Agriculture Reference
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feathering chicks, the primary and secondary feathers are longer than the coverts. In
slow-feathering chicks, the primaries and coverts are about the same length at hatch-
ing. The cross between a fast-feathering male and a slow-feathering female results
in a slow-feathering male and a fast-feathering female. Knowing this is helpful for
those who want to take on the challenge of breed creation or breed improvement.
Poultry also have specialized bones called pneumatic bones connected to the respir-
atory system through the air sacs. These bones are hollow and include the skull, humer-
us, clavicle, and keel, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae. Hollow bones are adaptations for
flight in most birds and help all poultry get somewhat airborne as well.
Feathers
When a chick hatches it has practically no feathers, but is covered with down , a fluffy
first plumage. As the chick's first days pass, the down feathers begin to grow longer and
develop shafts that become the first set of feathers. Chicks usually are fully feathered by
the age of four to five weeks. Some breeds feather irregularly and in most cases females
feather out completely and more uniformly than do male birds.
Feathers are used to protect birds from the elements, insulate, aid in flight, and also
aid in sex differentiation. The rate of feathering , the development of feathers other than
down, varies by breed but follows this general pattern: shoulder and thigh around two to
three weeks; rump and breast at three to four weeks; abdomen, neck, and leg at four to
five weeks; back at five to six weeks; and wing coverts and head at six to seven weeks.
ANATOMY OF A WEBBED FEATHER
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