Poultry

Poultry is a category of domesticated birds

kept by humans for the purpose of collecting
their eggs, or killing for their meat and/or
feathers. These most typically are members
of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl),
especially the order Galliformes (which
includes chickens, quails and turkeys) and
the family Anatidae (in order Anseriformes),
commonly known as "waterfowl" (e.g.
domestic ducks and domestic geese). Poultry
also includes other birds which are killed for
their meat, such as pigeons or doves or birds
considered to be game, like pheasants.
Poultry comes from the Latin word, poule,
which means to hang.

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Examples

Bird Wild ancestor Domestication Utilization

Red Junglefowl/Grey meat, feathers,
Southeast
Chicken Junglefowl/Sonnerat's eggs,
Asia
Junglefowl ornamentation
Muscovy meat, feathers,
Duck various
Duck/Mallard eggs
various, 20th meat, leather,
Emu
century oil
Greylag Goose/Swan meat, feathers,
Goose various
Goose eggs
meat, feathers,
Indian
Indian Peafowl various ornamentation,
peafowl
landscaping
feathers, eggs,
Mute swan Mute Swan various
landscaping
meat, eggs,
various, 20th
Ostrich Ostrich feathers,
century
leather
Turkey Wild Turkey Mexico meat, feathers
meat, pest
Domesticated consumption,
Helmeted guineafowl Africa
guineafowl and alarm
calling
Common
Common pheasant Eurasia meat
pheasant
Golden meat, mainly
Golden pheasant Eurasia
pheasant ornamental
various, 20th meat, leather,
Rhea Rhea
century oil, eggs

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Cuts of poultry

Cuts from a plucked chicken.

The meatiest parts of a bird are the flight muscles
on its chest, called breast meat, and the walking
muscles on the first and second segments of its
legs, called the thigh and drumstick, respectively.
White meat has less oxygen-carrying myoglobin
than the dark meat, and is thus lighter in color.
Dark meat comes from muscles more heavily
exercised, which therefore have more fat stored in
them. This accounts for dark meat's reputation as
being both unhealthier and more flavorful than
white meat. Birds that fly rarely (domestic turkey)
or sporadically (chicken) have white meat breasts,
and birds that fly frequently or long distances
(ducks, geese and doves) have dark meat breasts.
Quail breast meat is intermediate in color.

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Amyloidosis
Introduction
A Coronavirus infection of chickens with a
morbidity of 50-100% and a mortality 0-25%,
depending on secondary infections. Infection is
via the conjunctiva or upper respiratory tract
with an incubation period of 18-36 hours. The
infection spreads rapidly by contact, fomites or
aerosol. Some birds/viral strains can be carriers
for up to 1 year. The virus, which may survive 4
weeks in premises, is sensitive to solvents, heat
(56°C for 15 mins), alkalis, disinfectants
(Formal 1% for 3 mins). Poor ventilation and
high density are predisposing factors.
Signs
• Sudden death.
• Muscular shivering.
• Otherwise as for standard IB.
Post-mortem lesions
• Oedema of pectoral muscles and
subcutaneously on abdomen, lesions

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 progress to necrosis and scarring of deep
pectorals in convalescence.
• In layers the ovules may be intensely
congested.
• Other lesions of 'classical' IB may be
encountered.
Diagnosis
3-5 passages in CE allantoic cavity, HA-, typical
lesions, FA, ciliostatic in tracheal organ culture,
cell culture (Vero, CK) only after adaptation
Serology: HI, Elisa (both group specific), SN
(type specific), DID (poor sensitivity, short
duration, group specific).
Treatment
Sodium salicylate 1gm/litre (acute phase) where
permitted - antibiotics to control secondary
colibacillosis (q.v.).
Prevention
Live vaccines of appropriate sero-type and
attenuation, possible reactions depending on
virulence and particle size.

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Anatipestifer Disease, New Duck
Syndrome, Duck Sepicaemia

Introduction
An acute or chronic septicaemic disease caused by
Riemerella anatipestifer, syn Pasteurella, or Moraxella a. It
affects ducks of any age, sometimes turkeys, and may also
be isolated from chickens, game birds and wild waterfowl.
Mortality is 2-75% in young ducks. Transmission is mainly
direct, bird-to-bird, via toenail scratches, especially of the
duckling foot, or through respiratory epithelium during
respiratory disease. It can also be by faecal contamination
of feed, water or the environment where survival of the
infectious agent may be prolonged. Adverse environmental
conditions and pre-existing disease are predisposing
factors.
Signs
• Weakness.
• Neck tucked in.
• Head/neck tremor.

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 • Ataxia.
• Disinclined to walk.
• Incoordination.
• Dyspnoea.
• Ocular and/or nasal discharge.
• Hyperexcitability

Post-mortem lesions
• Perihepatitis without much smell or liver damage.
• Pericarditis.
• Airsacculitis.
• Enlarged liver and spleen.
• Occasionally fibrinous meningitis.
• Salpingitis
• Purulent synovitis.
• Chronic arthritis, sometimes with erosions of the joint
cartilage.
Diagnosis
Lesions, isolation and identification of organism - blood or
chocolate agar in candle jar or 5% CO2. Differentiate from
duck viral enteritis, duck viral hepatitis, fowl cholera,
colibacillosis, coccidiosis, chlamydiosis.
Treatment
Sulphonamides and potentiated sulphonamides are the
products most commonly recommended for drinking water
application. Subcutaneous injections of penicillin +

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dihydrostreptomycin, or streptomycin +
dihydrostreptomycin are also highly effective.
Prevention
Good husbandry and hygiene, rigid depopulation and
disinfection, adequate protection, 'hardening off', correct
house relative humidity, sulphonamides in feed. Inactivated
and attenuated vaccines available in some countries.
Autogenous bacterins sometimes used.