VIN EXOT317-2020: Backyard Poultry Basics 2020 – Non-Interactive

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

The 2020 Non-Interactive/Self-Study courses have closed for enrollment.
However, in consideration of COVID-19 limitations on in-person CE and as a benefit to its members, VIN/VSPN CE is extending enrollment through December 31, 2020. **

Please contact us if you wish to enroll:
Email CEonVIN@vin.com or call 800.846.0028 ext 797

** This course must be completed and the end of course test submitted by December 29, 2020 to be awarded a certificate by December 31, 2020.

Presenter: G. Lynne Luna, DVM, MAM
Course Open: February 18-December 31, 2020

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to VIN and VSPN members actively interested in basics of backyard/small flock poultry care.
VIN CE Course: Open to VIN and VSPN members. This non-interactive course is approved by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-38830)

Course Description:
In recent years, more people are starting to raise small flocks of poultry in backyard urban settings. Because of the small numbers of birds involved, they are often viewed more as pets than as production animals, even though they are being kept primarily for eggs or meat. When these birds become injured or ill, the owners are turning to their local family veterinarian for assistance, even though many small animal practitioners have very little to no experience with poultry or with how to treat animals that are being used in food production. This course is intended to help those veterinarians and their technicians become more familiar with the handling and care of poultry commonly encountered in the backyard setting.

This course will consist of 4 non-interactive modules. Each module will have a video lesson that includes a few poll questions, and supplemental learning materials which are intended to help the participant retain the information provided.

To earn a certificate of completion, the participant must complete all 4 modules and pass the end-of-course test. A course evaluation is also provided so that course participants can comment on the effectiveness of the learning module and offer suggestions for improvement. Completion of all 4 modules (videos, reading handouts, games, flash cards, and end-of-course test) will take a minimum of 270 minutes to complete. Participants must complete the participation requirements by December 31, 2020 to be eligible for a certificate.

Course Outline:

Module 1: Terminology and Basic Anatomy
Total Time: 90 minutes
Video: 51 minutes
Polls: 3 minutes
Handouts: 11 minutes
Activities: 25 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

  • Understand basic poultry terminology
  • Understand basic rearing systems used for poultry
  • Recognize and understand poultry anatomic specific terminology
  • Understand the poultry respiratory system

Module 2: Handling, Physical Exam, Sample Collection and Diagnostics
Total Time: 34 minutes
Video: 30 minutes
Polls: 4 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

  • Implement proper handling techniques.
  • Perform a basic physical exam.
  • Discuss the best locations for blood sampling.
  • Understand diagnostic and sampling techniques commonly used for poultry.

Module 3: Basic Husbandry and Biosecurity
Total Time: 45 minutes
Video: 14 minutes
Polls: 3 minutes
Handouts: 18 minutes
Activities: 10 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

  • Explain basic housing needed to provide protection against predators.
  • Understand common types of bedding used for poultry.
  • Implement effective biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of disease.
  • Implement proper cleaning and disinfection of housing.

Module 4: Eggs and Chick/Brooding
Total Time: 45 minutes
Video: 25 minutes
Polls: 3 minutes
Activities: 2 minutes
End of Course Test: 15 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

  • Explain egg handling techniques for food and hatching eggs.
  • Understand basic egg anatomy and formation.
  • Implement proper brooding techniques.
  • Understand nutritional needs of poultry.

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Course Materials: Course materials in the form of handouts and additional educational online activities will be available in the course library.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Presenter:
Lynne Luna is a board-certified poultry veterinarian through the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. She graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1998 and from the Master of Avian Medicine program at the University of Georgia in 1999. She then worked as a poultry veterinarian for the State of Mississippi, Mississippi State University and then as poultry laboratory director for the State of Louisiana. She is currently working in Oregon as a small animal practitioner, does poultry house calls and is a poultry consultant for VIN.

Total CE Credit: 3.5

Tuition: $81
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*Enrollment will close on December 1, 2020 at 5 pm ET (USA).
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

"This program (22-38830) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 3.5 CE Credits, with a maximum of 3.5 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical, using the delivery method of Non-Interactive-Distance: (Online, Correspondence, Journal, or Other Self-Study). This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements."

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357