🐓 Introduction

Terms related to Poultry

Nomenclature

Rearing and breeding of domesticated fowls such as chicken, ducks, turkey and some varieties of pigeon for their meat and eggs.
Word poultry related to Chicken, Duck, Turkey etc.

Indian poultry sector contribute 0.7% in National GDP and about 10% to the livestock GDP.
There are two types of birds 1. Layer 2. Broiler

An egg laying female chicken up to one year after starting the laying of eggs.
Laying: The act of parturition in chickens.
Clutch: The number of eggs laid by a bird on consecutive days. A clutch of 3-4 eggs is preferred.
Broody: A hen which has stopped laying eggs temporarily.
Average egg laying throughout the year:
- Indian hen: 60-80 eggs
- Improved breed: 220-260 eggs
Pause: It is the period between two clutches in which eggs are not laid by hen.
Hen day production: This is arrived by dividing total number of eggs laid in the season by the average number of birds in the house.
Hen housed average: This is arrived at by dividing the total number of eggs laid in the season by the number of birds originally placed in the house. No deductions are made for any losses from the flocks.
World Egg production: 3rd after China and USA (FAO 2014).
Egg Production: In 2021-22, the total egg production in the country is 129.60 billion nos which has increased by 6.19% as compared to previous year.
Total five major egg producing States are Andhra Pradesh (20.41%), Tamil Nadu (16.08%), Telangana (12.86%), West Bengal (8.84%) and Karnataka (6.38%).

Egg is the physiological product of the female reproductive system.
Hen’s egg, apart from the ovum does contain other impotant nutrients for the growth and development of the embryo until hatching.
Average weight: 50 – 60 gm
Yolk: 30%
White or albumin: 58%
Inner & outer shell membranes and shell: 12%
Nutrient composition of egg weight
- 12 % minerals
- 12 % protein
- 11% fat
- 65 % water
- Calories: 148 Cal/100 gm

These are young chicken (usually 9 to 12 weeks of age) of either sex, which are reared primarily for meat purposes and marketable age 6-8 weeks.
Broiler has tender meat with soft pliable, smooth-textured skin and flexible breastbone cartilage.
Broiler chickens are breed and sold as White meat and Chicken Breast.
Sold for table purpose as they possess a very tender and delicious meat.
Dressing percentage in broiler poultry is 70-75%.
They are the hybrid chicks having rapid growth and attaining about 1.5 - 2 kg weight during the period of 6 to 8 weeks of age.

References

- G.C. Banerjee: A Textbook of Animal Husbandry
- https://www.poultryindia.co.in/
- https://nbagr.icar.gov.in/
- Wikipedia