should clearly show the outline of the site and details of the activities being undertaken on the site. 1.3 Aim of this guidance The purpose of this guidance is to provide straightforward advice on how to prepare a site report similar to that shown in the 'Example Application'1. This approach is aimed specifically at intensive livestock units, the majority of which will have been constructed on green-field sites where the risk of previous contamination would normally be lower than brown field sites or those formerly used for industrial purposes. These limitations should be borne in mind if your site has previously been used as an industrial site. In such cases a more detailed site investigation may be required. The guidance will outline the data that is necessary to put together a basic report describing the site when the permit is applied for. 1Pollution Prevention and Control (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003 and Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000. Application for a Permit -Example of Supporting Documentation. Prepared for SNIFFER Poultry Case Study UKPIR02A Assessing Environmental Impacts for Poultry Farms 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Why do I need to assess the environmental impacts The Pollution Prevention and Control (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003 and the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 require you to provide an assessment of the environmental impacts of the emissions from your farm. Questions in Section B4 of the application form ask for 'an assessment of the potential significant environmental effects of the foreseeable emissions from your installation'. A proper assessment of the impacts is necessary to allow appropriate permit conditions to be set and will help to ensure that your installation is operated in a sustainable manner. 1.2 Aim and scope of this guidance Assessing environmental impacts can be a specialised task requiring the input of a number of scientific disciplines. The aim of this guidance is to provide farmers with the information to allow them to make a basic assessment of the environmental impacts without recourse to specialist help. This guidance follows the format set out in the guidance "Application for a Permit - Example of Supporting Documentation"1 and aims to provide additional advice on the methods used, based on information you provide about your farm. 1.3 What will more detailed investigation involve? In cases where more detailed investigation is required, emission data and weather data suitable for your location will be measured or estimated, and used in a mathematical atmospheric dispersion model. The model will calculate the spread of the emission, usually ammonia, odours, or small dust particles around the source. Most models will draw a contour plot around the source. The plot shows the ground level concentrations of the pollutants emitted and these concentrations can be compared with benchmark levels or standards. Atmospheric dispersion modelling services are available commercially. 1.4 Basic stages of environmental assessment The basic stages of assessing the environmental impacts of your installation can be summarised: * identify the activities of the installation that are likely to affect the environment (the nature and quantity of emissions to air, water and land were established in Part B3.1 of the IPPC application form); * identify the potential effects of emissions on resources and receptors. Resources affected are likely to include air, water and soil, receptors may be crops, woodland plants or people affected by the emissions; * determine the pathways linking the emission with resources or receptors. Links between the source of pollution, such as animal housing, and the receptor may be direct or indirect. For example, ammonia from fan outlets may have a direct toxic effect on trees nearby. This would be a short term direct effect. Ammonia in the atmosphere falling on sensitive sites downwind of the farm may result in changes over time due to increased nutrients. This would be a long-term indirect effect; * predict the likely nature and magnitude of any effects. For example, the impact of any fertilising effects of ammonia on arable land may be negligible, but the same fertilising effect on a semi-natural woodland could be considerable. Spreading litter immediately up-wind of a housing estate could result in a severe but short term impact. This is the html version of the file http://osuextra.okstate.edu/pdfs/F-8213web.pdf. G o o g l e automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web. To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:bYblXRz5NJAJ:osuextra.okstate.edu/pdfs/F-8213web.pdf+poultry+farms+building&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=us Google is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content. These search terms have been highlighted: poultry farms building Page 1 Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources � Oklahoma State University F-8213 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets are also available on our website at: http://www.osuextra.com Joe Berry Extension Poultry Specialist As the importance of poultry production increases in Oklahoma and as larger buildings are being used to house birds, a number of factors must be considered before building a new building or modifying an existing one. If environmental and production concerns are to be addressed, proper site planning is a must. Availability of utilities is high on the list of factors to consider during site selection. Is electricity available or can it be made available at a reasonable cost? Is water available either from wells or a rural or municipal water system, or both? Some companies require two water sources to insure a constant water supply. For well water, is the underground supply adequate for all times of the year and is the water quality desirable for a poultry house? In some areas of the country high mineral content of groundwater makes it unde- sirable for animal use. Is natural gas available in the area? The availability of natural gas is not a must, but it can certainly be less expensive than other sources of fuel. Another important factor in site selection is roads. Are existing roads available to provide access to the site? If not, can existing roads be upgraded or new roads built at a reasonable cost? All-weather roads are a must to allow feed trucks, chick delivery trucks, and live haul trucks access to all buildings during any time of the year. On-farm roads should be properly crowned and ditched to insure usability in all types of weather. Although access is important, visitors should not be allowed on to the poultry farm without proper precautions. If precautions are not taken diseases can easily spread from one farm to another. Topography is also an important factor to consider. It is very important for the building site to avoid low-lying areas with flooding potential. The site must have adequate drainage to easily control storm water. This is particularly important if several buildings are being considered because of the large amount of roof area from which runoff must be controlled. Storm water can not be allowed to stand near buildings because there is danger of flooding the broiler houses during an extremely large rain. The area around buildings may need to be graded after construction is complete and again on an as needed basis to prevent water from standing or running toward the houses. Storm water should also not be allowed to flow rapidly away from buildings in unplanned ditches because of the potential danger of erosion and damage to building foundations and footings. Perhaps the best way to control roof water is to use gutters or grass covered ditches to carry water where it should go during run-off periods. It is also very important that storm water not become contaminated with litter that may have been spilled during the clean out of a poultry house. Careful removal of any spilled litter around the poultry houses should help avoid this problem. In addition to drainage considerations, topographic concerns should in- clude elevation differences which could hinder the natural ventilation. It is not usually desirable to build a poultry house on the hillside opposite prevailing winds. In Oklahoma the prevailing wind direction is from the south, so building a chicken house on the north side of a large hill would not be recommended. The prevailing wind direction is also important from another standpoint. In order to maximize benefit from natural ventilation the poultry houses should be oriented with the long side exposed to the wind. In Oklahoma that means the house should be oriented east-west. This directional orientation has another benefit, it minimizes the amount of sunlight which enters the house in the summer months. In contrast, during the winter months when the sun is lower on the horizon, sunlight through the windows can help warm the house. Information about specific prevailing wind directions can be obtained from the National Weather Service. In some loca- tions topography dictates the direction of the house, but if choices exist the east-west orientation is suggested. Existing buildings are an important consideration in site selection. Does location of the existing buildings allow space for future expansion of the new or modified building being considered? Planning for the future is always wise when building plans are on the drawing board. Another question to be considered is how will the natural ventilation be influenced by existing structures? Allowing a good distance on the downwind side of existing structures is always a good idea. The residence, if one exists on the site, is also a very important consideration. It is always suggested that poultry houses be constructed on the downwind side of the residence and at a distance such that odors, feathers, and noise from trucks are not a problem. There are times when constructing a poultry house upwind from existing houses and buildings is the best choice. When upwind site selection is necessary the appropriate distance may vary with different locations but a suggested distance is at least 1/4 mile upwind from existing residences on the farm and 1/2 mile from public buildings (i.e., schools, churches), residences off the farm, and commercial fruit or vegetable farms. The downwind distance from other buildings may need to be determined by the wind shed. Wind shed is a term applied to the pattern of the wind on the Factors Involved in Site Selection for New and Modified Poultry Facilities Page 2 8213-2 Wind Shed Area Existing Buildings Residence Wind Shed Area Proposed Poultry House Prevailing Wind Direction Figure 1. downwind side of an existing building. The distance between buildings should be such that air flow is very close to returning to normal after passing the existing building. (Fig. 1) The National Weather Service can provide information on wind shed. The location of neighbors� homes must be taken into consideration as well. Neighbors that are best friends can become worst enemies if their needs and wishes are not taken into consideration when building or modifying a poultry house. If the first choice for a building site is unsatisfactory as far as the neighbors are concerned it is strongly recommended an alternate site be chosen. The neighbors� house and its location in relationship to the crop land area where litter will be spread at clean out time should also not be overlooked as an important consideration. Even though house cleaning may only occur on an annual basis it may significantly impact neighbor relationships. When considering building sites close to property lines, growers should remember that there is no guarantee the adjoining property will always be used for agricultural purposes. In some cases it may be desirable to shield a poultry house from public view. Sometimes just seeing a poultry house encourages placing blame in the event of problems with odors, flies, etc. If sites meet all other criteria, then a site behind trees or just over the rim of a hill may be the most desirable. The old saying �out of sight - out of mind� should apply here. Existing zoning laws must be followed when considering any type of building program. Building permits, which include waste disposal plans, must be obtained in advance of con- struction. Even if zoning laws do not require approval of a waste disposal plan it is advisable to develop a plan for use when construction is complete. Land application is the best use for poultry house litter. The suggested application rate is based on the annual fertilizer need of the crop being grown. Therefore if sufficient land is not available for proper disposal of litter an alternate site should be selected. Proper disposal of dead birds should also be a consideration when considering a building site. Former practices such as disposal-pit burials are not recommended and in some areas not permitted. A composter may be a good alternative, but they too must be included in site considerations for many of the same reasons already discussed. When new buildings or changes in existing buildings are being considered a comparison of sites based on the factors discussed should be made. The site which best satisfies all factors being considered would likely be the best choice. Hurricane season runs from June through November, and typically hurricanes are on the top of everyone�s list when they think of preparing for disasters. However emergency preparedness is not seasonal and must be considered all year round. Other emergencies like tornados, flash flooding, snow or ice storms can cause just as much damage and appear with little warning, How do you prepare your poultry farm for a disaster? First, check with your integrator to see if they have an emergency action plan written out for their growers. The following recommendations are from poultry colleagues who have experienced natural disasters. Tornados, snow or ice storms may hit unexpectedly. Continuous general house maintenance, like fixing torn curtains, loose tin or fixtures, will help to reduce structural damage to the house. Having generators is a must since power outages can occur during a storm or just due to a traffic accident knocking a power pole down. A minimum 25-kilowatt generator is recommended. Portable generators cannot handle a huge load, so do not start all of the house equipment at once. Start your water pump first, and then turn on feed lines, fans, etc. as needed; you may have to alternate between them. Fill the fuel tanks. Test the generator before you need it � run it once a week under load. Test the automatic switching gear. Place the generator where it will be protected from the weather and won�t get flooded. Is it possible to connect the generator to a well to pump water? Have all fuel tanks full with extra available for generators, tractors, chainsaws, etc. Have extra batteries for flashlights and charge the mobile phone. Flying debris from hurricane winds can cause major damage to the house and curtains. Make sure equipment inside and outside the house is stored away or secured (i.e. wheelbarrows, loose pump houses, pallets, lumber, etc.). Open the curtains on empty houses to reduce pressure building up inside. Houses containing birds should have the curtains, fans and inlets on the windward side of the house closed, and the leeward side opened only 6-12 inches; lock them into place. Do this when the winds are getting high. Beware of birds overheating. Fill feed tanks, bins, feed lines and water tanks (including extra medication tanks) full ahead of the storm, and then turn the power off until the storm passes. Seal feed bin lids to prevent admitting water. Raise feed lines 4-5 feet if flooding is a possibility. Many feed line motors and fans were ruined from flooding in Hurricane Floyd. Some feed lines had to be entirely dismantled in order to remove all the feed which had become cement after getting wet. Be prepared to ration the feed you have. Road closures may delay feed truck deliveries. Have wheelbarrows and buckets available to deliver feed and water by hand. Reinforce the end doors with stakes to keep floodwaters from pushing them open and subsequently letting the drowned birds float out of the house. Dim the lights to help prevent piling and cannibalism. Have extra shavings for wet litter control. Whether to keep the gas brooder stoves turned on or off during a storm can be controversial. Turning the gas brooders off to prevent a house fire may risk chilling and piling of the chicks or poults. After the storm, check the house and birds for damage. Ventilation, water supply, feed supply and structural repairs should be assessed in that order. The flock supervisors should drive the roads before sending out feed, egg, chick and poult trucks. An evacuation for several days can be disastrous for the flock. Set equipment to run on autopilot. In warmer weather, anticipate the hottest conditions and set the ventilation to accommodate for that. The opposite applies for winter weather. Develop a plan that outlines options to handle massive die-offs. Options include rendering, landfill, incineration, composting or burial. Burial sites must be pre-approved by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) prior to burial of birds. Other methods of disposal may not require an inspector to come to the site, but you must notify DHEC immediately of the situation and your plans for disposal. Call DHEC at (888) 481-0125 or (803) 253-6488. Many farms affected by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, had to bury carcasses above ground temporarily until the water table went down. Remove dead birds out of the house as soon as possible before they decompose. On farms where the floodwaters receded quickly, carcasses were easier to move right away than waiting a few more days and dealing with a soupy mess. Have garbage bags, covered containers or covered trucks available to temporarily hold dead birds. What type of poultry do you want to raise? You say you want to be a poultry producer. The term "poultry" encompasses any domesticated fowl raised for its meat and or eggs. In general, we consider chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys to be poultry. Most commercial poultry operations raise only one species of poultry and raise it for a single purpose. That is, chickens to produce eggs for human consumption, chickens to produce fertile eggs for breeding purposes (chicken breeders), chicken for meat production, turkey breeders, meat turkeys, meat ducks, breeder ducks, and ducks for egg production. What about the meat bird business? Both the meat chicken and turkey meat industries are highly integrated. These companies own their own breeding stock, hatcheries, grow-out facilities (where the birds are placed after they hatch), and processing plants (where the birds are killed and prepared for sale). These companies have their own ranches to raise the birds they need. In some cases they may use "contract growers." A contract grower supplies the land, buildings, power, and labor for the grow-out facility. The integrator supplies the chicks, feed, and medications. The two have a contract guaranteeing the grower a certain amount per every bird raised to processing age. Integrators normally are only interested in contract growers located "conveniently close" to their centers of operation. These main geographic centers for meat bird production in California are Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, and Sonoma counties. Due to the pull-out of a major integrator and the reduction in production levels by other integrators, there has been a surplus of contract growers in the early 1990s. Is there really a golden egg in the egg industry? You say you have a "pretty little spot" with room for birds? Many people wish to combine their retirement with a supplemental agricultural enterprise. It is not surprising that retirees pick an attractive foothill or mountain spot for their retirement home. No matter how scenic this location, it may not be the best place for a poultry operation. Items to consider: where will you get your feed (and not just a bag at a time, but bulk delivery)? If you are raising meat birds, where will you have them processed? Is there a processing plant that does custom processing near your property? Of course, you can process your own birds and if you and your family members do ALL the work, you will be exempt from inspection. As soon as you hire a single person to assist with the processing, you are subject to inspection and must have a government-approved plant (an expensive addition to your operation). What is the zoning? Check with the government agency that has jurisdiction over your property to make sure that an agricultural operation is allowed. If so, you still are not guaranteed an easy time. A hearing may be required before you are allowed to start your business. While your neighbors may "enjoy" the kind of agricultural operations that involve trees, plants, and vines, they may have different views about animal agriculture. Where is your market/Who are your customers? There is no economic sense in producing a product unless someone is willing to pay the price that will allow you to realize a reasonable profit. What is the volume of product your customers want and how often will they want it? Do you have the size of operation that can produce a reasonable volume of product. Many buyers will not want to deal with producers who can only supply a small volume. If you plan to raise meat chickens for example, can you supply customers who will want weekly deliveries? It is recommended that different age groups be raised with as much separation as possible, i.e., different houses or barns. It will take 6-8 weeks for you to get your meat chicks to market age. If you plan to make weekly deliveries, do you have enough grow-out houses? Are you planning to sell at farmers' markets? Is there a market close to you? Do they allow the sale of live birds? If you plan to sell processed poultry and eggs, is there a way for you to keep your product refrigerated while at the market? How much "free" time do you need? If you plan to maximize profits by having all the labor come from your own family, you must remember that birds need to be checked, fed, and watered daily. Eggs also need to be gathered frequently, processed, and refrigerated. Animal production can lead to a very restrictive lifestyle. Do you have a financial net? The cautious entrant into poultry production has arranged for some type of financial insurance. Often, one spouse will keep her/his outside job, while the other takes care of the birds. It is not wise to rely on a new poultry operation to be the sole support of any family. Unless, that is, the family has unlimited financial resources. Definitions What is a hazard? What is risk? What is risk management? What is risk assessment? What do "ALARP" and “SFAIRP†mean? What does "reasonably practicable" mean? Risk assessment Why is risk assessment important? How do I do a risk assessment? Is HSE's 5 steps to risk assessment the only acceptable method? Who do I involve in a risk assessment? What things do I have to include in it? When do I need to do a risk assessment? When should I review my risk assessments? What do you mean by "good practice" and how do I find it? Sensible risk management Do I need to get consultants in to do my risk assessment? Do I have to record the findings of the risk assessment? If so, why? Isn’t that just bureaucracy? Is there a specific form/format that I have to use to record a risk assessment? Isn’t risk assessment nonsense? Everybody is grown-up in my firm and can look after themselves. Doesn’t risk assessment just lead to more and more safety measures - most of which aren’t necessary? Is HSE too risk averse? Precautionary principle What is the precautionary principle? Definitions What is a hazard? A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm e.g. working at height on scaffolding. What is risk? A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will cause a specified harm to someone or something e.g. if there are no guard rails on the scaffolding it is likely that a construction worker will fall and break a bone. What is risk management? Risk Management is a process that involves assessing the risks that arise in your workplace, putting sensible health and safety measures in place to control them and then making sure they work in practice. What is risk assessment? A risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm. What do "ALARP" and “SFAIRP†mean? You may come across these abrieviations. ALARP stands for “as low as reasonably practicable†and SFAIRP stands for “so far as is reasonably practicableâ€. In essence, these are the same; however, SFAIRP is the term most often used in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act and in Regulations, and; ALARP is the term used by risk practitioners. What does “reasonably practicable†mean? This means that you have to take action to control the health and safety risks in your workplace except where the cost (in terms of time and effort as well as money) of doing so is “grossly disproportionate†to the reduction in the risk. You can work this out for yourself, or you can simply apply accepted good practice. Risk assessment Why is risk assessment important? Managing health and safety risks puts you in control since it leaves your business less open to chance. A risk assessment helps to prevent accidents and ill health to you, your workers and members of the public. Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and harm your business too if output is lost, equipment is damaged, insurance costs increase or you have to go to court. You are legally required to assess the risks in your workplace so that you can put in place a plan to control the risks. How do I do a risk assessment? Read our publication "Five Steps to Risk Assessment" This tells you how to do a risk assessment for occupational health and safety. This is not the only way to do a risk assessment, there are other methods that work well, particularly for more complex risks and circumstances. However we believe this method is the most straightforward for most organisations. Is HSE’s 5 steps to risk assessment the only acceptable method? No. We believe “5 steps to risk assessment†provides a straightforward method, but it’s certainly not the only acceptable way. A number of alternatives exist. Most follow the same format as that in "Five Steps to Risk Assessment": Identify the hazards Decide who might be harmed and how Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions Record your findings and implement them Review your risk assessment. Where other methods tend to differ is at the “evaluate the risks†stage. Here, we suggest comparing your control measures with good practice to assess whether more needs to be done. But, another common and very effective method involves working out a risk level by categorising the likelihood of the harm and the potential severity of harm and then plotting these two risk determining factors against each other in a risk matrix (see below). The risk level determines which risks should be tackled first. As with any other method of risk assessment you should not overcomplicate the process e.g. by having too many categories. a matrix for helping to prioritise actions Using a matrix can be very helpful for prioritising actions. It is suitable for very many assessments but particularly lends itself to more complex situations. However, it does require a fair degree of expertise and experience to judge the likelihood of harm accurately. Getting this wrong could result in applying unnecessary controls or failing to take important ones. People working full-time in health and safety often use a version of this method. It provides a good alternative to the “good practice†approach in "Five Steps To Risk Assessment". Who do I involve in a risk assessment? Make sure that you involve employees and safety representatives in carrying out the assessment - for ways on how to do this please visit HSE’s Worker Involvement web pages. Remember to speak to workers who may have particular requirements e.g. new and young workers, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities. What things do I have to include in a risk assessment record? In your risk assessment you need to be able to show that: A proper check of the hazards was made; You asked who might be affected; You dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved; The precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low; and You involved your staff or their representatives in the process. When do I need to do a risk assessment? You should carry out an assessment before you do the work that gives rise to the risk, and review it as necessary. When should I review my risk assessments? Few workplaces stay the same. Sooner or later, you will bring in new equipment, substances and procedures, and that could lead to new hazards. Therefore, you will need to review where you are every year or so, to make sure you are still improving, or at least not sliding back. During the year, if there is a significant change, don't wait: check your risk assessment and where necessary, amend it. If possible, it is best to think about the risk assessment when you're planning your change - that way you leave yourself more flexibility. See Step 5 of "Five Steps to Risk Assessment" What do you mean by "good practice" and how do I find it? Good practice refers to practices that have been acknowledged by HSE or local authorities as representing standards of compliance with the law. It doesn’t mean “custom and practice†necessarily – that can be poor practice. There are many sources of good practice and HSE works with industries to produce good practice guidance – HSE’s website, HSE Infoline and Workplace Health Connect can all help. Sensible risk management Do I need to get consultants in to do my risk assessment? In most cases, this is not necessary. Risk assessment is a straightforward process that most people can do, given a little time and effort. You will probably need help if you have particularly hazardous or complex processes, but for the majority of organisations, you or a competent member of staff should be able to complete a satisfactory assessment. HSE’s "Five Steps to Risk Assessment" leaflet can help. Just use your common sense: you don’t need an electrician to re-wire a plug, but most people would need one to re-wire their house. It’s the same with risk assessment. Do I have to record the findings of the risk assessment? If so, why? Isn’t that just bureaucracy? Health and safety law requires that you keep a record of the significant findings of your assessment if you employ five or more people. It makes sense to keep a record of the assessment so that when you come to review it, you can check back to see if anything has changed. It is also useful to keep a record so that you can share the findings with your staff. Finally, it proves that you have carried out the process if a health and safety inspector asks about it. Is there a specific form/format that I have to use to record a risk assessment? No. However, there is a blank template with the “Five Steps to Risk Assessment [PDF]†leaflet that you can use, if you wish. You can record the assessment in any convenient way. Isn’t risk assessment nonsense? Everybody is grown-up in my firm and can look after themselves. All workers are entitled to work in environments where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Under health and safety law, the primary responsibility for this is down to employers. Doing a risk assessment is the key to preventing accidents and ill-health in your workplace to you, your workers and members of the public. Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and harm your business too if output is lost, equipment is damaged, insurance costs increase or you have to go to court. However, workers also have a duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. Health and safety legislation, therefore, requires employers and workers to cooperate. Involving workers and their representatives in your risk assessment is one of the best ways of doing this. For more information please visit HSE’s Worker Involvement pages. Doesn’t risk assessment just lead to more and more safety measures - most of which aren’t necessary? No. When done properly, it should identify the measures that are needed to reduce the risk as low as “reasonably practicable†and not further. It is important to remember that risk assessment can show that a process is safe enough with the measures you already have in place, and no more need be done. Is HSE too risk averse? We don’t think so. Our approach is to seek a balance between the unachieveable aim of absolute safety and the kind of poor management of risks that damages lives and the economy. In a nutshell: risk management, not risk elimination. For more information about this please read our Principles of Sensible Risk Management We consult widely on our proposals and we listen carefully to those who have views different from our own. What is the precautionary principle? The precautionary principle should be applied only in very particular circumstances. It is highly unlikely to be relevant to your work. The precautionary principle says that where you have good reason to believe that something might cause harm but there isn’t enough scientific knowledge to carry out a full risk assessment, this should not be used as an excuse to do nothing to prevent harm. The precautionary principle is therefore applied to a few new hazards until enough is learned about the risks they present. It should not be applied to well-known hazards where the broad level of risk has been established. Chicken Hatchery
Q) How are eggs picked and sorted? Q) Explain Setting of Eggs. Q) Should I wash dirty hatching eggs before I incubate them? Q) How long can I store fertile hatching eggs before they must be incubated? Q) Explain Incubation And Hatching Of Chicken Eggs In The IncubatingCompartment. Q) How do I properly fumigate to sanitize my hatching eggs and incubator? Q) What are the best methods to follow for sanitizing eggs and incubators to reduce bacterial infections? Q) How long does it take to hatch various species of birds? Q) At what temperature must eggs be held during incubation? Q) When incubating eggs, what environment conditions must I carefully control? Q) Why do my chicks die in the egg after they pip or break the shell? Q) How soon after hatching should I remove chicks from the incubator? Q) I had a poor hatch of eggs, what did I do wrong? Q) How does a chick embryo develop? Q) Can I determine whether an egg has a living embryo in it earlier than the hatch date? Q) What are the parts of a hatching egg and how are they formed? Q) Sanitation: Cleaning And Disinfectants Q) What should be the dimensions of a poultry farm with the capacity of rearing 10,000 chicks per batch? Q) What will it look like? Q) Where are the best large-scale poultry farms in the world? Q) Can poultry scientists or agricultural scientists design folding poultry farms? For example, once crops are harvested, the land often remains unutilized for months; instead, they could bring in a folding poultry farm. Any unutilized land could open a poultry farm. Is this clear? However, this does not clarify why they are raising the issue of the scarcity of food. Q) What's pastured poultry? Q) Why pastured poultry? Q) How much money can I make with pastured poultry? Q) How much time a pastured poultry operation take? Q) Where can I get birds butchered? Q) What other factors should I consider before raising pastured poultry? Q) Who are the large-scale producers? Q) How do they raise their chickens? Q) What kind of labor is required? Q) Who provides the labor? Q) How do they market the birds? Q) How much money do they make? Q) How do they manage 400 hens per acre in European "free-range" flocks? Q) How do they manage 600 hens per acre in South Asia "free range " flocks? Q) What do You Feed Your Chickens? Q) Should I Mix My Own Feed? Q) What should I feed the chicks? Q) What kind of chicken should I buy? Q) Aren't laying cages bad? or Q) "How do laying cages compare to 'cage-free' operations"? Q) Is dust-bathing important to the hens? Q) What about debeaking? I hear that the chickens can't even eat after their beaks have been cut off! Q) What about forced molting? Q) Should I have a rooster? Q) What are pullets? Cockerels? Straight-run chicks? Cornish Cross chicks? Q) Should I buy straight-run chicks? Q) Should I raise Cornish Cross or dual-purpose chicks for meat? Q) What about commercial hybrid layers? Q) What about Leghorns? Q) What about Araucanas/Americaunas/Easter Egg chickens/green-egg chickens? Q) Which Hatcheries Should I Use? Q) How should I brood day-old chicks? Q) What kind of brooder should I use? Q) How do I set up my brooder area for day-old chicks? Q) How do I avoid coccidiosis? Q) How much brooder space should I use? How much floor space? Q) Do I have to feed free-range chickens, or can they find their own feed? Q) Won't Commercial Chicken Feed Poison My Chickens? Q) Isn't Chicken Feed Full of Medications? Q) Aren't Chicken Feeds Full of Hormones? Q) Do I need a rooster? Q) What is free range? Q) What's wrong with yarding? Q) It's getting cold. What should I do about my hens? Q) My chickens are pulling out each other's tail feathers out or are killing each other. How do I stop this? Q) I'm getting shell-less eggs. What do I do? Q) How do I prevent dirty eggs? Q) How do I wash dirty eggs? Q) My hens are eating eggs. What do I do? Q) There are a lot of myths and a few scams in the poultry world, and I thought I'd take a swing at some of them. Q) Don't they put all sorts of yucky horrible stuff in chicken feed? Q) What about hormones in poultry meat and eggs? Q) What is a chicken? Q) What are the different parts of a chicken called? |