A new DVD, produced by the Poultry CRC, offering a step-by-step guide to conducting an on-farm flock inspection, followed by bird selection and detailed post-mortem of a chicken, is finished and ready for distribution.

The 20-minute DVD can be used as a learning aid to help veterinary and animal science students and poultry professionals to identify normal flock environments and healthy chicken anatomy.

In the DVD, veterinarian Dr Peter Scott shows how to perform an on-farm inspection, followed by selection of birds. He then performs a step-by-step post-mortem, identifying important parts of a bird, specifically showing what is normal.

According to Poultry CRC Education Officer, Liz Roan, by being able to recognise what a normal bird looks like, people will be able to identify when a bird shows a departure from normality.

"Although the DVD doesn't replace an avian veterinarian," she said, "it does provide people with a useful guide to identifying clinical signs where something is abnormal and gives them a means of describing it more accurately to their vet. Basically, it gives people a clue about what to look for."

"Free copies will be sent to CRC partners, and we are negotiating with a distributor so others can purchase copies."

The Poultry CRC's production of poultry industry training manuals for use in the VET sector also includes a series of books on Commercial Layer Management. Books 1 to 4 are now going to print, with the final two books in the layer management series (Books 5 and 6) expected by Christmas.

All six of the Commercial Meat Chicken Management series have been type-set and are currently undergoing final proof-reading. They should be ready for printing and release in early January.

These books will be available for download to people teaching in this area in Australia. For more information, e-mail Liz Roan.