Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production

This text should be useful reading for students preparing to enter the poultry industry, for owners and managers of existing poultry companies and for scientists who need a major source of scientifically based material on poultry management. In earlier editions, the authors emphasized the chicken and its management. In this 5th edition, the emphasis has shifted to the commercial business of managing poultry. Since extensive references are made to the international aspects of poultry management, all data are presented in both the Imperial and Metric form. Over 300 tables and 250 photos and figures support 62 chapters of text. Included is information on processing of poultry and eggs with thorough discussions of food safety and further processing. The business of maintaining poultry is discussed in chapters on economics, model production firms, the use of computers and record keeping. Updated topics include: breeders and hatchery operations; broiler and layer flock management; replacement programmes and management of replacements; nutrition; and flock health. Chapters address flock behaviour, ventilation, waste management, egg quality and egg breakage. Other features include a list of more than 400 references and a Master List of the tables, figures, manufacturers of equipment and supplies, research institutions, books and periodicals, breeders and trade associations. Commercial growers should find the tables of data of particular interest; scientists will be able to utilize the extensive references and to relate their areas of interest to the commercial industry’s applications; and students should find that the division of the book into 11 distinct sections, with multiple chapters in each, should make the text particularly useful.