4.3 Poultry farming

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:

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