Become an Expert at Raising and Caring for Poultry
If you are considering owning chickens or other poultry, you should start with the Caring for Chickens and Other Poultry short course. This course will help you understand everything that you need to know about different varieties of poultry, breeds, how you can care for them.
If you are considering purchasing a small flock for your backyard pet, or a more serious business venture, everything you need to know. You may even work in a poultry or a pet care business and would like to gain more knowledge to support your career.
This short course covers 6 lessons that explores the history and origins of chickens and other poultry, the overall nature of caring for chickens, recognising breeds, the fundamentals of feeding and nutrition, health care, general management of a flock and the industry services and opportunities. It is designed to take around 20 hours to complete from start to finish!
Like all of our animal and agricultural courses, this course is founded on research from history, agriculture, science and business. A wealth of information comes from academic writers who have years of knowledge and experience working with animals including poultry.
At the end of each lesson, you will be given a short interactive test to undertake, which will provide an indication of how your learning is progressing. Upon completing the very last lesson, you will be offered a more thorough automated test or examination. This final assessment can be undertaken at a time that suits you. If you achieve an overall pass, you will be able to obtain a “certificate of completion” with your name and completion date on it.
Course Structure
LESSON 1 SCOPE AND NATURE OF DOMESTICATED POULTRY
A brief history
Keeping poultry – profit or pleasure
Chickens
Turkeys
Ducks
Don’t buy sick birds
How to help hatchings chicks
How to revive ‘dead’ hatchlings
Poultry products and uses
Value adding to poultry products
Concerns for human health
Lesson 1 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 BREEDS
Basic nomenclature
Categories of breeds
Breeds
Chicken (fowl) classification
Lesson 2 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 FOOD AND WATER
Feeding for stages – starter, growth, maintenance
Nutrition during reproduction
Digestive system
Nutrients from feed
Water requirements
Favourite treats
Feeding fowls
Feeding turkeys
Feeding ducks
Feeding geese
Lesson 3 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 HEALTH
A definition of health
First aid kit for poultry
Administering medication by syringe
Common poisonous household products
General basic care
Common diseases affecting poultry
Parasites
Lesson 4 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 MANAGEMENT
Housing and shelter
Managing waste
Environmental issues
Regulations for keeping poultry
Management procedures for breeding
Meat production procedures
Lesson 5a additional reading
Lesson 5b additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 6 THE POULTRY INDUSTRY
Working in the poultry industry
Farm management – egg, meat or breeder
Lesson 6 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
