The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN EXOT317-2021: Backyard Poultry Basics Self-Study

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

Presenter: G. Lynne Luna, DVM, MAM
Course Open: January 1-December 31, 2021
Total CE Credit: 3.5
RACE Category: 3.5 hours Medical

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Course Information:
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.

To earn a certificate of completion the participant must complete all learning modules and score 80% or better on the end-of-course test. Completion of the course will take a minimum of 270 minutes. Participants must complete the participation requirements by December 31, 2021 to be eligible for a certificate.

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Explain egg handling techniques for food and hatching eggs.
  • Understand basic egg anatomy and formation.
  • Implement proper brooding techniques.
  • Understand nutritional needs of poultry.

Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE self-study course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in the basics of backyard/small flock poultry care. This course is open to VIN and VSPN members only.
RACE Accreditation: This non-interactive course is approved for 3.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-38830)

Course Agenda:

Module 1: Terminology and Basic Anatomy
Total Time: 107 minutes
Video: 52 minutes
Handouts: 30 minutes
Activities: 25 minutes
Polls: 5

Module 2: Handling, Physical Exam, Sample Collection, and Diagnostics
Total Time: 29 minutes
Video: 29 minutes
Polls: 6

Module 3: Basic Husbandry and Biosecurity
Total Time: 43 minutes
Video: 20 minutes
Handouts: 18 minutes
Activities: 5 minutes
Polls: 4

Module 4: Eggs and Chick/Brooding
Total Time: 28 minutes
Video: 26 minutes
Handouts: 2 minutes
Polls: 5

Module 5: End of Course Test
Total Time: 25 minutes
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

Module 6: Course Evaluation

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive self-study CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: VIN/VSPN Member $81
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  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. 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.

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received before you start the course. If you wish to withdraw after starting the course, 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