POULTRY HOME - STUDY COURSE

http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Agriculture/POULTRYBAG208-231.aspx

POULTRY BAG208
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Select a payment plan: (Fee Code: S2)*
Plan A: 1 payment of £308.00
Plan B: 2 payments of £168.00
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Correspondence
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POULTRY HOME - STUDY COURSE
"An introduction to the care and management of poultry".
Who Should do this course?
Over the years this course has benefited everyone from amateur poultry breeders, to people who work in or are starting up a commercial poultry farm. The way it is delivered to you offers great flexibility; you determine where to focus your attention, according to where your interests and needs lie, at least to some degree. Through our unique student support services, and course notes, you can  access resources that are not readily available elsewhere.
Our tutors and course developers include experts in animal husbandry with university qualifications as well as years of hands-on experience.
Whether a small flock for home use or a start up commercial farm, you don't need a large acreage and you can start seeing results (e.g. egg production) much faster than you might see with other types of animal production. This course covers all aspects of poultry care and management including: Terminology, Breeds, Nutrition, Diseases In Poultry, Layers, Broilers, Incubation, Brooding, Record Keeping, Economics & Marketing.
A solid foundation course for:
    * Farm Workers
    * Hobby Farmers
    * Enthusiastic amateurs
Comment from an ACS student:
"I work in farm animal welfare (on a chicken campaign). It didn't make sense to work on a campaign about a subject I knew nothing about. The amount of research I did for each assignment taught me so much more than I ever could have learned on my own... I would just like to say how much I enjoyed this course and ealing with your school. I got answers quickly, and help was always available. You don't always find that in a correspondence school. My experience has been so positive I will be signing up for another course shortly". Hindy, UK - Poultry course.
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are eight lessons as follows:
   1. Introduction: terminology, pure breeds, cross breeds, brooders, commercial farming options.
   2. Feed, Nutrition & Digestion.
   3. Poultry Diseases
   4. Laying Hens: extensive, semi intensive and intensive systems, housing, feeding the layer.
   5. Broilers : the brooding period, feeding boilers, housing, hygiene and health
   6. Incubation : natural, artificial, managing the incubator, reasons for poor hatchability.
   7. Brooding: heating, feeders, drinkers, floor space, rearing.
   8. Poultry Business: records, growth records, egg production records, costing a small scale operation, marketing

What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
AIMS
    * Select appropriate poultry breeds for use in different production situations.
    * Explain the techniques used in the management of condition, including both feeding, and pest and disease control, of poultry.
    * Explain the management of poultry as layers.
    * Explain the procedures for the management of poultry as broilers.
    * Explain the techniques used in the management of poultry incubation.
    * Explain the management of brooding poultry.
    * Develop management strategies for a poultry business.
COURSE DURATION   100 hours -Work at your own pace. Some students spread this over a year or more, while others complete it within a couple of months.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
    * Distinguish between cross bred and pure bred poultry, being grown in your locality.
    * Categorise different breeds of poultry, including ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys; into groups, including: Egg laying birds, Meat/Table birds, Dual purpose breeds.
    * Explain the advantages of cross breeding poultry for two different specified purposes.
    * Label the parts of a chicken on a supplied unlabelled illustration.
    * Evaluate ten different poultry breeds to determine the most suitable breeds for three different specified purposes.
    * Label on an unlabelled illustration, the parts of the digestive tract of a fowl.
    * Describe the function of different parts of the digestive system of poultry.
    * List the dietary sources of different nutrients for poultry.
    * Describe the function of five different ingredients in specified poultry feeds.
    * Explain how rations of feed are determined for poultry.
    * Describe the feeding of poultry stock in a specified situation.
    * Describe possible dietary disorders in poultry.
    * Describe commercially significant pests and diseases in poultry.
    * Develop a checklist to be used for regular inspections to detect signs of ill health in poultry.
    * Explain the treatment of six different pests and diseases in poultry.
    * Describe a poultry vaccination program for a specified property.
    * Explain the techniques for, and the value of, quarantine procedures for poultry.
    * Compare extensive (free range), semi-intensive and intensive production systems, in terms of management, production cost, product quality product quantity.
    * Describe different housing requirements for poultry.
    * Explain a commercially viable method of collecting eggs, used on a specific poultry farm.
    * Explain three procedures used in an egg production system which are critical to the efficient operation of a specified farm.
    * Develop a production plan for laying poultry, which includes details of birds required, facilities required, materials needed, a schedule of husbandry tasks, cost estimates.
    * Describe the brooding period for a typical fowl, on a specified property.
    * Explain how brooders are successfully fed, on a specific property visited by you.
    * Explain appropriate housing for broilers being provided at a poultry farm, as observed by you.
    * Explain how hygiene and health are managed in a broiler production system, as observed by you.
    * Evaluate the successful management of broilers in a specified situation.
    * Describe daily routine tasks carried out in farming of broilers at a poultry farm visited by you.
    * Describe the process of incubation, as observed by you on a poultry farm.
    * Compare natural with artificial incubation methods, to determine appropriate applications for each type.
    * List criteria for selecting eggs for incubation in a specified situation.
    * List five different reasons for poor hatchability.
    * Compare two different incubator designs with respect to cost and application.
    * Describe the management of a specific incubator which the learner has inspected.
    * Describe the characteristics which distinguish brooding poultry from other poultry.
    * Explain how to create an appropriate brooding environment for a specific situation.
    * Compare different types of brooders.
    * Describe the operation of different brooding equipment.
    * Prepare a timetable of husbandry tasks from hatching to maturity for a brooding fowl.
    * Explain problems that may occur during rearing, including crowding and cannibalism.
    * Develop a checklist for monitoring the condition of a brooding fowl.
    * List records which should be kept by a poultry farmer.
    * Analyse purchasing procedures for routine supplies, used by a specified poultry farm.
    * Explain the value of different records kept by a poultry farmer, including growth records and egg production records.
    * List the minimum machinery required for a specified poultry enterprise.
    * Calculate the cost of production, showing a breakdown of the costs, of one marketable produce item in a small poultry business.
    * List factors which may be critical to successful marketing for a poultry farm.
    * Explain any legal requirements which apply to a specified poultry enterprise.
    * List poultry products being marketed in your locality.
    * Write a job specification for one member of staff on a poultry property.
    * Prepare a report on innovations in the poultry industry being used in your locality.
    * Develop a detailed poultry production plan.
    * Describe a successful marketing strategy employed by one supplier of poultry products in your locality.
    * Recommend an innovative approach to marketing for a poultry enterprise which you are familiar with.
    * Match credit to business needs of a poultry farm to develop the most suitable strategy for the enterprise
ACS Student Comment: "Pleased with all aspects of the course." K. Houlden, UK - Poultry course
How the payment Options Work
You can be either pay fees in one or two parts.
    * If paying in 2 parts, the first part is paid on enrolment, and the second part two months later (you are sent a bill when you enrol).
    * If you pay the full fee on enrolment, we offer a discounted fee (usually around 8% lower)
More Resources:   Books on Animal Husbandry and poultry (which are reviewed and recommended by our academic staff) are available through our mail order bookshop at www.acsbookshop.com
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study.  We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives.  We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.

Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well.  We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis.  If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.

What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”

How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing.  We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.

Longer courses will obviously take longer.  You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”

What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.

I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.

You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.

If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk

Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.

Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
OUR TUTORS
Dr. Gareth Pearce BSc(Hons), BVSc, MA, MVetS, PhD, GradCertEd(HE), PGCertAqVetS, PGCertWLBio&Cons, DiplECPHM, MRCVS.
Gareth has over 25 years of experience in teaching and research in agriculture, veterinary medicine, wildlife ecology and conservation in a variety of colleges and universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon at the Universities of Melbourne and Bristol, having previously graduated in Agricultural Science and gained a PhD in Livestock Behaviour and Production. He also has post-graduate qualifications in Education, Wildlife Conservation Medicine, Aquatic Veterinary Studies and Wildlife Biology & Conservation.
Anna Sylvester B.Sc.Hons.(Human Biology), M.Sc.Equine
Anna graduated with a degree in Human Biology from Loughborough University and then went on to complete an MSc in Equine Science at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and has a high level of expertise in equine science. She has since spent time in managerial, research and lecturing positions. She also has practical equine experience, and still competes nationally whenever the opportunity arises.
Marius Erasmus B.Sc.Agric., B.Sc.(Wildlife), M.Sc.Agriculture
Subsequent to completing a BSc (agric) degree in animal science, Marius completed an honours degree in wildlife management, and a masters degree in production animal physiology. Following the Masters degree, he has worked for 9 years in the UK, and South Africa; in wildlife management, dairy, beef and poultry farming. 
POULTRY DISTANCE - LEARNING COURSE
Learn about the care and management of poultry

    * Learn to manage small and large scale poultry and egg production.
    * Suitable for farmers, people keeping poultry at home and more.
    * Study in your own time and at your own pace.
    * Taught and written by poultry experts.

Chooks. Learn to manage poultry on a small or large scale, for production of eggs, meat or young birds. This course covers all aspects of poultry care and management including: Terminology, Breeds, Nutrition, Diseases in Poultry, Layers, Broilers, Incubation, Brooding, Record Keeping, Economics & Marketing; and is relevant to free range or other forms of production.
Comment from an ACS student: "I work in farm animal welfare (on a chicken campaign). It didn't make sense to work on a campaign about a subject I knew nothing about. The amount of research I did for each assignment taught me so much more than I ever could have learned on my own... I would just like to say how much I enjoyed this course and dealing with your school. I got answers quickly, and help was always available. You don't always find that in a correspondence school. My experience has been so positive I will be signing up for another course shortly". Hindy (UK) - Poultry course.