Brown Leghorn Chicks Brown Leghorn vs. Broiler Chicken Live Bird Market Chicken Flock Lifespan  Age of bird varies with time of year and breed. › Most common age bird is sold is 16 to 20 weeks old. › The bird maturity plays a part in the time of the sale. Diet Differences  Because birds are raised longer than broilers, they are fed a different diet. › Feed formulas vary by the individual supplier but usually include a chick starter, grower, and a developer. Processing   Processing can be done by the consumer at home. Processing is also done at commercial processing plants that offer custom processing. › Birds that are processed must be sold and consumed within 7 days in order to maintain freshness. › Birds are never frozen and then sold in the markets as fresh.  Whether the birds are professionally or personally processed, the bird is left whole with the head and feet attached. › This is called a Buddhist Style process. › The consumer can also tell the age of the bird by the size of the comb.  A “Hot Plant” is offered for consumers to pick out the live bird they want and have it processed in a state inspected processing facility. › All other processing is done at USDA inspected facilities. › The birds are packaged with custom labels or packed directly on ice for transport. Marketing  Birds are sold in grocery stores, restaurants and live bird markets. › Most live markets offer both live and processed product. › The store is divided in two by a panel to separate the live from the processed cold storage. Duck Producers  Terms › Drake – male duck › Hen – female duck › Ducklings – adolescent ducks Major Meat Breeds of Duck › Aylesbury › Muscovy › White Pekin Aylesbury  Popular in England where the breed originated.  Appearance – White feathered, white skin, flesh colored bills, light orange legs and feet. Adult drakes – up to 9 lbs, adult hens – up to 8 lbs. Aylesbury Muscovy      Unrelated to other meat breeds. Wild Muscovy originated in South America; however, the French domesticated the Muscovy duck for commercial production and brought it to the United States. This is a major commercial breed in California. Appearance – many varieties, white is most desirable for markets. Drakes weigh up to 11 lbs and hens weigh up to 6 lbs. Non-migratory bird. Still considered a waterfowl; however is more comfortable on the ground than water. Enjoys scavenging in the mud and dirt. Muscovy ducks are indigenous of South America. Wild populations are found in Florida and Texas today because they were relocated by people to those areas. Muscovy Muscovy Hen with Ducklings