Poultry

I. PURPOSE

The Poultry Career Development Event stimulates learning activities relative to production and management, processing, marketing, and consumption of poultry products.

 II. EVENT RULES 

1. Team Make-up- Teams may consist of three or four members. Team ranking is determined by combining the scores of the top three students from each team.  Teams that for whatever reason have fewer than three members are not eligible for team awards, but students may receive individual awards.
2. Humane Treatment of Live Animals: All live animals must be treated with the utmost care and respect.  Violation of this rule will automatically disqualify an offending team member from the event.  The supervision, interpretation, and enforcement of this rule will be the responsibility of the Event Superintendent and/or their designee.
3. Each team will receive computer scan sheets from contest superintendent.
4. Each participant will have ten minutes to complete each class. A warning signal will inform the participants when time expires for each class. Participants will have one minute to move from class to class.
5. A reliable technique will be used to identify the poultry and poultry products in the placing, selection, grading, and identification classes.

 III. EVENT FORMAT

 A. EQUIPMENT

 Materials students must provide- Each participant must have two sharpened No. 2 pencils, and an electronic calculator. Calculators that are permissible for use in this event are those that are battery operated, non-programmable, and silent.  A calculator may have

the following functions- addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, equals, percent, square root, +/- key, and one memory register. Calculators that are capable of storing equations, definitions, and/or terms are not permitted. Participants attempting to use unauthorized calculators will be disqualified.

B. TEAM ACTIVITY

The team activity and the written examination will be administered at the beginning of the event. All members of a team will work collaboratively to perform an activity related to poultry production and management. Team members will observe and/or be provided information about a poultry industry situation or problem scenario. Team members will then answer 15 questions related to the information gained from the situation/scenario and from reference materials studied in preparation for the career development event. The team activity may require participants to use information technology that is appropriate for the poultry industry (e.g., computers, software applications, Internet resources, and related technologies).

                   

C. INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES

Live Poultry

1. Each participant will select the four best potential broiler breeders from a class of eight meat-type cockerels or pullets. The keep-cull birds may or may not have trimmed beaks. Each participant will be permitted to “handle” the birds, so long as the birds are inspected in a professional and humane manner. Following this class, the participant will have ten minutes to prepare oral reasons for presentation.
2. Each participant will present oral reasons for the selection class of broiler breeders.  Participants will have two minutes to present their oral reasons. Reasons should include current USDA and poultry industry terminology and standards.
3. Each participant will place a class of four past production egg-type hens. The birds will be Single-Comb White Leghorns, or commercial strains of Leghorn-type (inbred cross).  The birds may or may not have trimmed beaks. Each participant will be permitted to “handle” the birds, so long as the birds are inspected in a professional and humane manner.
    

 

Ready-to-Cook Poultry

1. Each participant will grade a class of ten ready-to cook chicken and/or turkey carcasses and/or parts. Criteria for grading will be from USDA standards for chicken carcasses weighing two pounds to six pounds and for turkey carcasses weighing six pounds to sixteen pounds. The USDA quality grades will be A, B, and C. Participants may not touch any carcass or part; doing so will result in disqualification. If used, the shackle holding a carcass may be rotated to show the entire carcass.
2. Each participant will place a class of four ready-to-cook turkey carcasses. Criteria for placing will be from USDA standards for turkey carcasses weighing six pounds to sixteen pounds. Participants may not touch any carcass; doing so will result in disqualification. If used, the shackle holding a carcass may be rotated to show the entire carcass. Following this class, participants will have ten minutes to prepare oral reasons for presentation.
3. Each participant will present oral reasons for their placing of the class of ready-to-cook turkey carcasses.  Participants will have two minutes to present their reasons.  Reasons should include current USDA and poultry industry terminology and standards.
    

Shell Eggs

1. Each participant will grade a class of ten white (or white-tint)-shelled eggs. Criteria for grading will be from USDA standards for interior quality of market eggs. The USDA quality grades will be AA, A, B, and Loss. Participants must candle the eggs to determine the appropriate USDA quality grade, but improper handling of eggs will result in disqualification.
2. Each participant will grade a class of ten shell eggs. Criteria for grading will be derived from USDA standards for exterior quality of market eggs. The USDA quality grades will be AA/A, B and NG (nongradable). Criteria for grading may include decisions related to the following quality factors (i.e., defects): Soundness (unbroken, check, dented check or leaker); Stains (slight/moderate stain or prominent stain); Adhering Dirt or Foreign Material; Egg Shape (approximately normal shape, unusual or decidedly misshapen); Shell Texture (shell faulty in soundness and strength, large calcium deposits or pronounced ridges); Shell Thickness (pronounced thin spots); No Defect.

3. Each participant will determine written factors for the grading of the exterior chicken eggs. The written factors will relate to the criteria used for grading exterior quality of eggs.

Further Processed Poultry

1. Each participant will determine written quality factors for a class of ten further-processed poultry meat products (e.g., precooked, coated chicken meat patties, tenders, nuggets or wings). Criteria for evaluation will include coating defects (void and color), appropriateness of shape (inconsistent shape and broken), inconsistent size, clusters/marriages, miscuts in wings (miscut and broken) and evidence of feathers or foreign material. Participants may not touch any product; doing so will result in disqualification.

2. Each participant will identify ten poultry parts. Poultry parts to be identified will be randomly selected and consistent with those used in the chicken processing and merchandising industries. The participant may not touch any part; doing so will result in disqualification.
    

Poultry Management Written Exam 

1. The written examination and the team activity will be administered at the beginning of the event.
2. Each participant will complete a thirty-item written examination on poultry production and management.  Five or more items will require mathematical calculations. Examination items will be developed from information found in the references (see Section VIII).
    

Point Value of 12 Classes/Individual 750 (Total Possible Individual Points)

 Point Value of 13 Classes (including the Team Activity) 2,450 (Total Possible Team Points)

 V. TIEBREAKERS

If ties occur, the following events will be used in order to determine the ranking of award recipients:

1. Written Management Exam
2. Live Birds Evaluation

VI. REFERENCES

This list of references is not intended to be inclusive. Other sources may be utilized and teachers are encouraged to make use of the very best instructional materials available.  The following list contains references that may prove helpful during event preparation.

*Available from Instructional Materials Service (IMS), Texas
A&M University, 2588 TAMUS,College Station,TX 77843-
2588 (Phone: 979-845-6601; FAX: 979-845-6608;
ims@tamu.edu; http://www-ims.tamu.edu/).

1. Poultry Science Manual for National FFA Career Development Events.* (Fourth Edition) (IMS Catalog #0418-4)

For even-number years (2002 and 2004) examination items will be derived from this reference except for those sections related to poultry anatomy, physiology, health, waste, environment, and marketing.

For odd-number years (2001, 2003,and 2005) examination items will be derived from this reference except for those sections related to poultry hatcheries, broiler breeders, market broilers, and turkey breeders.

(Note: Reference b., c., and d. are additional sources for the examination items.)

2. Evaluation of Precooked, Breaded Chicken Patties* (14 color slides with four-page script) (IMS Catalog #5140)

c.       Poultry Grading Manual - Agriculture Handbook Number 31* (latest USDA edition) (IMS Catalog #0414)

d.      Egg-Grading Manual - Agriculture Handbook Number 75* (latest USDA edition) (IMS Catalog #0417)

The Hormel Computing Slide is available through the National FFA Agriculture Education Resources Catalog, Item #HCSS, $11.95 each, 5 or more $11.25 each.

VII. EXAMPLES

SCORING FORMAT SUMMARY

See http://www.ffa.org/documents/cde_poultry.pdf for details of the "Scoring Format Summary"