Poulty Science

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge on some biological characteristics of birds and on poultry productions. Basic knowledge considers notions of genetics, description of some anatomical systems and embryo development. In addition, the course considers different aspects of poultry production: organization of the sector and productive statistics, selection strategies, management of poultry breeders, artificial incubation, systems of production for meat and eggs, quality of products.

The student must build up knowledge on the organization of the avian production sectors, the husbandry systems and management guidelines and productive traits of different breeds/genetic lines reared for meat and egg production. In particular, the student must know the and poultry sectors, and understand the most important factors affecting productive performance. Furthermore, the student has to be conscious of the relevance to use appropriate terminology, fundamental for the correct professional communication. The student must be able to apply the theoretical knowledge for the identification of breeds within species and for the assessment of different factors according to the different productive systems: facilities, environment, critical/strength points. The student must acquire ability of critical analysis of the information studied and be able to relate different factors to provide correct assessments. The student must have communication ability using the correct terminology peculiar to avian productive sector, according to the information provided in lectures and practices.