Enrichment of pullet cages with perches has not been studied. Our objective was to determine if access to metal perches during all or part of the life cycle of caged White Leghorns affected egg traits, foot health, and feather condition. Treatment 1 represented control chickens that never had access to perches during their life cycle. Treatment 2…

During experimental Eimeria infections in chickens, facilities are often contaminated by fecal oocysts known to be highly resistant to both chemical and enzymatic treatments. Thus, studies using experimental Eimeria infections have been limited due to the difficulty of complete elimination of residual oocysts from both cages and facilities. To…

Farm practices such as increasing group size (GS) and mixing unfamiliar chickens may result in repeated social disruption (RSD) and affect the well-being of hens. To examine whether there are genetic differences in response to social stress, 2 genetic strains of White Leghorn hens were used [i.e., high group production and survivability (HGPS) and…

Enterobacteriaceae, including Salmonella, may be recovered from foods and processing facilities. High levels of Enterobacteriaceae in the processing plant environment can be an indication of inadequate sanitation. This experiment was designed to determine if nest run egg carts serve as reservoirs for Enterobacteriaceae. Eggs that are produced by…

The broiler industry is not immune to the problematic nature of NH3 production in animal rearing facilities. Though the headlines of today focus on environmental impact considerations, the detrimental effects of the house air quality on farmers and birds remain considerable for industry viability. This research investigated the vertical…

Poultry litter (poultry manure mixed with the wood shavings that are used for bedding or for covering the soil floor in poultry housing units) compost was investigated as an amendment for suppressing populations of Meloidogyne incognita and increasing plant vigor. The greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted with mature compost produced in…

Livestock operations have long been associated with unpleasant odors whether it is a swine, poultry, or dairy operation. Unpleasant odorous smell has been generally accepted as part of livestock operations in the past. However, as more and more animal production continues to evolve into major concentrated operations, odor emissions from these…

Chickens, as well as other animals, have the ability to change their behavior (behavioral plasticity) and physiology (physiological plasticity) based on the costs and benefits to fit their environment (adaptation). Through natural selection, the population preserves and accumulates traits that are beneficial and rejects those that are detrimental…

We have no patience with the people who prejudicially maintain that 'a chicken is a chicken' or in other words take the stand that one "chicken' is as good as another. The ordinary mongrel fowl is in the same class with the razor backed hog, the scrub cow and the plug horse. They constitute the scum of the race. They will sometimes thrive under…

"The man with the courage of his convictions was home from the Score Card Poultry Show with a ten-dollar pullet, and the fact got into the local papers and his neighbors dropped by to condole with him.
'Can you see that much money in a hen?' said one.
'Wasn't it this way?' said another, 'the man you bought her of bought another of you for the…

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Small-Enterprise Chicken study was conducted to better understand bird movement and biosecurity practices of commercial poultry operations having fewer than 20,000 chickens. A stratified random sample of 2511 operations having 1000-19,999 chickens was selected from a list maintained by the…

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Poultry '04 study was conducted to better describe non-commercial United States poultry populations, in particular, backyard and gamefowl breeder flocks. To estimate the density of backyard flocks in close proximity to commercial operations, a sample of 350 commercial poultry operations in 18 top…

The battery cage system is being banned in the European Union before or by 2012, and the furnished cage system will be the only cage system allowed after 2012. This study was conducted to examine the different effects of caging systems, furnished cages vs. battery cages, on bird behaviors. One hundred ninety-two 1-d-old non-beak-trimmed Hy-Line…

Egg production systems have become subject to heightened levels of scrutiny. Multiple factors such as disease, skeletal and foot health, pest and parasite load, behavior, stress, affective states, nutrition, and genetics influence the level of welfare hens experience. Although the need to evaluate the influence of these factors on welfare is…

This file contains the monthly estimates of the number of layers on hand, rate of lay and egg production, potential layers by geographic regions, and chicken inventories and values by states.
Highlights
United States Average Number of Layers Up 2 Percent: Layer numbers during 2013 averaged 346 million, up 2 percent from the year earlier. The…

The United States is the world’s second largest broiler meat exporter (after Brazil), and exports have become a valuable source of income for the U.S. broiler industry. This study examines the growth in broiler meat exports focusing on several major markets.

Between 1960 and 1995, U.S. broiler production grew by 5.6 percent per year, but a lack of growth since 2008 has placed new financial pressures on contract growers. This report uses USDA survey data to delineate the key features of the industry’s organization and to analyze its recent financial and productive performance.

Whether the marketing of eggs by parcel post should be attempted by any particular producer will depend on his present available markets, the possibility of securing a satisfactory customer or customers, and the care taken to follow tested and approved methods in preparing the eggs for shipment. Failures in attempting to ship eggs by parcel post…

SELECT BY GRADE (QUALITY)
The highest quality is U.S. Grade A.

Grade A birds are
• fully fleshed and meaty
• well finished
• attractive in appearance

Grade B birds may be:
• less attractive in finish and appearance.
• slightly lacking in meatiness

Grade B is seldom printed on poultry labels. U.S. grades apply to five kinds of…

Many families can chicken, beef, and other home-produced meats to help spread the supply through the year.

With canned meat on the shelf, you'll quickly have a savory stew, meat pie, or many another good dish . . . timesavers for busy days.

Directions given here tell how to can meat safely and so as to hold food value and flavor.