Poultry Meat production - General Information

Poultry products are universally popular, because they are not subject to cultural or religious constraints and the meat itself is perceived as wholesome, healthy and nutritious, being relatively low in fat and with a more desirable unsaturated fatty-acid content than other meats. Most importantly, high-quality poultry products are available to many people at affordable prices, although production costs vary widely around the world.
Over the last few decades, the poultry meat consume has increased in popularity and among the reasons for this increased consumption are the relatively low costs of production (relative to beef and pork), the rapid growth rate of poultry, the high nutritional value of the meat and changing consumer preferences on health (low in fat) or social (convenient, fast food) grounds and the introduction of many new further processed products.
In the early 1900s, most poultry was produced in small flocks mainly to supply eggs to support small farm units, and the eggs and live birds by product of the egg enterprise were sold live in local markets. Today, the poultry industry is highly integrated and managed by a number of large corporations.
At this time, the same chicken breed was used for both meat and egg production, with little or no selection. Over the years, the poultry industry has grown and specialized in meat production and egg production breeds. Farmers have started to specialize in certain aspects of raising poultry and, today, it is common to find operations specializing in only one phase of the growing stage (e.g., breeding, hatching or meat production). Modern growing operations are usually fairly large and house a few hundred thousand to a few million birds at one location.
In developed countries, poultry production and processing practices are controlled, at least in part, by legislation, and good practices may be further specified in various quality schemes that are efforts to co-ordinate quality requirements at specific stages of the supply chain. Such schemes can be led by producers, retailers, industry associations or government agencies.
The optimum amount of rest required by meat animals before they are slaughtered depends on the climate, the distance they have travelled, their method of transport and their general health. In some countries, where animals are auctioned at stock yards before they are taken to an abattoir, the rest periods are sometimes inadequate.

There are several criteria for a good slaughter method:
(1) animals must not be treated cruelly,
(2) animals must not be unnecessarily stressed,
(3) exsanguination must be as fast and as complete as possible,
(4) damage to the carcass must be minimal.
And the method of slaughter must be :
(5) hygienic,
(6) economical,
(7) safe for slaughtering workers.