Train for a career in poultry management!

The ancestors of the domestic chicken can be traced back to a small, partridge-coloured type of fowl – gallus bankiva – living in the jungles of South East Asia. It breeds once a year, laying only one clutch of twelve eggs.

Since the end of WWII, advances in both genetics and management practices have seen major improvements in the productivity of the domestic fowl, and it is now a very different bird from its ancestor. The modern layer bird now lays over three hundred eggs per year and reaches a marketable weight of around 2kg live weight at around six to seven weeks.

In this course you learn about terminology, breeds, health care, nutrition, diseases in poultry, housing and shelter, layers, broilers, incubation, brooding, record keeping, economics and marketing. 

COURSE AIMS

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

• analyse and make decisions about the management requirements of poultry
• select appropriate poultry breeds for use in different production situations
• explain the techniques used in the management of condition, including feeding and pest and disease control
• explain the management of poultry as layers
• explain the procedures for the management of poultry as broilers
• explain the techniques used in the management of poultry incubation
• explain the management of brooding poultry
• develop management strategies for a poultry business

COURSE CONTENTS

This course contains eight (8) lessons, as follows:

LESSON 1: TERMINOLOGY AND BREEDS

History of poultry, terminology, contract growing, regulations, management factors, small-scale production, breeds, classifying fowls (egg-laying, meat, table or dual-purpose breeds), cross-breed poultry, sex linkage, brooders, skeletal system, poultry husbandry, stock selection, feeding, watering, housing, health, turkeys, geese, ducks, Assignment 1.

LESSON 2: POULTRY NUTRITION

Digestive system (gullet, crop, proventriculus, gizzard, intestine, caecum, etc.), nutrient sources (carbohydrate, protein, minerals, etc.), rationing, palatability, the end product, modern feed requirements, phase feeding, limited feeding, consumption feeding, Assignment 2.

LESSON 3: DISEASES

Avoiding stress, viral and bacterial diseases, mycoplasmosis, fungal and protozoan disease, non-infectious diseases, Assignment 3.

LESSON 4: LAYERS

Extensive (free-range) system, intensive and semi-intensive systems, housing, deep litter system, feeders, battery units, feeding laying hens, replacing flocks, Assignment 4.

LESSON 5: BROILERS

Caponising, brooding period, feeding broilers, starter and finisher periods, housing, hygiene and health, Assignment 5.

LESSON 6: INCUBATION

Natural method (using broody hens), artificial method (using incubators), selecting eggs,  

storing hatching eggs, turning eggs, managing a incubator, temperature, humidity, testing, hatching, reasons for poor hatchability, Assignment 6.

LESSON 7: BROODING

Heating, canopy brooder, infra-red lamps, the battery brooder, the haybox brooder, feeders, drinkers, floor space, rearing, problems during rearing, Assignment 7.

LESSON 8: RECORD KEEPING, ECONOMICS AND MARKETING

Growth records, egg production records, small scale business, compatible ventures (manure, etc.), preparing a farm business plan, finance, land management, analysing the market place, developing a marketing plan, Assignment 8.

COURSE DURATION: Approx 100 hours

This course is also available by CD-ROM – click here for more details.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE

• Distinguish between cross-bred and pure-bred poultry grown in your locality.
• Categorise breeds of poultry – including ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys – into groups, such as egg-laying birds, meat/table birds, dual-purpose breeds.
• Explain the advantages of cross-breeding poultry for two specified purposes.
• Label the parts of a chicken on an unlabelled illustration.
• Evaluate ten different poultry breeds to determine the most suitable for three different specified purposes.
• Label the parts of the digestive tract of a fowl on an unlabelled illustration.
• Describe the function of different parts of the digestive system of poultry.
• List the dietary sources of different nutrients for poultry.
• Describe the function of five different ingredients in specified poultry feeds.
• Explain how rations of feed are determined for poultry.
• Describe the feeding of poultry stock in a specified situation.
• Describe possible dietary disorders in poultry.
• Describe commercially significant pests and diseases in poultry.
• Develop a checklist for regular inspections to detect signs of ill-health in poultry.
• Explain the treatment of six different pests and diseases in poultry.
• Describe a poultry vaccination program for a specified property.
• Explain the techniques for, and the value of, quarantine procedures for poultry.
• Compare extensive (free-range), semi-intensive and intensive production systems, in terms of management, production cost, product quality and quantity.
• Describe different housing requirements for poultry.
• Explain a commercially viable method of collecting eggs.
• Explain three procedures used in an egg production system that are critical to the efficient operation of a specified farm.
• Develop a production plan for laying poultry, including details of birds, facilities and materials required, and a schedule of husbandry tasks and cost estimates.
• Describe the brooding period for a typical fowl, on a specified property.
• Explain how brooders are successfully fed on a property visited by you.
• Explain appropriate housing for broilers being provided at a poultry farm.
• Explain how hygiene and health are managed in a broiler production system.
• Evaluate the successful management of broilers in a specified situation.
• Describe routine daily tasks carried out in farming of broilers at a poultry.
• Describe the process of incubation, as observed by you on a poultry farm.
• Compare natural with artificial incubation methods, to determine appropriate applications for each type.
• List criteria for selecting eggs for incubation in a specified situation.
• List five reasons for poor hatchability.
• Compare two different incubator designs with respect to cost and application.
• Describe the management of a specific incubator that you have inspected.
• Describe characteristics that distinguish brooding poultry from other poultry.
• Explain an appropriate brooding environment for a specific situation.
• Compare different types of brooders.
• Describe the operation of different brooding equipment.
• Prepare a timetable of husbandry tasks from hatching to maturity for a brooding fowl.
• Explain problems that may occur during rearing, including crowding and cannibalism.
• Develop a checklist for monitoring the condition of a brooding fowl.
• List records which should be kept by a poultry farmer.
• Analyse purchasing procedures for routine supplies.
• Explain the value of different records kept by a poultry farmer, including growth records and egg production records.
• List the minimum machinery required for a specified poultry enterprise.
• Calculate the cost of production, showing a breakdown of the costs, of one marketable produce item in a small poultry business.
• List factors which may be critical to successful marketing for a poultry farm.
• Explain any legal requirements which apply to a specified poultry enterprise.
• List poultry products being marketed in your locality.
• Write a job specification for one member of staff on a poultry property.
• Prepare a report on innovations in the poultry industry being used in your locality.
• Develop a detailed poultry production plan.
• Describe a successful marketing strategy employed by one supplier of poultry products in your locality.
• Recommend an innovative approach to marketing for a poultry enterprise which you are familiar with.
• Match credit to business needs of a poultry farm to develop the most suit

EXPERT TUITION

Even though you are studying at a time and place convenient for you, you still benefit from expert guidance and tuition. Your tutor for this course is experienced in the field and will provide valuable feedback on each assignment you submit.

WRITTEN BY EXPERTS

All courses offered on the Lifestyle Learning Direct website have been written by industry experts and are regularly updated to ensure that the information is accurate and relevant.

EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND LESSONS

Don’t worry if you have never studied before; all your lessons are set out in easy-to-understand language, taking you step by step through your course. If you need additional assistance, simply contact Student Services and help will never be far away.

STUDYING ONLINE IS SIMPLE

With online training you have the advantage of being able to study anywhere you have access to a computer and the Internet. All your lessons are available on our website for you to view as you need them, or you can save them to your computer and print them so you can take them with you wherever you go.

At the end of each lesson is an online quiz so you can test your knowledge straight away. Once you are comfortable that you understand everything contained in the lesson, simply complete your assignment and upload it to the website for your tutor to mark. Once your tutor has marked your assignment you will receive an email notifying you that it is ready for collection.

Part Payments Available
Initial deposit : $375 inc GST
2nd payment : $375 inc GST
Total Cost : $750 inc GST