Poultry Evaluation

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Purpose

The State FFA Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event encourages learning through activities relative to production and management, processing, marketing and quality of poultry products. 

 

Objectives

State FFA Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event provides opportunities for the participant to: 

1. Make accurate observations and logical decisions
   
2. Discuss and justify decisions (orally and written)
3. Communicate industry and product terminology
   
4. Promote USDA standards of product quality
5. Identify consumer preferences for products
   
6. Recognize economic importance of value-added products
7. Demonstrate the use of appropriate information technology used in the poultry industry

Specifically, the participants will:  

1. Evaluate and select live meat-type chickens and orally defend the selection. 
2. Evaluate and place live egg-type hens and orally defend the selection. 
3. Evaluate and grade ready-to-cook carcasses and parts of chickens and turkeys. 
4. Evaluate, grade and place ready-to-cook carcasses of chickens or turkeys and orally defend the placing. 
5. Evaluate and grade individual shell eggs for interior quality. 
6. Evaluate and grade individual shell eggs for exterior quality and indicate factors governing the grading. 
7. Evaluate pre-cooked further processed poultry meat products and indicate factors governing the evaluation. 
8. Identify poultry carcass parts. 
9. Complete a written examination on poultry production, management and science. 

 

Event Format

 

Team Make-Up

Teams may consist of 4 members and each school may enter two alternates, which will not be scored with the team but will be eligible for individual awards. There will be no team activity. Each team will be composed of the number of members determined by the specific career development event committee. 

Participants are to observe the National FFA Code of Ethics and Proper Use of the FFA Jacket during the career development events. Official FFA dress is recommended for participants where appropriate and is required for award functions. Refer to the latest edition of the Official FFA Manual. 

 

Event committees will strive to divide teams into groups so that no two participants from a team are in the same group. In any case, no two team members will be placed side-by­ side. 

 

Disqualification

1. Any communication, verbal or nonverbal, among participants during the event will be sufficient cause to eliminate the participants involved from the event.
2. Teams arriving after the Event has begun may be disqualified or penalized. No member substitutions may be made after the career development event begins.
3. Any assistance given to a team member from any source other than the Event officials or assistants will be sufficient cause to eliminate the team from the career development event.
4. Event Superintendents may stop any participant if they deem his/her manner to be hazardous either to himself/herself or others. Such stoppage shall deem the individual disqualified for that section of the career development event.

 

Equipment (specifically for the Poultry Career Development Event)

1. Each participant must have two clean and sharpened No. 2 pencils and an electronic calculator. Calculators permissible for use are those that are battery-operated, nonprogrammable, and silent. A calculator may have the following functions: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, equals, percent, square root, +/- key, and one memory register. A calculator capable of storing equations, definitions, and/or terms is not permitted. Participant use of unauthorized electronic devices will result in disqualification. 
2. Participants will be provided a clipboard for the purpose of providing storage of the scan sheets during the event. No other containers or devices are permitted. In addition, participants will be provided a standard form and clean sheets of paper for recording decisions made during the event. This document will serve as a participant's personal record of decisions made during the event. Participants or advisors will not be allowed in the Event areas before the events, as designated in the specific career development event rules. 

* Adapted from "National FFA Career Development Event Handbook,   2017-2021." National FFA Organization, Indianapolis, IN.

 

Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event Rules

1. Humane Treatment of Live Animals: All live animals must be treated with the utmost care and respect. Violation of this rule will automatically disqualify an offending team member from the event. The supervision, interpretation, and enforcement of this rule will be the responsibility of the Event Superintendent and/or his/her designee. 
2. Each team will receive computer scan sheets during registration. 
3. Each team will report for instructions to the Event Superintendent at the specified time and place listed in the current year's team orientation packet. No participant, coach, or advisor may enter the event area before the specified time. 
4. The written examination (Class 12) will be administered at the beginning of the event. An appropriate amount of time, as determined by the event officials, will be provided to participants for this class. 
5. Each participant will have ten minutes per class to complete Class 1 through Class 11. A warning signal will inform the participant when time expires for each class. The participant will have one minute to move from class to class. 
6. A reliable technique will be used to identify the poultry and poultry products within the placing, selection, grading, and identification classes. Each class will be identified by number and name. 
7. Each participant will place a class of four market broilers. The participant will be permitted to "handle" the birds, as long as the birds are inspected in a professional and humane manner. Participants may not remove the broilers from the holding unit. 
8. Each participant will place a class of four egg-type hens. Birds will be Single-Comb White Leghorns or commercial strains of Leghorn-type (inbred cross). Birds may have trimmed beaks. The participant will be permitted to "handle" the birds, as long as the birds are inspected in a professional and humane manner. Participants will not be able to hold birds close to one another to compare. 
9. Each participant will present oral reasons for either the placing class of market broilers, the placing class of egg-type hens, or the placing class of RTC carcasses. The class for which participants should develop oral reasons for presentation will be clearly identified during the event. Participants will have ten minutes to prepare and two minutes to present their oral reasons. Reasons should include current USDA and poultry industry terminology and standards. 

1. Each participant will grade a class of ten ready-to-cook chicken and/or turkey carcasses and/or parts. Criteria for grading will be derived from USDA standards for chicken carcasses weighing two pounds to six pounds and for turkey carcasses weighing six pounds to sixteen pounds. Four categories may be used, including the USDA quality grades A, B, C, and the category NG (non gradable). Participants may not touch any carcass or part; doing so will result in disqualification. If used, the shackle holding a carcass may be rotated to show the entire carcass. 
2. Each participant will place a class of four ready-to-cook chicken or turkey carcasses. Criteria will be derived from USDA standards relative to poultry weight classes. Participants may not touch any carcass; doing so will result in disqualification. If used, the shackle holding a carcass may be rotated to show the entire carcass. 

1. Each participant will grade a class of ten white (or white-tint) shell eggs. Criteria for grading will be derived from USDA standards for interior quality of market eggs. Four categories may be used, including the USDA quality grades AA, A, B, and Loss. Participants must candle the eggs to determine the appropriate USDA quality grade, but improper handling of eggs will result in disqualification. 
2. Each participant will grade a class of ten shell eggs. Shell color may be the same or vary among the eggs. Criteria for grading eggs will be from USDA standards for exterior quality of market eggs. Three categories may be used, including the USDA quality grades AA/A, B, and NG (non gradable). Criteria for grading may include decisions related to the following quality factors: eggshell soundness (unbroken, checked, dented check, leaker); stains (slight/moderate stain or prominent stain); adhering dirt or foreign material; egg shape (approximate normal shape, unusual, or decidedly misshapen); shell texture (large calcium deposits, body check or pronounced ridges); shell thickness (pronounced thin spots); no defect. 
3. Each participant will determine written factors for the grading the class of the exterior chicken eggs. The written factors will relate to the criteria used for grading exterior quality of eggs. 

 

1. Each participant will determine evaluative criteria for a class of ten boneless further­- processed poultry meat products (e.g., precooked, coated chicken meat patties, tenders, and nuggets) and a class of ten bone-in further-processed poultry meat products (e.g., drums, thighs, and wings). Evaluative criteria will include coating coverage, coating color, shape and size, completeness, and foreign material. The participant may not touch any product; doing so will result in disqualification. 
2. Each participant will identify ten poultry carcass parts. Poultry parts to be identified will be randomly selected and consistent with those used in the poultry processing and merchandising industries. The participant may not touch any part; doing so will result in disqualification. 
3. Each participant will complete an examination on poultry production, management, anatomy /physiology, and embryology. Five or more items will require mathematical calculations. The total number of questions on the examination should not exceed 30. Examination items will be developed from information in the following references:

   Poultry Science Manual for National FFA Career Development Events (7^th edition) (printed) (IMS Catalog #0418-7)

   1. For even-number years (2018, 2020), examination items will be derived from Section B, Section D, and the following topics in Section C: production segments, careers, anatomy and physiology, embryology, health management, market broilers, market turkeys, egg-strain pullets and hens, waste management, processing, and additional poultry enterprises and products.
   2. For odd-number years (2017, 2019), examination items will be derived from Section B, Section D, and the following topics in Section C: production segments, careers, anatomy and physiology, embryology, health, hatcheries, waste management, processing, environmental control, genetics, nutrition, and marketing.
      1. Evaluation of Further-Processed Poultry Meat Products (digital color photographs & script on CD) (included in IMS #9333NC)
      2. Poultry Grading Manual - Agriculture Handbook Number 31 (USDA; color printed) (IMS Catalog #0414) (also included in IMS #9333NC)
      3. Egg-Grading Manual - Agriculture Handbook Number 75 (USDA; color printed) (IMS Catalog #0417) (also included in IMS #9333NC)

      4. Instructional Materials Service (IMS), Texas A&M University, 2588 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-2588, Phone: 979-845-6601; Fax: 979-845-6608

         ims@tamu.edu    http://www.myimsservices.com

          

          

4. If ties occur among total scores for individuals, the total scores for placing classes (1+2+5) and then the written examination will be used to determine the ranking of award recipients.

• If ties occur among total scores for teams, the team activity will be used to determine the ranking of award recipients.
• * Adapted from "National FFA Career Development Events Handbook, 2017-2021." National FFA Organization, Indianapolis, INPOULTRY EVALUATION CAREER DEVELOPMENT EVENT FORMAT

 

Scoring

 

References

• Poultry Science Manual for National FFA Career Development Events order form
• Instructional Materials Services, Texas A & M University, 2588 TAMUS, College Station, Texas 77843-2588, Phone:  979-845-6601.  
• USDA Egg Grading Manual, Agriculture Handbook No. 75 (IMS Catalog #0417)

• USDA Poultry Grading Manual, Agriculture Handbook No. 31 (IMS Catalog #0414)

• National FFA Poultry Evaluation Handbook 2017-2021

• Consult the Poultry Science Manual for additional references and resources.

 

Supplemental Materials 

Poultry Form #478-7

Scoring Format Summary-In Manual