Marisa Erasmus

The holiday season is once again here, which means many kitchens will be filling up with baked goods and savory dishes. It is also the time of year when the use of eggs increases for all of those delicious dishes! However, eggs can be a potential source of Salmonella bacteria that can cause illness or in rare cases even death. Here are some tips to help reduce that risk in your kitchen.Eggs 101The ...

The hatching phase of broiler production refers to the last three days of incubation, which are embryonic days 18-21. This phase of embryonic development is critical for the chick’s survival, as well as welfare and production later in life. In commercial hatcheries, eggs with viable embryos are transferred from incubators to hatching cabinets on embryonic day 18. Chicks hatch in the hatching ...

Light and dark cycles within a 24-hour period play a crucial role in maintaining physiological and behavioral rhythms in animals.In birds, daily rhythms associated with feed intake, physical activity, sleep-wake cycles, and physiological rhythms are influenced by photoperiod. The ancestors of domestic chickens, the Red Junglefowl, are diurnal animals with activity during the light period and inact ...

The first few days of life are some of the most important in chicks' lives. During this time, chicks start developing and set themselves up for the rest of their lifetime. The husbandry decisions made at this point can impact the birds' growth, development, health and welfare.This newsletter will focus on three important parts of giving chicks the best start:TemperatureFeedWater  &nbs ...

Spondylolisthesis, often called ‘kinky back’, is a deformity that affects broiler chickens’ spines. The deformity occurs in the fifth and/or sixth vertebrae (T6) and leads to spinal cord compression making it hard for birds to walk, and in severe cases it can cause paralysis. Chickens are lame and will sit with extended feet, show an imbalance, and fall on their side when attempt ...

    In the United States, consumers have a lot of choice when it comes to food products. Various claims and labels on the products provide consumers with information about how the animals were raised and treated during production. However, the information on animal products can sometimes be confusing. This article explains some of the common labels and claims found on animal product ...

Tryptophan, Serotonin & MelatoninTryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid (AA), which is the building block of protein, therefore it cannot be synthesized by the body itself and must be obtained through food; it is important for many metabolic functions.Trp supplementation improves broiler performance through increased body weight gain, reduced feed intake and improved feed efficiency. As a ...

The incubation environment is important for embryonic development and programs chick welfare. The focus of this newsletter is on the effects of the incubator environment on chicken egg incubation, but the same principles can apply to other poultry species. For more information on hatchery topics, see our previous newsletter.This newsletter will focus on the 4 most important incubation factors in t ...

Most people are very familiar with the severe consequences that heat stress can have on poultry (see our previous newsletter), but cold stress can have severe production and economic consequences as well, leading to reduced egg production, reduced survivability, suppressed development and death.Cold stress can affect poultry in any housing system and during lairage and transportation.    ...