Poultry Skillathon 2018 Study Guide

Poultry Skillathon 2018 Study Guide

Age Divisions: Junior (8-11)Intermediate (12-14)Senior (15-18)

Exhibitors will participate in age-based Skillathons. This study guide includes all topics an exhibitor might be tested on. Youth will only be tested on a portion of these items at Skillathon.

STATION 1 – Record Book

Paper record keeping book, received from club advisor, found at the Extension office or online:

STATION 2 – Skillathon Kit Knowledge

Junior-Brooders, combs, feed tag

Intermediate-Breeds, parts, medication label

Senior-Eggs, meat pieces, diseases

STATION 3 – Quality Assurance

All ages- Rodent & Pest Control, External Biosecurity

Rodent and Pest Control

Include controlling rodents and pests as a part of animal, herd, and flock internal and external biosecurity plans.
Include rodent and pest control in both your internal and external biosecurity plans.
Rodents and pests can bring new diseases into a herd or flock as well as serve as a reservoir of disease affecting a herd or flock.
Four elements of effective rodent control include:
Denying entrance to facilities and buildings.
Removing sources of food that can attract and maintain rodent populations.
Preventing and denying rodents cover and places to live.
Baiting or trapping to reduce rodent populations.
Dogs and cats are unacceptable ways of controlling rodents in and around livestock buildings.
Wildlife and other pests can compromise biosecurity.
Sparrows and wild birds can infect a poultry flock with lice and mites.
Use perimeter fences, netting and screening to exclude wildlife, birds, pests, and even some insects.

External Biosecurity

External Biosecurity—keeping disease out of herd, flock, or from an animal
Disease pathogens can move from one farm to another through:
Rodents, wildlife, and birds—non-farm animals can transmit diseases or disease agents.
Pets—keep cats and dogs out of the barn, as they can bring in diseases if allowed to wander to neighboring farms where there could be sick animals.
Vehicles and equipment—disease pathogens may be present on vehicles or equipment (ie. Sharing show equipment or borrowing scales).
Humans—humans can transmit diseases (i.e. visiting multiple farms in one day when looking at pigs).
New animals—introducing new animals or animals that have been off-site (i.e. taking goats to weigh-ins and bringing them back to your herd).
Clothing and shoes—clothing and footwear can be sources of disease agents (i.e. wearing the same boots from one farm to the next without cleaning and disinfecting them between visits).
Air—wind and air movement may transmit some pathogens.
Preventing diseases from entering the herd:
Control wildlife and pests to prevent contact with your animals with use of perimeter fencing and bird screening.
Before purchasing new animals, discuss with your veterinarian a health maintenance program you should start when the new animals get to your farm.
When possible, establish an isolation facility or area for quarantining new animals at your farm that is remote and/or isolated from the existing animals.
New animals should be quarantined for at least 10 days before integrating them into the herd or flock.
During the quarantine period, observe and test for disease, vaccinate, medicate, and acclimate the new animal(s) as recommended by your veterinarian.
Limit the number of visitors to your facility and minimize their contact with your animals. Question them about recent contact with other animals and downtime.
Visitors should be away from the same species of livestock at least 24 hours.
Consider supplying disposable plastic boots to all visitors.
Require everyone to wash hands before entry into animal areas.
Change clothes and boots after visiting other farms, livestock markets, or exhibitions before entering your facility.
Limit equipment and tools to those that have been cleaned and disinfected if used on another farm (i.e. be sure to clean and disinfect scales if taking from farm to farm to weigh animals. This is true for large animal scales as well as small scales to weigh poultry and rabbits).
Clean and disinfect your truck and trailer, or any type of crate or carrier, after each use.

STATION 4 – Interview about Project(Would like to see exhibitors talk about project and their animals)

Junior-
What breed of bird do you have?

Tell me where you keep your birds? What kind of cage or pen do you have?
What do you feed your birds?
Do you have other birds? What kind?
What is a requirement for the “Dress Code” for the Ross County Fair?
Is there anyone that helps you with your animals?
What do you like about your project?

Intermediate-
What breed of bird do you have?
Name something that is characteristic to your breed of bird.
What kind of feed do you feed? What is its’ percentage of protein?
Name a feature of your bird that the judge might look at for your breed of bird
Tell how you will show your bird at the fair

Senior-
What breed of bird do you have?
Name a good production practice and how it relates to your project
Name an Extension Educator
How do you carry your bird?
What is the name of your veterinarian?
Name some careers or jobs that one can hold in the poultry field

STATION 5 – Skills Knowledge

Junior- Basic Animal Care

-What are some of the problems keeping different species together Pg. 136
-How do you keep your flock of birds healthy? Pg. 138
-Name external parasites Pgs. 141-144
-Different poultry species need different feed. What things do they need that they have in common? Pg. 149
-Having poultry in urban boundaries may have requirements and or ordinances, what are some of them? Pg. 151
-What are some toxic dangers to poultry? Pg. 152
-How do you prevent poultry from flying? Pg. 145
-Name some predators of poultry pgs. 146, 147
-What is a livestock guardian dog? Pg. 146.
-What is a good dog breed to use as a guardian dog? Pg. 146
-Hatchling poultry travel well the first day after they have hatched, why? Pg. 36
-What is a clutch? Pg. 58
-What is an autosexing breed of geese mean? Pg 62
-Name 3 varieties of turkeys – pg. 85-86
-Define the term “Poultry” and give examples - Pgs. 6-7

Intermediate-Showmanship Best Practices

-How are check breeds separated? Pg. 27
-Duck breeds are divided into what 4 groups? Pg. 41
-How do you catch and carry a goose? Pg. 59
-What does APA stand for? Pg. 16
-How many species of guinea fowl are there? Name 2 of them. Pg. 105
-what 5 species of poultry are recognized to show by the APA? Pg. 153
-What is something you can do to your bird before you show it? Pg. 153
-Why are poultry shows good? Pg. 153
-Where is the National Poultry Museum housed? Pg. 157
-What are the primary feathers and where are they on a bird? Pg. 167
-What are pin feathers? Pg. 169
-What is the difference in Galliformes and Anseriformes in poultry? Pg. 7
-What kind of food dishes are turkey eggs good to use in? pg. 88
-What breed of chicken provides most all the commercial chickens and eggs? Pg. 11

Senior – Situational Word Problems
-Copperhead snakes are being found in your yard and barn, can poultry help? Pg. 56 -Tell how the wild turkey population is making a comeback. Pg. 85.
-Explain the factors for successful hatching in an artificial incubator. Pg. 137

-Explain the importance of using biosecurity? Pg. 136

-There are some little moving spots on your bird around the vent area. What does this indicate and how do you treat it? Pg. 141-144
-Your birds are found a couple of houses away and some of your flock keep flying away. How do you prevent your birds from flying and how is it done? Pg. 145

-Your turkeys and chickens are housed and penned together. Your turkeys are getting sick. Pg. 96

-You want to raise a breed of ducks that are on the conservation priority list, how is the list determined? Pg. 46
-I have a turkey pasture that is 1 acre and I have 200 head of turkeys. Is the pasture large enough for all the birds? Why or why not? Pg. 98
-What five freedoms are similar to 4H’s 10 Good Production Practices? Pg. 12