STOCKSCH 297 PA – 3 Credits

ENROLL HERE

Instructor: Deborah Niemann

Contact: deborahwrites@gmail.com

Webpage: https://thriftyhomesteader.com/about-author/ 

This course explores sustainable methods of raising poultry for meat and egg production, whether for home or commercial use. It will cover planning and managing a pastured poultry operation, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and exotic fowl, such as guineas, quail, and partridge. It will integrate current research on poultry health issues with management practices. Hatching and brooding chicks will be discussed in detail, including information on broody hens and incubator use. Legal requirements, licensing, and marketing of eggs and meat to consumers, restaurants, and stores will be covered.

Learning Objectives – Students will be able to:

• Explain the difference between poultry management systems that employ conventional, organic, and sustainable methods.
• Plan housing, fencing, and other infrastructure required for egg and meat operations.
• Evaluate poultry to purchase.
• Learn about nutrition and explore local feed options.
• Develop a manure management plan.
• Explain how management practices can impact the use of antibiotics, anthelmintics, and coccidiostats.
• Recognize behavioral and physical changes of sick poultry.
• Develop a plan for dealing with predators.
• Learn how to select breeding stock and incubate eggs.
• Explore meat processing options.
• Develop a plan for selling eggs and meat.

Course Components:

The course is presented in an online learning environment through PowerPoint presentations, audio lectures, videos, and weekly online discussions.

Grading:

1. Fourteen weekly online discussions (5 to 10 points each)
2. Fourteen weekly quizzes (5 to 10 points each)
3. Final exam (50 points)

Calendar:

	Topic	Reading Assignment
Week 1	Introduction: Why are we all here?	Ussery, Ch. 1-2
Week 2	Poultry species and breeds; buying poultry	Ussery, Ch. 3-4
Week 3	Housing	Ussery, Ch. 6, 9, 11
Week 4	Fencing	Ussery, Ch. 10
Week 5	Poultry nutrition	Ussery, Ch. 15-19
Week 6	Brooding poultry	Ussery, Ch. 5Damerow, Ch. 1-5
Week 7	Day-to-day life with poultry	Ussery, Ch. 7-8
Week 8	Parasites, illnesses, disease, predators, & other challenges	Ussery, Ch. 20-22
Week 9	Breeding and broody hens	Damerow, Ch. 6
Week 10	Incubating eggs	Damerow, Ch. 7-11
Week 11	Processing and selling poultry meat and eggs	Ussery, Ch. 28
Week 12	Beyond meat and eggs	Ussery, Ch. 12-14
Week 13	Turkeys
Week 14	Marketing	Ussery, Ch. 30
Week 15	Your future poultry farm

Required texts:

Damerow, Gail. (2013). Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.

Ussery, Harvey. (2011). The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: An All-Natural Approach to Growing Chickens and Other Fowl For Home and Market Growers. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, VT.

Bibliography:

Damerow, Gail. (2013). Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.

Scanes, Colin G.; George Brant, M.E. Ensminger. (2004). Poultry Science, Fourth Edition. Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Ussery, Harvey. (2011). The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: An All-Natural Approach to Growing Chickens and Other Fowl For Home and Market Growers. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, VT.

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This class is part of the Sustainable Food and Farming Online Certificate Program and will count toward the Associate of Science degree as well as the Online B.S. degree.  Online classes cost $482/credit.

To begin planning for the future, see….

Annual Class Schedule

NOTE: The UMass Sustainable Food and Farming Certificate has been declared eligible for Veterans Educational Benefits. For instructions see: Veterans Benefits.

If you are not interested in earning college credit, there are many non-credited workshops and short courses you can take outside of the university.  For a list see: non-university workshops and courses.