Family Poultry Training Course/Trainees' Manual - Poultry Breeds

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Contents 1 Unit II 1.1 Poultry Breeds 1.1.1 Dual Purpose 1.1.2 Special Breeds 1.1.3 Hybrids 1.1.4 Exercise

Unit II

Poultry Breeds

There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).

Dual Purpose

These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.

• Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
• nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
• they eat too much feed
• they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
• Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality

Special Breeds

These have been selected for egg production

• the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
• it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
• the Black Australorp is another popular breed
• it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
• it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
• it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty

Hybrids

In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour

• they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
• they lay large, brown or white eggs
• they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
• the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
• the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
• they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds

Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.

Exercise

• In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you would like to see in 1. a laying hen, and 2. a broiler chicken.

Next section: Unit II - Housing & Equipment