Poultry Improvement Project

 

Jennifer Wheeler

 

Foreword

 

          The following is individual lesson plans for a ten week unit on the Poultry Improvement Project.  The unit starts with an introduction to the poultry industry in general.  Next, the unit details the feeding and housing requirements of broiler chickens to provide for pre planning and education of the material before the chickens arrive.

          The unit continues with detailed lesson plans to take the agriscience teacher through the arrival of the chicks to the contest and finally, the chicken barbecue.


Note:  Day 1-48.  This unit is 2 days shy of  being a complete ten week unit.  The rational is that you may have an FFA meeting during the hour or need a little bit of a cushion.  However, after day 14, the lessons are designed strictly to be taught one right after the other for five days a week.  It is important to stick to this or to plan ahead as certain lessons correspond to date related material.

 


Why Raise Broilers?

          Day 1: The Poultry Industry-Part I

          Day 2:  The Poultry Industry-Part II 

          Day 3:  The Small Poultry Flock-Part I

          Day 4: The Small Poultry Flock-Part II

 

Digestion and Nutrition

          Day 5: Digestion

          Day 6:  Nutrition, Water, and Carbohydrates

          Day 7:  Protein

          Day 8:  Fats, Vitamins, and Minerals

          Day 9:  Review of Nutrition

          Day 10:  Feed Stuffs

          Day 11:  Feeds

          Day 12:  Rations

          Day 13:  Test Nutrition

         

The Chicks Arrive

          Day 14:  House Preparation

          Day 15:  Chicks Arrive

          Day 16:  Proper Management

          Day 17:  The Normal Chicken

          Day 18:  The Normal Chicken Activity/ Quiz

 

Body System

          Day 19:  The Parts of a Chicken

          Day 20:  Review Parts of a Chicken

          Day 21:  Breeds/Meat Type Chickens

     

          Day 22:  The Skeletal System

          Day 23:  Pre Lab-The Digestive Anatomy of Chicken/Quiz Parts of a Chicken

          Day 24:  Dissection

         

Diseases/Enlarge Pen

          Day 25:  Nutritional, Bacterial, and Protozoan Diseases

          Day 26:  Viral Diseases/Non Infectious

          Day 27:  External and Internal Parasites

          Day 28:  Parasite Lab

          Day 29:  Disease/Parasite Prevention

          Day 30:  Enlarge Pen

          Day 31:  Review Diseases

          Day 32:  Test Diseases

 

Poultry Careers and Killing and Dressing Poultry

          Day 33:  Rewarding Careers

          Day 34:  Killing and Dressing Poultry

          Day 35:  Scalding, Feather Removal, and Evisceration

          Day 36:  Cutting Procedures 

          Day 37:  Test Rewarding Careers and Killing and Dressing Poultry 

 

Preparing for the Contest

          Day 38:  Writing the Poultry Story

          Day 39:  Rewriting the Poultry Story

          Day 40:  Conformation and Fleshing

          Day 41:  Defects. Uniformity, and Finish

          Day 42:  Lab Conformation

          Day 43:  Introduction to Broiler Project Report Sheet

 

The Final Week

          Day 44:  Final Weigh Day/Conformation quiz

          Day 45: Broiler Project Report Sheet

          Day 46:  Growth Progress in Graph Form/Take off Feed

          Day 47:  Field Trip to Fowlerville Poultry

          Day 48:  Chicken Barbecue