Pullet	young females
Hen	female
Rooster	male
Broiler	a young bird raised for meat that is sometimes called a fryer
Layer	hens that lay eggs for food use
Roaster	slightly older, slightly larger bird raised for use in pan roasting or processing

Caring for Poultry

Administering immunizations - For layering operations, which receive birds at birth, care begins with immunizations designed to prevent illness.

Cleaning - Indoor operations are cleaned before a new flock of birds enters, and regularly throughout the year, to prevent disease and keep the birds comfortable.

Providing veterinary care - when a bird is ill or injured, veterinarians are called in to help treat the bird. Many farms have regular veterinary visits to monitor the health of their birds.

Monitoring environmental conditions - Producers are constantly tracking air, water and ground quality to comply with EPA regulations and ensure the safety of their animals.

Keeping records - Numerous records are kept by the poultry producer, including documentation of daily events (temperature, eggs produced, feed consumption, etc.), periodic sampling of conditions or performance (body weights, egg weights, etc.), and flock summaries.

UEP Certified

The United Egg Producers Certified animal welfare program was launched nationwide in 2002 to assure retailers, foodservice professionals and consumers that their eggs originate from farms that follow responsible, science-based production methods. Egg producers representing more than 200 million layers of the industry have already signed on to participate in the United Egg Producers Certified program. Participating producers are audited yearly through an independent certification program to ensure the new standards are being met.

The guidelines place top priority on the comfort, health and safety of the birds and include:

Increased cage space per hen, which is being phased in to avoid market disruptions.

Standards for non-feed withdrawal molting procedures based on the most current, verified scientific studies.

Standards for trimming of chicks’ beaks, when necessary, to avoid pecking and cannibalism.

Maintaining constant supply of fresh feed, water and air ventilation throughout the chicken house including continual monitoring for ammonia.

Standards for daily inspection of each bird as well proper handling and transportation.

Required training videos to instruct producer staffs on the proper handling of chickens and to avoid injury to the animals.