Real-Life Communication -- Solution
Here's what you could tell your new helper:
"I need you to go out to the brooders, which are the heated structures we keep the chicks in. You'll be feeding them starter for now. It's specifically for young birds, which are also called poults.
"In a couple days we'll be giving the poults a powdery type of feed called mash. Next week they'll get crumbles, which is made of broken-up pellets. This is harder to digest, but they should be ready by then.
"They need to have small stones called grit in their gizzard to be able to digest it. The gizzard is a part of their stomach that acts as teeth, grinding up food.
"You'll also have to clean out the birds' droppings every day. If you don't, the poults can catch a disease called coccidiosis. Is there anything you don't understand?"
Poultry farmers need to give directions to their assistants. They also talk with feed suppliers, poultry specialists, chick suppliers, and buyers of live birds. Communicating clearly with these people helps avoid problems.
Poultry farmers on large farms are often in a management role. They don't do barn work as much as oversee the work of others.
"Certainly, in doing the management role, communication skills are important," says poultry farmer Paul Karges.
Karges works on a large poultry farm. Large farms make up about 30 percent of the farms, but produce 70 percent of poultry products.
Whether they work on a small or a large farm, poultry farmers need to clearly communicate directions and information. If they are misunderstood, their flocks and a lot of money can be lost in a short time.
"It's quite important to be able to outline either tasks or, probably more importantly, objectives and standards you want adhered to," Karges says.