Organic Poultry Production

Anatomy and Physiology – General animal husbandry – Nutrition

The teaching methodologies are designed to stimulate student participation and active learning, namely through guided research. The theoretical components are exposed using powerpoint, board and articles reading. The practice includes several tasks at the ESAC pedagogical poultry house – weighing, recording, evaluating productivity and welfare scores. Research or, preferably, project, on organic poultry production. Also, the realization of visits to business production units.

The student must be able to manage, plan and design a production unit in MPB taking into account key aspects: a high health status, housing and management conditions in accordance with their natural behaviour, minimising the use of medication and producing safe and quality food, following the specific legislation for organic production. It must also know how to reduce in puts on the farm and take into account the diversity and environmental constraints.

Recognize the market concept of organic poultry products. To know the anatomy and physiology of poultry with special focus on the application aspects. The Portuguese poultry breeds and the most used strains adapted to free range systems. Birds’ basic needs. Behaviour and welfare; bird welfare evaluation: productive, behavioural and physiological. Scoring of plumage condition and pecking/cannibalism wounds. Legal requirements concerning environment, poultry slaughter, meat and egg marketing. Feeding, health and biosecurity. Management and housing. Technical, sanitary and medicated records, in accordance with the regulations in force.

• - Dois testes escritos - 50.0%
• - 1 Projeto avícola - 50.0%

NAO

Soil Association. Organic Poultry Production. 2009. www.soilassociation.org/foodandfarming. Lampkin, N.
Organic Poultry Production. Final report to MAFF. The University of Wales, 1997. ISBN 0902124 62 5. RODET, J.-C.. Factores de produção Animal. Elementos para o êxito da pecuária biológica. Instituto Natural de  Recursos Ecológicos, 2005. RODET, J.-C.. Factores de produção Animal. Elementos para o êxito da pecuária biológica. Instituto Natural de Recursos Ecológicos, 2005. Soil Association.. Managing organic laying hens.DEFRA, s.d. RODET, J.-C.. O frango. Alimentação biológica e cuidados naturais alternativos. AGROBIO,Associação Portuguesa de Agricultura Biológica.[s.d.] RODET, J.-C.. Factores de produção Animal. Elementos para o êxito da pecuária biológica. Instituto Natural de Recursos Ecológicos, 2005. O’Connell and Lynch, B. Organic Poultry Production in Ireland. 2004. RODET, J.-C.. Factores de produção Animal. Elementos para o êxito da pecuária biológica. Instituto Natural de Recursos Ecológicos, 2005. Sosnówka-Czajka et al. (2010). Effect of different housing systems on productivity and welfare of laying hens. Annals of Animal Science. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286614868 . Soil Association. Rearing organic poultry for meat. DEFRA, s.d.