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Geography

Grade 4

Food production in south africa

Module 23

Poultry farming

How frequently does your family have chicken or eggs at a meal? Where does it come from? Poultry farmers can be divided into two categories:

Egg farmers Table fowl farmers
Definition Produce eggs to sell Produce fowls that are slaughtered for their meat.
How it works
  • Hens start laying when they are 18 weeks old.
  • They are kept in batteries.
  • Cocks and hens are kept, to have fertilised eggs.
  • Eggs are placed in a hatching chamber in a hatchery.
  • The hen is most productive at 20 weeks.
  • From week 26 to 28 egg production drops (sold).
  • Some are free-range chickens.
  • Up to 50 000 under a single roof.
  • Temperature is controlled.
  • Regular inoculation against disease.
  • Eggs not fertilised.
  • A hen lays approximately 300 eggs over a period of 52 weeks.
  • Eggs are sorted according to size and shell quality.
  • Eggs hatch on day 21.
  • Chicks are inoculated against diseases.
  • Chicks are kept under heaters.
  • Lights are kept burning for 16 hours per day.
  • Chicks are fed special food to make them grow quickly.
  • After 40 days the slaughter fowl weighs approximately 2 kg.
  • It is ready for slaughtering and packaging.
  • Distributed to shops (whole or as pieces).

Breeding

Chicks to be used for breeding are transferred to the breeding section when they are 21 weeks old. These hens and cocks are kept together in one breeding shed (ten hens to a cock). Eggs (hatching eggs) are laid in nests from week 22. Eggs are collected five times per day. Only some of the fertilised eggs are used for breeding. The cocks and the hens are fed a special diet and are sold, with the laying hens, when they are about 64 weeks old.

Why is chicken less expensive than red meat?

Activity 1

To discuss questions in groups and report the group's findings to the rest of the class [lo 1.6, 1.7]

  • Take a look at the sketch of laying hens in a battery. What do you think of the conditions under which these hens are kept?
  • Why do you think the hens are kept in such small cages?

What is meant when someone talks about eggs laid in a hidden nest or hens laying eggs in hidden nests?

Assessment

Learning outcome 1: geographical enquiry

The learner will be able to use enquiry skills to investigate geographical and

environmental concepts and processes.

Assessment standard

We know this when the learner:

1.6 uses information from sources (including own observations) to answer questions about people and places (e.g. “Why is it like that?”) [answers the question];

1.7 uses geographical and environmental concepts and terms to report on enquiries in different ways (e.g. writing a paragraph, using a poster, artwork).

Memorandum

Chicken is cheaper than red meat because:

  • Quicker; shorter life cycle; limited space needed for breeding; no need for grazing

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Source:  OpenStax, Geography grade 4. OpenStax CNX. Sep 17, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11084/1.1
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