FARM ANIMALS

1. TURKEYS

The Domestic turkey is classed in the taxonomic order of Galliformes. The female (hen) is smaller

than the male (tom or gobbler) and is much less colourful. They are raised throughout the world and there

are around ten million turkeys in Canada (Poultry and Egg Statistics, 2009) which makes it a 388 million

dollar business. The average lifespan for a domesticated turkey is ten years. The incubation period is 28

days. Hens are harvested at about 14 weeks and toms at about 18 weeks. Approximately two to four billion

pounds of poultry feathers are produced every year by the poultry industry. Most are ground into filler for

animal feed or used for knitting. Broad-breasted White, Broad-breasted Bronze, Bourbon Red, Slate, or Blue

Slate, Black, Narragansett, Beltsville small white, Midget White are the common breeds listed in the

American Standards of Perfection (1905).

Artificial insemination is commonly employed to obtain desired fertility levels. In natural mating, a

male female ratio of 1:5 to 10 is desirable. The average age at first egg is around 30 weeks. The average egg

production is around 100 eggs/hen turkey/year weighing around 75-80 g. It is noticeably pointed at one end

with strong shell, palatable and as nutritious as chicken eggs. Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main

course of Christmas feasts in much of the world, as well as during Thanksgiving. The white meat of turkey

is generally considered healthier than dark meat because of its lower fat content, but the nutritional

differences are small. Although most commonly used as fertilizer, Turkey litter is being used as a fuel

source in electric power plants. One such plant in western Minnesota provides 55 megawatts of power using

700,000 tons of dung per year.

References

1. American Poultry Association. American Standard of Perfection. 1905 from the Harvard University

Press, digital version (2008) from Google Books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_

turkey_breeds

2. Poultry and Egg Statistics. 2009 Statistics Canada . Available at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/23-

015-x/2009002/t003-eng.htm

2. FOWLS

The production of broiler meat and eggs is an important source of farm income in Canada. The

Poultry and Egg Statistics 2009 reported that there were around 6.39 billion chickens in the Country. This

accounts for around 8% of the total farm cash receipts. Proudfoot et al (1991) reported that about two-thirds

of the cash income of poultry farmers came from the sale of poultry meat. The basic white egg producing

breed is the White Leghorn, while brown eggs are produced by hybrids, most notably the Rhode Island Red,

Barred Plymouth Rock and New Hampshire. The commercial white egg layer is white feathered and weighs

about 1.8 kg. Brown egg layers are coloured and weigh slightly more. Laying chickens produce 300 to 340

eggs during the 12 to 13 months they are in lay. They are expected to produce one dozen eggs for every 1.55

kg of feed. Broiler birds are produced from crosses that originally involved White Plymouth Rock and/or

New Hampshire for the dams’ side and Cornish for the sire. The commercial broiler is white feathered, fast

growing, vigorous and well fleshed. Chicken broilers are generally slaughtered when 35 days old, at a live

weight of 2.1 kg. They require 1.8 kg of feed to produce 1 kg live weight. Currently, 2 international

companies supply the large majority of the industrial market for both layer and broiler chickens.

Besides improving the production and marketing of poultry meat, broiler producers and processors

have helped to create many new supporting enterprises. These include feed mills that prepare special poultry

diets, plants that manufacture special processing equipment and packaging materials, specialty chicken

shops and restaurants, food processing plants, and plants that make useful products such as fertilizers from

broiler by-products.

References

1. Poultry and Egg Statistics. 2009 Statistics Canada . Available at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/23-

015-x/2009002/t003-eng.htm.

2. Proudfoot, F.G., Hamilton, R.M.G., DeWitt, W.F. and Jansen, H.N. (1991) Raising chicken and

turkey broilers in Canada. Agriculture Canada Publication 1860/E. Research Program Service

http://dsp-.psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/A63-1860-1991E.pdf.