POULTRY

A. CHICKENS

Chickens are descendents of the red jungle fowl that can be found wild from India throughout Southeast Asia to the Philippines. The chicken was one of the first domesticated animals mentioned in recorded history.

ROOSTER = male chicken
CAPON = neutered male chicken
HEN = female chicken
PULLET = young female chicken
CHICKS = young chickens
Hens start laying eggs at 5 months old. These small eggs are called pullet eggs. The eggs increase in size as the hen gets older. The peak laying period for a hen is 8 to 9 months. A hen may lay up to 1 egg a day during her peak laying period and average about 240 eggs a year for 2 to 3 years. As the hen gets older, the number of eggs begins to decline. Hens will lay for 4 to 5 days straight and then take 2 to 3 days off.

The color of the shell does not determine the quality of the egg. If the chicken has a red ear lobe, it will lay a brown egg. If It has a white ear lobe, it will lay a white egg. Brown, white and blue eggs all taste the same; there is no difference. Eggs are graded by weight, not size.

American breeds of chickens are moderate to large in size with meat of good quality. They are very hardy and lay well in the winter. There are over 200 varieties of chickens. Some popular breeds are:

• White Leghorns are the most common breed in the United States. They are small and white and are generally used for egg laying.

• Rhode Island Reds are large and reddish brown. They are becoming as plentiful as the Leghorns and are bred for egg laying and meat.

• Barred Rocks are large, black and white striped chickens bred for eggs and meat.

• Aracauna is the “Easter Egg Chicken.” It lays blue or pink eggs. It is medium in size with multi-colored feathers around the neck and is bred for show.

• Bantams are small, multi-colored chickens bred for color and form.

• Silkie Bantams are medium sized with feathers having the appearance of a clown or silk hair. They are the only bantams with black pigmented skin.

• Rock Cornish is a large chicken raised for meat.

• Cochins are black, buff or white and are raised for show. They have feathers on their feet that make them look like they are wearing bedroom slippers.

B. Turkeys

All domesticated breeds of turkeys developed from the wild turkey native to northern Mexico and the Eastern United States. They are raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs. About 240 million turkeys are raised each year in the United States.

TOM = male turkey
HEN = female turkey
POULT = young turkeys
CARUNCLE = loose skin that hangs from the turkey’s neck
SNOOD = loose skin that hangs from the top of the beak
BEARD = a tuft of bristles on the chest
During mating time, a tom will spread his tail feathers, gobble and strut around. The incubation period is 28 days and a hen will raise only one brood a year. The average weight of an adult is 20 to 24 lbs.

The caruncle acts as a built-in thermostat controlling the adult turkey’s body heat. The snood extends when the tom is strutting for a hen or showing off to another tom. Their ankle joints have spurs and the tail feathers can be raised for form a vertical fan during courtship or aggressive displays.

Turkeys are the least intelligent of all of the farm animals. The poult should not get wet or cold as they can be quite fragile. The poult can drown when it rains outside because they look up to see what is hitting them on the head. Also, they frighten easily and may cluster together and suffocate themselves.

However, the ancestors of domesticated turkeys were very intelligent. Wild turkeys possess great survival instincts that make them difficult to hunt. The wild turkey was even considered as our national symbol before the bald eagle was selected because of its ability to allude hunters.

Some common breeds of turkeys are:

• Rosalinda turkeys are all white, their pinfeathers do not show much, they have wattles under the beak.

• Bronze turkeys are brown with buff colored feathers on the tips of the wings and tail.

• Royal Palm turkeys are white with black markings.

• Bourbon Reds are reddish brown in color with white wingtips and tails.

C. DUCKS

Duck is a name applied to numerous species of waterfowl. All domestic ducks are derived from the mallard or muscovy duck. They have short necks and legs, webbed feet, short tails and water-resistant plumage. They also have flat, rounded bills lined with bony notches for straining plant and animal matter from the water.

DRAKE = male duck
DUCK = female duck
HEN = female duck
DUCKLINGS = young ducks
Ducks have an oil gland at the base of their tail feathers called the preen gland. The oil is spread over the feathers by the bill to keep them water-resistant. Their legs are far apart and toward the rear of the duck making them efficient swimmers but awkward walkers. This is where the phrase “waddles like a duck” stems from!

The drake has highly colored feathers while the hen is usually smaller and duller in color than the drake. Their nests are normally located on the ground because ducks cannot be trained to lay eggs in one place like chickens. The hen lays approximately 4 to 12 eggs in the nest and surrounds them with down feathers from her breast and belly. She will only lay an amount that she can cover with her body. The hen sits on the eggs for 28 to 35 days and only on rare occasions will a drake take a turn sitting on the eggs. Ducklings are covered with down and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch.

There are over 100 species of ducks however, the most familiar of these are:

• Mallards live primarily in fresh water where they can eat from the surface or from the shallow bottoms without diving.

• Domesticated mallards have dark gray feathers and a bluish head.

• Golden mallards are larger and have tan feathers.

• Wild Muscovies are mostly black while the domesticated moscovies are white with knobby, naked red skin around the face and bill. They do not quack, only hiss and are raised for food.

• Pekins are all white with a yellow bill and are raised commercially for meat (i.e., the AFLAC duck).

• Crested pekins have feathers on their head like a puff.

• Indian runners are tall and slim and they appear to walk upright.

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