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poultry expert from new bolton center is here today. the laboratory of 
avian medicine and pathology. they're working on chickens, pet birds, 
ratites, etc. the lab started about 20 yrs ago in a shack next to lg 
animal pathology. then they moved into a white house. now they have a 
bigger house :) about amile off the center of NBC campus.

they do research as well as diagnostic work, they have a "chicken city" - 
a bunch of chicken houses. 

poultry industry: broilers: meat chickens; layers: table eggs; turkeys.

broiler industry:
breeders--->hatching eggs---->chicks (6-8 wks)--->processing plant.

in PA most of these are in lancaster, levittown, etc. 

a chicken house has nest boxes, feeding/water area, socialization area, 
and egg gathering area. there are LARGE numbers of eggs. eggs are taken 
to hatchery and placed in incubators. it takes 21 days to be ready to 
hatch. so in 21 days you have a bin of chickens instead of a bin of eggs. 
then the chicks are all vaccinated against a specific herpesvirus. then 
they have their beaks trimmed so they don't peck each other. then they 
get sexed. this is a highly trained skill. usually males are grown 
separate from females, usually. 

after hatching they are sent to the farm in a temperature controlled 
truck, then placed on the floor with feed, water, and heat lamps. they 
usually stay areound the lamps. if too warm, they move out near the wall. 
then they grow into chickens in about 6-8 wks.

a catching crew goes in in the early am when it's dark, and catches the 
chickens to take them to the processing plant. they are killed somehow 
and then they are inspected. USDA wants to go to a system where not every 
bird is looked at but so far they aren't doing that. then, sometimes, 
parts of the chickens are cut off. other plants process whole birds. 
rejection rate of chickens under 2% hopefully. when there is a problem 
flock it goes up.

the chickens are hung upside down by their feet, their heads are soaked 
in a salt solution to stun them, and then their necks are cut and they 
are exsanguinated. if the blade doesn't cut the neck properly there is a 
person standing by to cut the jugular by hand.

LAYER industry:
breeder--->hatching eggs---->pullet chicks (18 wks)--->layers.
at age 18 weeks the pullet chicks get moved to a laying farm. they lay 
eggs for about a year.
in layer house birds are in cages with 3-5 decks. there's water in the 
cage, feed outside the cage. eggs laid onto conveyor belt.
laying peaks about 30 wks of age. then begins gradual decline. if a 
sudden early decline, need to look at dz possibility or management 
problem.

eggs carried on belt to egg room. there they are washed., then they are 
candled with bright light to look for cracks, blood, etc. then they are 
packaged.

eggs are also used for pasteurized egg products instead of table eggs. 
esp restaurants/nursing homes use them to avoid salmonella and some other 
dz.

the male chicks born to layer breeders are killed at one day of age.
they are too skinny to be eating chicken.

note that the parents are owned by different company than the chicks.
are eggs sorted by size or are birds sorted? well, new chickens lay small 
eggs. as chickens get older they lay bigger eggs. so each house produces 
one size of eggs. when layer stops laying they go to soup factory and 
airline food. dogfood company uses some of them too.

TURKEY INDUSTRY
breeders--->hatching eggs--->poults (immature turkeys), toms and hens.

turkeys are grown like broilers on the floor with the heat lamps etc.
turkeys are very curious and will gather around you if you go in to the 
turkey house.

turkeys used to be black feathered but now they are white featherd 
because people didn't like black feathers. they used to be free range 
birds but now live in houses. the processing is similar to chicken 
processing.
tom turkeys are grown 16-18 wks, hens grown 14-15 wks.

turkeys have been genetically manipulated to have larger pectorals and 
shorter, stronger legs.

the poultry industry is huger. PA is fourth in tabble egg production, 
15th in broiler and 8th in turkey production in the US.

hormones are not used in the poultry industry anymore.
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