| 4-H Poultry Showmanship Questions |
| 1. What is the function of the vent? Is it common to all poultry? |
| It is the uro-genital opening of the bird, the external portion of the cloaca. All poultry have one. It is where the egg, uric acid and feces all exit. |
| 2. In order for a female to lay eggs, does she need the presence of a male? |
| No, only for fertile eggs to be produced. |
| 3. In what part of the hen's reproductive tract is the shell produced? What are the following? Pullet, Hen, Cockerel, Rooster, Capon |
| The uterus or shell gland. Pullet is a young female, hen is a female that has laid eggs for about 6 months, cockerel is a young male, rooster is a mature male and capon is a castrated male chicken. |
| 4. What is the importance of calcium in the diets of laying hens? |
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| It is needed for the calcium of the egg shell. |
| 5. What precautions must be taken when you introduce new birds into your flock? |
| First check for disease, next quarentine for 3 weeks, and check for symptoms. |
| 6. What are the differences in plumage of most adult male and female chickens? |
| Male: long, sharp hackle feathers, saddle feathers, and sickle feathers on the tail. Female: short, blunt hackle feathers, no saddle feathers and no sickle feathers. |
| 7. Beside feathers, what other anatomical features are unique to the male chicken? |
| Larger comb and wattles, coloring, spurs. |
| 8. What are the major external parasites of poultry? How do you perform a parasite check on chickens or poultry? |
| Lice and mites. Check vent, under wings, on skin under feathers by the preen gland, and the general body area. |
| 9. If you found external parasites, how should you treat them? |
| Use Sevin powder or liquid, dust or spray birds and dust nest boxes. |
| 10. What are the two other names for the breast bone of chickens? |
| Sternum or Keel |
| 11. How many eggs can a hen potentially lay in one year? |
| 365, one per day. |
| 12. What nutrients do chickens and other poultry require each day? |
| Protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins, water and oxygen. |
| 13. What are the most common feed ingredients used in poultry diets in the US? |
| Corn and Soybean meal. |
| 14. It has been said that eggs are an almost perfect food, however they are missing one vitamin, what is it? |
| Vitamin C |
| 15. What does depth of body indicate? |
| Size of abdomen and ability to hold a forming egg. |
| 16. What does width of body indicate? |
| Size of body across the pelvic bones, room for an egg. |
| 17. Why do we measure the flexibility of the pubic bones? |
| To see if they will open enough for an egg to pass. |
| 18. Why does the judge ask to see the feet and legs of birds? |
| To check for deformities, disease and for parasites. |