| 4-H Poultry Showmanship Questions |
| 37. What and where are the covert feathers? |
| Small feathers on the wing that fill in spaces. |
| 38. What is the function of the comb and wattles on chickens? |
| Sex differentiation, Identification and Thermoregulation. |
| 39. Where is the axial feather found and how many do chickens have? |
| On the wings, between the primary and secondary flights, one on each wing. |
| 40. For what disease must all birds going to shows in our state be tested for? |
| Page 3 |
| Salmonella pullorum. |
| 41. How is Salmonella pullorum spread or transmitted? |
| Through the egg, either by organisms from the ovary or from shell contamination from contact with manure in the nest box. |
| 42. What are basic signs of good health in chickens? |
| Alert, active, clear eyes, good manure consistancy, and free of external parasites. |
| 43. How often should poultry flocks that are allowed access to outside for roaming or grazing be de-wormed? |
| As often as needed, but atleast twice a year, spring and fall. |
| 44. What disease of poultry should small flock owners be particularly aware of that can cause high mortality and be of great concern to commercial poultry growers? |
| Avian Influenza |
| 45. If you saw a lot of manure staining on the feathers just below the vent, what health related problem of your bird should you suspect? |
| Diarrhea |
| 46. Why is the problem described in #45 of concern and how can it be treated? |
| Diarrhea can lead to dehydration and possible death. One needs to re-hydrate the bird by providing electrolytes and water and then determine why the bird had diarrhea in the first place and treat that. A high load of worms, coccidiosis or bacterial infection of the gut can often lead to diarrhea. |
| 47. Sometimes in breeding flocks, feather loss is noticed on the lower back and the back of the head of some females. What is the cause of this? |
| When breeding, the males stand on the back of the females and hold onto the feathers on the back of the head with their beak, causing feather loss in those areas. |
| 48. Many starter feeds for chickens are labled as "Medicated". What is the medication, and for what reason is it in the feed? |
| Amprolium or Coban (Monensen), it is to help the bird build immunity to Coccidiosis, a protozoan disease of the digestive tract of birds. There are 9 different types of coccidiosis, so medicated feed is a good preventative measure. |
| 49. What is the main difference between Starter Feed, Grower Feed, and Layer Feed for feeding chicks, pullets and laying hens? |
| Protein levels. Starter 18-19% CP, Grower 14-15% CP and Layer 16-17% CP. |
| Continued |
| 50. What is the difference between a broiler, a roaster and a capon? |
| Broilers are young meat birds, usually processed at 6-8 weeks of age, roasters are usually 10-14 weeks of age and capons are castrated meat birds grown to about 18-20 weeks of age. |
| 51. What is bumble foot? |
| An infection in the foot pad of poultry, usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus from the manure. |