Learn How to Raise and Manage Poultry
Whether you want to keep chickens in your backyard, develop a small poultry enterprise or understand commercial poultry production, this comprehensive course gives you the knowledge to manage poultry with greater confidence.
Learn about poultry breeds, housing, nutrition, health, egg production, meat production, breeding, incubation, brooding and flock management, as well as the business and marketing considerations involved in poultry production.
With approximately 80 hours of study across eight lessons, this course provides a much deeper foundation than a basic chicken keeping guide.
COURSE CONTENT
There's eight lessons:
1. Introduction, Terminology and Breeds
- History of Poultry
- Terminology
- Contract Growing
- Regulations
- Management Factors
- Small Scale Production
- Breeds
- Classifying Fowls (Egg Laying Breeds, Meat or Table Birds, Dual Purpose Breeds)
- Cross Breed Poultry
- Sex Linkage
- Brooders
- Skeletal System
- Poultry Husbandry (Stock Selection, Feeding, Watering, Housing, Health)
- Turkeys
- Geese
- Ducks
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
3. Diseases
- Avoiding Stress
- Viral diseases
- Bacterial diseases
- Mycoplasmosis, fungal and protozoan disease
- Non-infectious diseases
4. Layers
- Extensive (free-range) System
- Semi-Intensive System
- Intensive Systems
- Housing
- Deep Litter System
- Feeders
- Battery Units
- Feeding the Laying Hen
- Replacing the Flock
5. Broilers
- Caponising
- Brooding Period
- Feeding Broilers (Starter Period, Finisher Period)
- Housing
- Hygiene and Health
6. Incubation - The natural method
- The artificial method (using incubators)
- Selecting Eggs
- Storing Hatching Eggs
- Turning Eggs
- Managing a Incubator (Temperature, Humidity, Testing, Hatching)
- Reasons for Poor Hatchability
7. Brooding
- Heating
- The canopy brooder
- The infra-red lamp
- The battery brooder
- The hay box brooder
- Feeders
- Drinkers
- Floor Space
- Rearing
- Problems during rearing
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
Workload, Assessment & Tutor Feedback
Allow approximately 80 hours to complete the course. The course is self-paced, so you can determine when and where you study and progress according to your own schedule. Each lesson concludes with an assignment designed to assess your understanding of the material.
Assignments are submitted to the school for assessment and tutor feedback, giving you the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and strengthen your understanding as you progress through the course.
This provides a more structured learning experience than simply reading information about poultry online.
More Than a Chicken Keeping Guide!
Poultry production can be a hobby, a component of a self sufficient lifestyle or a commercial enterprise.
This course introduces the business side of poultry production, including production records, financial considerations, farm business planning, market analysis and marketing strategies. You'll develop an understanding of how good poultry management connects with production efficiency, animal health, resource management and business performance.
Why Study Poultry in Depth?
A quick online search can give you instructions for keeping chickens. This course goes much further.
You will explore the principles behind poultry production, giving you a foundation for making informed decisions about breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, health, production systems and business management. The course also covers both egg and meat production, as well as incubation, chick rearing and poultry enterprise management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course suitable for beginners?
Yes. The course begins with poultry terminology, breeds and basic husbandry before progressing into nutrition, health, production, breeding and business management.
Can I study this course if I only keep chickens at home?
Yes. The course includes small-scale poultry production as well as broader commercial production principles.
Does the course cover both eggs and meat?
Yes. Dedicated lessons cover layers and egg production as well as broilers and meat production.
Does the course cover chicken breeding?
Yes. The course covers breeding, hatching eggs, incubation, brooding and chick rearing.
Does the course cover poultry diseases?
Yes. It introduces viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoan and non-infectious poultry diseases, as well as strategies for reducing stress and maintaining flock health.
Is poultry business management included?
Yes. The final lesson covers records, small-scale business, farm business planning, finance, market analysis and marketing.
Ready to Take Poultry Seriously?
Whether you're raising a few chickens at home or considering poultry production as a business, build the knowledge to manage your flock with greater confidence.
Learn about breeds, nutrition, health, breeding, incubation, egg production, meat production and poultry business management.
Start your Poultry Course today.