Transcript Document

A guide to youth livestock producers
Rabbits and Poultry
Daily Care and Management
January 2008
Quality Assurance
What?:
-A degree of excellence that pledges or makes a
promise to consumers
Why?:
-Increases food quality
-Increases food product safety awareness
-Increases product value
-Increases awareness of proper care and
management
Improves Consumer Confidence and
Promotes the Industry!!
Food Supply Continuum
You are a producer as well as a consumer!
Why are you here?
*Majority of poultry and rabbits produced in the world are
for meat and egg production
•Although you may not think of your animals in that way,
chances are, at least some of your animals will be used for
meat and egg production
Activity: Ensuring
Product Quality
Animal Well Being
-Includes proper:
-housing, management, nutrition, disease,
prevention and treatment, responsible
care, and humane handling
-Ensures good production from animals with
proper care and management
Daily Care and Management of:
Rabbits
and
Poultry
What Breed Should I Get?
Pet:
-Netherland Dwarf, Mini Lop, Holland Lop, and Dutch
-Small to Medium breeds, 2 ½ to 5 pounds
Meat:
-New Zealand, Californian, Satin, Champagne
D’Argent
-Medium breeds, 8-12 pounds
-Can also be raised for fur
Wool:
-Angoras, American Fuzzy Lops, and Jersey Woolies
-Medium Breeds, 8-12 pounds
-Wool requires daily grooming
Where Should I Keep My
Rabbit?
Housing:
-Called a hutch—Only one animal per hutch
-About one square foot for every pound they weigh
-Out of sunlight; away from predators, other
animals, and bad weather
-Provide a small space for hiding
-Wire flooring with small grids for droppings to
fall through
-A section of floor should be solid to prevent
sores on the feet
How Do I Feed and Water?
Feeding:
-Can use hopper, trough, or crock that holds a daily food
supply
-Feed should have 15-17% protein; Fresh grass hay can be
fed
-Never feed green feeds or fresh leaf feeds
-Natural feeding times are dawn and dusk
Watering:
-Water consumption is about 1 gallon a day
-Use water system that doesn’t run out or get contaminated
What Kind of Care Should I
Provide?
Daily:
-Feed and Water
-Observe rabbits and their environment
-Keep things clean
Weekly:
-Clean cages, feeders and water systems
-Check supplies and rabbit’s health
Monthly:
-Check toenails
-Update written records
-Provide medication if needed for illness
-Check fans and air vents
How Do I Breed My Rabbit?
When?:
How?:
-First breeding depends on size of rabbit
-Smaller breeds-5 to 6 months; Medium-6 ½ to 7 months;
Larger- 8 to 9 months
-Rebreed when litter is 7 weeks old
-Take the doe to the buck’s hutch
-Breeding should occur at once-a second mating 6 hours
later can increase litter size
-Test-mate at 18 days-refusal, whining, and escape
attempts mean she’s bred
-Gestation length-28 to 32 days
Nest Box: Keeps babies warm and dry; large enough for doe & babies
What Breed Should I Get?
Three types of chickens:
-Egg Production:
*White Leghorns (white eggs), Golden Comets and
Red Sex Links (brown eggs)
-Eggs and Meat:
*Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, and Wyandottes
-Meat:
*Cornish Cross, Plymouth Rocks, White Jersey
What Kind of Housing is
Needed?
Purpose:
-Housing units should protect from heat, cold, rain, predators
-Proper ventilation, heat lamps, food and water, lights
Housing Unit:
-Ventilation: Need windows and doors
-Space: 1 ½ to 3 square feet per chicken
-Nest: Have “shelves” for nests, not for meat chickens; one per
four hens
-Flooring: litter consisting of dry sawdust, peanut hulls, or rice
hulls, hay is poor litter
What Should I Feed?
Feeding:
-Type and amount depend on size and breed of bird
-Feed should be free of debris
-”Complete” feed-all the vitamins and nutrients are included
-Medicated feed used in place of “complete” feed when illness
breaks out in the flock
*Antibiotics are commonly found in medicated feeds
Randomly place feed throughout the chicken house.
Feeders should be tall enough to prevent contamination.
Where Do I Place the Water?
Water:
-Clean, fresh
-Free of debris
-Place in outside run, if possible
-Medicated water- can be used instead of medicated feed;
*talk with your veterinarian about the right
product to use
Randomly place water outside the chicken house.
Water container should be tall enough to prevent
Contamination.
What is Avian Influenza?
Also known as bird flu
-Respiratory disease of birds that is caused by a virus
-Wild birds and migratory waterfowl carry the virus, but may
not show signs
Poultry Products:
-Properly cooking products has no danger of acquiring AI
-Virus destroyed by heat of normal cooking
-Egg shells are washed and sanitized before packing
Humans and Bird Flu:
-Humans can only contract by direct contact with infected
chickens or eating sick chickens not cooked properly
-Virus doesn’t have ability to pass from human-to-human
www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm
How Do I Prevent Diseases?
Set mousetraps:
-Rodents are a problem in all chicken coops
-Rodents transfer disease and bacteria
Disinfect:
-Mist shoes with disinfectant
-Clean waterers and feeders regularly
-Fog coop weekly
-Once you use a paper towel, throw it away
Disease Prevention Continued…
Chickens:
-Keep young chicken from older
-Keep wild and waterfowl out
-Quarantine sick birds
Why Do I Need a Veterinarian?
Develop a Vet/Client/Patient Relationship
-Ask questions
-Consult for problems and everyday care
-Best way to maintain animals as a whole
-Extra label medications can be used
-Assists in keeping diseases out of herd
-Gives the public a better image of the industry
Review
What different types breeds can you get?
Where is the best location for food and water? Why?
How do you breed a rabbit?
What are some biosecurities that are done for chickens?
This concludes the first section,
you can continue on if you wish
to test out.
Remember, you are raising an animal that
could be used for food production,
so proper care and management are
important to ensure high standards for food
safety and animal care.
Handling Rabbits
Removing from cage:
1) Determine attitude
2) Face rabbit away from front of cage
3) Grasp loose skin around shoulders and roll to one side
Carrying:
1) Carry rabbit like a football
-Head should be tucked under arm
-Place other hand under rump
NEVER PICK UP A RABBIT BY ITS EARS
NEVER CARRY BY BACK OF NECK
Rabbit Carcass Quality
-Reduce Stress
-Avoid too much handling
-Keep comfortable
-Provide good nutrition
-Penned rabbits vs caged rabbits
Meat Quality:
-Keep animal comfortable and with little to no stress
-Stress before harvest can cause meat to become dark
colored, tough, and dry
-Temperature, humidity, noise, and lack of food and water
all increase stress
*Practice humane handling and transport
Transporting
Changes during transportation can affect meat quality
-Individual cages reduce fighting
-Food and water deprivation
-Out of own environment
Cages should be well ventilated to keep animals cool
Shade should be provided-keep out of direct sunlight
Keep transport time to a minimum
Transport to avoid injury or suffering
Diseases and Illnesses
Purchase a healthy rabbit from a reliable
breeder for disease prevention!
Diseases and Illnesses:
-Colds and sniffles, pneumonia, diarrhea, mastitis,
slobbers, sore hocks, ear mites, ringworm, buck teeth
Prevention:
-Check animal daily-food, water, fur, breathing, nasal
discharge, ear carriage (way they are held)
-Good husbandry
Develop a VCPR-vet/client/patient relationship!!!
Poultry
Hatching Chicks
Incubation:
-Temperature 99.5-100 degrees F
-Good ventilation to remove CO2 and provide oxygen
-Turn the egg every hour for first 14 days
Processing:
-Handle young chicks carefully
-Ventilate housing unit well
-Temperature above 74 degrees F
-Place on feed and water shortly after hatching
Beak Trimming
Cannibalism is common in hatcheries
Beak trimming reduces cannibalism
Not usually necessary in broiler chicks
-less aggressive
-shorter life span
The chick learns to eat and drink and reduces stress
Important to do humanely
Handling Poultry
Catching:
-Remove feed 8-12 hours before slaughter
-Dim lights or catch at night
Handling:
-Provide support
-Support breast in palm and restrain legs with
fingers or by holding both legs
Carrying:
-Carry by both legs or both wings
-Minimize time bird has head down
Loading and Transporting
Loading:
-Use clean, properly constructed crates
-Amount of stocking crates depends on:
-size crate, size birds, transit time, and
temperature
-Crate if full when birds can rest comfortably
Transporting:
-Vehicles should be shaded, ventilated, and cooled
during hot weather
-Secure load, cover from weather if necessary
-Minimize travel time
Diseases
Marek’s Disease:
-Vaccinations given day they hatch; chicken 2 to 16
weeks susceptible
-SQ at back of neck
-Prevents appearance of disease tumors and paralysis
Newcastle Disease:
-Vaccinations given by drinking water, eye drops, or
nose drops
-Usually combined with bronchitis vaccine at 10-35 days
-Breeders and layers are retreated at 18-20 weeks
Monitoring Mortality
When you have large numbers of birds, there will be
many birds that don’t survive
-Keep daily records depending on size of flock
-Birds that are crippled, immobile or sick should
be removed immediately
Dead bird disposal:
1) Rendering-road side pick up with trucks
2) Composting-the final product can be added to
the soil
Other ways of disposal:
Incineration
Burials
Injections
Rabbits:
-There are no required vaccinations
-Medication may still need to be given through injection
-Correct medication prescribed by veterinarian
-Use 20-30 gauge needle
-Follow directions on medication label
Poultry:
-Some vaccinations necessary
-Timing important
-Consult veterinarian for proper medicine and procedure
After injections, needles should be placed in a separate
container and taken to the vet’s office for disposal
Medications
Subcutaneous (SQ):
-Just under the skin
-Pull the skin out so needle doesn’t enter muscle
Intramuscular (IM):
-Given in the muscle
-Irritation to muscle and may leave lesions
-Decreased carcass value
Intravenous (IV):
Oral:
-Medication directly in bloodstream
-Usually done by veterinarian
-Given by mouth
Activity: Administering Injections
Review
Carcass Quality is important for all animals
Handling of rabbits and poultry is necessary to
protect the animal from injury to you and them
Animals for slaughter should have a comfortable
environment for transporting
Disease prevention is important to prevent disease from
spreading
Proper injection techniques and medications are important