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Poultry management
Poultry management usually refers to the husbandry practices or production techniques that help to maximize the efficiency of production. Sound management practices are very essential to optimize production. Scientific poultry management aims at maximizing returns with minimum investment. A carefully controlled environment that avoids crowding, chilling, overheating, or frightening is almost universal in poultry farming. Cannibalism, which expresses itself as toe picking, feather picking, and tail picking, is controlled by debeaking at one day of age and by other management practices. The feeding, watering, egg gathering, and cleaning operations are highly mechanized. Birds are usually housed in wire cages with two or three animals per cage, depending on the species and breed, and three or four tiers of cages superposed to save space. Cages for egg-laying birds have been found to increase production, lower mortality, reduce cannibalism, lower feeding requirements, reduce diseases and parasites, improve culling, and reduce both space and labour requirements.
Steve Leeson, Ph.D., from the University of Guelph, recently revealed new findings on the importance of chick nutritional strategies. Leeson was sponsored by Alltech, a global leader in animal health, to present his findings at the International Poultry Expo, held in Atlanta, Georgia. His findings exhibited the importance and impact of a comprehensive nutritional strategy for chicks during the first seven days out of the egg, which would in turn yield heavier birds at 42...
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Preliminary results from a Poultry CRC project being undertaken by DPI&F Queensland examining the reuse of chicken litter across broiler cycles have indicated that levels of food-borne pathogens are not any higher in re-used litter than those found in single-batch rearing. The Project Leader, QDPI&F's Nalini Chinivasagam, commenced litter trials on two farms in June last year with the aim of understanding the relationship between current...
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The immune system of hens is affected by heat. This can be used to improve hen health to the benefit of producers and consumers. A bit of heat is a good thing. And if hens are just a teensy bit stressed due to heat, then that is a good thing too. Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Aarhus have shown that mild heat stress can actually improve the health of laying hens. Healthier hens improve both production and food safety – to the benefit of...
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There is growing concern that land application of poultry litter will contribute to phosphorus and nitrogen contamination of rivers and estuaries in areas with large poultry industries. Land-applied poultry litter has a special problem because its phosphorus content is generally higher than plants need. In 1997, environmentalists’ efforts to control water pollution due to run-off from poultry and livestock farms resulted in legislation being introduced into the 105th US Congress (SB...
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Will New Version of GMP Boost the Veterinary Drugs Industry?
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Financial losses caused by feather pecking are difficult to evaluate, but figures show that 55% of producers with non-caged birds report signs of feather pecking by the end of lay, says Professor Christine Nicol of Bristol University. However, having studied the subject for some years, she believes the figure may be as high as 80%. "The economic effects have not been fully recognised by industry," says Prof Nicol. "Producers have become so accustomed to seeing the...
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Whether it's fried, baked, grilled or skewered, Americans are hungry for chicken, eating 90 pounds each per year. And where there's chicken, there's poop. Despite Georgia's status as the country's top meat-chicken producer, it doesn't have much of a system in place to transfer poultry litter. University of Georgia researchers, state partners and agricultural businesses recently met at a poultry litter workshop to take the first steps toward a solution. "Poultry litter is...
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Collaborating with producers: Evonik & Al-Estesharia – A Win-Win Partnership
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Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald, said changes have been made to rules governing the size of layer hen cages to enhance the welfare of layer hens in NSW. Mr Macdonald said the amendments were made to regulations under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (POCTA). "These changes will improve the welfare of poultry kept for egg production and ensure the industry remains both profitable and productive," he said. "They have been...
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The 13,000 hens roam the barn floor, spread their wings and duck into nest boxes covered by red plastic flaps to provide a dark area that encourages egg-laying. Three months earlier, the same barn housed nearly four times as many chickens, but they were confined to small wire cages stacked on top of each other. Egg farms are increasing their production of cage-free eggs, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert barns by tearing out cages, installing new floors,...
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Laboratory testing shows that flies exposed to a food source infected with exotic Newcastle disease (END) can pick up the virus and carry it for several days, perhaps later passing it on to chickens that eat the food. “Flies can carry END virus and evidence is mounting that flies may be able to transmit the virus between chickens,” says Alec Gerry, UC Riverside assistant veterinary entomologist. END is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting the respiratory,...
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Field-deployable unit detects virus in minutes, not days Quick identification of avian influenza infection in poultry is critical to controlling outbreaks, but current detection methods can require several days to produce results. A new biosensor developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) can detect avian influenza in just minutes. In addition to being a rapid test, the biosensor is economical, field-deployable, sensitive to different viral strains and...
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Each year, U.S. poultry producers raise about 7 billion broilers. They use a combination of antibiotics and vaccines to protect these birds from infectious diseases. Antibiotics are critical to ongoing efforts to fight off diseases and infections; they have been able to kill or stop growth of many different kinds of protozoa and parasites as well as bacteria. One major disease of chickens—coccidiosis—is named after intestinal parasites collectively referred to as coccidia, which are...
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Our thanks to the author and Conference Organisers, a Committee consisting of both University and Industry colleagues. The full paper will appear in the Conference Proceedings ('Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition - 2007', edited by Phil Garnsworthy and Julian Wiseman) published by Nottingham University Press in the autumn of 2007 www.nup.com ...
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Heat stress: underlying mechanism and mitigation by yeast paraprobiotics
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University of Nottingham experts have joined forces with Canadian biotech company GangaGen Life Sciences Inc to develop new weapons in the fight against food poisoning. They are engaging in a major research project to develop methods for the control of Campylobacter — the commonest cause of infectious bacterial intestinal disease in England and Wales, according to the Health Protection Agency. Campylobacters are found in poultry and other animals and cause millions of cases of food...
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Heat waves used to result in millions of chicken casualties. “We used to know we were in a heat wave by the dead chicken stories on the nightly news,” said state climatologist David Stooksbury. “Because of the great work of University of Georgia engineers and poultry scientists, we don’t have those stories anymore.” Down-filled parkas...
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Background While addressing growth of the broiler chickens, farmers may usually target market weight as per market requirement. Usually in all-in-all-out production systems, farmers have to control managemental aspects efficiently. Breed, nutrition, health status and managemental practice are the main determinants of profitability. Growth of broiler chickens Ideally the weight in a broilers could be presented sin the form of normal curve (Figure 1). However...
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Foster Agblevor, associate professor of biological systems engineering, is leading the team of researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech developing transportable pyrolysis units that will convert poultry litter into bio-oil, providing an economical disposal system while reducing environmental effects and biosecurity issues. Agblevor will present his paper, “ Thermochemical conversion: A dual tool for bio-oil production and a...
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Is there anyone willing to share experiences with treatments against bad odour from laying hen manure? I'm mostly interested in solutions that could be applied via feed or water. I've heard of some herbal and plant extracts that can be incorporated in the feed at small concentrations with certain antibiotic efficacy that could results in a significant reduction of bad odours from the manure as simultaneously helping to reduce the microbial contamination with E....
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Eggs from layers kept in alternative layer systems are on the rise in France. According to this development, France has seen one of the country’s first big aviary rearing systems being installed in Ebblinghem: Jean-Luc and Corinne Lefebvre – SCEA de la Marlière – decided to invest in the well-proven NATURA-rearing concept from Big Dutchman. The French couple opted for the multi-tier system as pullets bound for laying aviaries should already be reared in an aviary-like environment in...
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According to the saying “Nothing ventured, nothing gained“, Andrea and Rüdiger Lämmle from Baden-Württemberg in Germany looked for planning and construction off the beaten track for their new turkey rearing house. Up-to-date housing equipment Their decision against traditional poult rings and in favour of a ring less poult rearing phase as well as for a new intake air system results in a significant optimisation of labour, hygiene and environment in the house....
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The 2007 North Atlantic Poultry Biosecurity and Pest Management Workshop will be held here June 2 at the University of Connecticut.
The program is sponsored by the Cooperative Extension System of the New England Land Grant Universities and the Connecticut Poultry Association Inc.
Topics will include how to identify insect pests, practical biosecurity approaches for large and small flocks, pest management and animal health issues, assessing avian influenza plans, controlling rodents and...
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