Poultry Science, Fifth Edition

A Scientific and Practical Introduction to Modern Poultry Production

Poultry Science, Fifth Edition, offers a thorough survey of the biology, production, and management of domesticated birds. Authored by Colin G. Scanes with Karen D. Christensen, this edition brings together foundational science and real-world industry practice. It is suited to students, instructors, and professionals seeking a detailed reference on how poultry is raised, fed, housed, protected, and marketed.

From Domestication to Global Industry

The opening chapters set the stage with a global perspective on poultry, including domestication, the growth of meat and egg production, nutritional attributes of poultry products, and projections for the future. Readers then move into commercial industry structures, organic and niche production systems, backyard poultry, and the broader economic forces that shape poultry enterprises.

Biology, Behavior, and Genetics

Later sections examine poultry biology in depth, covering evolution and classification, integument, skeletal and circulatory systems, digestion, reproduction, thermoregulation, and the integration of body processes. Separate chapters address poultry behavior, social hierarchy, communication, and welfare-related behaviors, while genetics and breeding chapters explain inheritance, genome organization, commercial breeding, and breed development.

Nutrition, Feed, and Feeding Programs

A substantial portion of the book is devoted to nutrition. Topics include nutrient classification, dietary energy and protein, mineral and vitamin requirements, water needs, antinutritive factors, feedstuffs, supplements, additives, and the formulation of practical feeding programs for broilers, layers, breeders, turkeys, ducks, and other avian species.

Health, Welfare, and Food Safety

The text gives serious attention to disease and well-being. Chapters cover stress, welfare regulation, consumer expectations, infectious and metabolic diseases, vaccination, biosecurity, parasites, and the role of veterinarians and diagnostic laboratories. Food safety receives its own chapter, with discussion of pathogens, eggs, poultry meat, allergens, chemicals, antibiotics, and irradiation.

Production Systems and Species

Readers can explore the management of layers and egg production, broiler chickens and chicken meat, turkeys, ducks, geese, and exotic poultry such as ratites, pigeons, and game birds. Incubation, hatchery practices, housing and equipment, biosecurity, brooding, litter, water quality, pest control, and beak conditioning are covered across species. The final chapters address business, marketing, vertical coordination, world trade, and preparing for careers in poultry science.

Who This Edition Is For

Poultry Science, Fifth Edition, is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students in animal science, agriculture, and veterinary-related programs, as well as instructors who need a comprehensive course text. Poultry producers, extension specialists, and industry professionals will also find it a useful reference for the scientific principles behind commercial practice.