Broiler Growout Project Reflective Writing

This whole experience of the broiler growout project has been interesting. Going into the project, I had done an internship already and had a pretty good feel for how broilers grew and what factors affected them. I had never actually watched a flock grow up though. I had only seen different flocks at different ages and just pieced everything together to make a composite idea of how broilers grew. It was really helpful to actually watch these broilers grow and watch them go through their physical and social phases. I also thought that I had a good idea of how things like light intensity, sex, and stocking density affected a flock, though I had never seen any of these effects myself. It was really helpful to watch how these variables, along with poor flock care such as low water lines and leaking water lines, affected the growth of the flock. I really wish that I had gone to the farm and observed the flock more often so that I could get a more complete picture of a broiler growout and the variables that affect the flock. As far as excel goes, I had no idea how to use excel before this project. I was able to eventually figure out excel, though. I am really glad that this project helped me to better understand and use excel. I feel that this was the best possible way to learn excel. Also, it was really cool to get to see how the chicks were delivered and see how Aviagen’s chick trucks compare to other chick trucks in the industry. Overall, though stressful at times, this project was a good and educational experience.