Light intensity and led lights
Light intensity can be measured in three ways: luminous intensity, luminous flux and luminous power. Led Lights are here analyzed.
Luminous flux is the total...
Review of different day-old chick quality parameters in layer type breeds – Part 2
The aim of every commercial layer hatchery is a maximum hatchability of first quality chicks. The evaluation of chick quality in the hatchery provides...
What happens during transfer?
Why chicks can’t set and hatch in the same incubator and need transfer.
At the point chicks hatch, they create a lot of fluff and...
What is good chick quality?
When asking the question “What is good chick quality?”, the responses can be very different based on the person and their role. For instance,...
Feeding management of broiler breeders
Modern strains of fast-growing broilers have been selected for fast growth, feed efficiency and high feed intake, and broilers are processed once they achieve...
Water holding capacity in poultry breast meat
Water holding capacity (WHC) is defined as the ability of meat to hold its inherent and added moisture during fabrication, processing, and storage.
Understanding the woody breast syndrome and other myopathies in modern broiler chickens
The poultry industry has seen an increase in several breast meat myopathies over the past decade. They range from woody breast syndrome (tough chicken...
Biosecurity. Cleaning and disinfection on an organic poultry farm
All who work or visit poultry farms must adhere to the guidance of the farm management when it comes to biosecurity protocols.
There are...
The broiler chicken as a signal of a human reconfigured biosphere
Part 2
The second part* in the series of two wich analyses the anthropological impact of the chicken from an archaeological/historical point of view: broilers...
SPIDES, short periods of incubation during egg storage
Why SPIDES is so important in incubation? If hatching eggs are stored for more than a week before being set in an incubator their...
Laying hen nutrition for optimizing egg production and quality
Hen nutrition is important; during the initial period of pullet rearing (<45 days of age), small particle size obtained by grinding of main cereals...
Latest innovations and future advances in genetics at Lohmann Tierzucht
The 53rd Lohmann Tierzucht Franchise Distributor provided an opportunity to review the latest innovations in genetics and genomics. Prof. Dr. Rudolf outlined the main points of the company strategy in breeding.
Comparison of wheat and maize-based diets on growth performance and meat quality of broiler...
Maize and wheat are a major source of energy in broiler diets. Generally, wheat-based diets are offered to broiler chickens in Europe, Australia and...
The challenge of feeding modern broiler breeders
Broiler breeders are expected to produce about 150 chicks in 40 weeks of production and even though it is commonly believed that selection for...
The relationship between feed particle size, gizzard development and broiler performance
Anatomy of the stomach
The stomach of the chicken consists of two chambers, the proventriculus or glandular stomach and the gizzard or muscular stomach.
The proventriculus...
Challenges in poultry feeding
Poultry producers around the world continue to struggle with high production costs for poultry feeding, largely due to volatility in prices for basic feed...
Optimal outdoor stocking density in free-range hens
Consumer concern for laying hen welfare is leading to an increase in alternative housing systems that provide valued resources designed to cater to hens’...
Management of slow growing broilers for profit
Chicken is consumed in larger quantities than either beef or pork largely due to its relatively low fat and high protein content when compared...
Egg weight loss during incubation of poults and chicks
Why is it important and how do we measure it?
Technology and the associated hatchery and equipment continues to advance incubation to levels previously unavailable,...
How can the poultry industry fight global warming while improving its bottom line?
Global warming has become one of the most discussed topics in the last decade. Greta Thunberg, an almost unknown Swedish girl, became an international...
Vitamin D in laying hens: how high is high enough?
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine in the United States reviewed current literature and changed the estimated average requirement of 400 IU/day to a...
Windrowing properly done
Windrowing litter between flocks has been used commercially since the 1980’s and continues to evolve to meet numerous production challenges. The goal is to...
Future of Blackhead Disease in poultry
A turkey health survey of US veterinarians in turkey production ranked blackhead position #13 (#11 prior year) compared to #22 in 2006; the survey...
Precision feeding of broiler breeders
Precision livestock feeding relies on real-time sensor feedback from individual birds to decide whether or not to allocate feed, according to the needs of...
Incubation temperature and how it influences chick hatch time and bone ash
With commercial broilers spending up to 30% of their lifespan in the egg, incubation temperature has been linked to some leg weakness issues.
The recommended...
Turkey farming – A brief review of welfare and husbandry issues
A literature review was undertaken to examine welfare issues in the turkey farming sector. The major issues are diseases, poor locomotion due to high...
Selection criteria in turkey breeding
The turkey industry supply chain flows from the breeders through a number of multiplication phases, which culminate in commercial birds being grown and processed...
Use of injection syringes in the animal production industry
Animal health is an important factor to consider, as any disease outbreak can potentially have drastic economical consequences. For this reason, planning and preparing...
Dekalb White hens to be first occupants of innovative layer house
Environmentally friendly farm with lots of innovations
Four Dutch entrepreneurs are set to build an innovative new layer house in the south region of The...
Officine Facco, alternative systems for “cage free” layers
Facco offers practical, economical and environmentally-friendly solutions for the world wide poultry industry through a complete line of poultry cutting-edge technology equipment.
H&N celebrated 70 years of excellent performances worldwide
To celebrate its 70-year success story and launch its new company logo, H&N gathered its distributors and customers in a two-day event in Bangkok. All these customers shared the same vision and experience: H&N layers are persistent and highly productive. Moreover they produce high quality eggs, meeting the demands of modern consumers.
Is chick yield still a valid reference?
Many hatcheries still use chick yield – chick yield is the average chick weight divided by the average fresh egg weight multiplied by 100...
Bacterin usage
A good vaccination program, along with proper flock management and biosecurity, plays a key role in the health and productivity of broiler breeders. The...
Effectiveness of a double choice test to assess dietary taste preferences in broiler chickens
Investigations into the taste system of chickens can help to improve poultry feeding strategies. However, a comprehensive study on dietary taste preferences for broilers...
Hatchery waste management
There are various options for hatchery managers to convert their waste into value-added products such as compost, fertilizer, liming agents for soil amendment, biogas, medical products, and animal feed. This article explores some of these options.
Chick quality monitoring and diagnostics
Evaluation of chick quality in the hatchery and mortality in the field can be used to identify general problem areas: the incubator, the hatcher, or the environment after hatch.
Ventilation and heating issues during cold weather
Many problems during cool and cold weather can be traced to inappropriate ventilation rates. Poor broiler health, respiratory problems, and breast blisters are common...
Measuring egg shell quality
Maintaining egg shell quality is important for maximizing production of broiler chicks from breeders as shell quality and hatchability go hand in hand. Thin...
Selection for persistency and profitability in layers
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Preisinger, Chief Technical Officer at the EW Group, held a presentation on the selection of Lohmann’s layer lines for the traits...
Stork Nuova CoreTech poultry evisceration
Marel Poultry is global supplier of innovative inline poultry processing equipment for broilers, turkeys and ducks, providing solutions for all process stages and all capacity levels. Now Marel Poultry developed the Stork Nuova CoreTech eviscerator to operate in emerging markets or in markets with specific or religious requirements.
Managing coccidiosis in birds raised without antibiotics
For poultry producers to make a profit they must have healthy, uniform sized birds, make sure there are no real or assumed human health...
Investigation of nutritional diseases at the veterinary diagnostic lab
Here below the role the veterinary diagnostic laboratory can play in helping to confirm nutritional diseases in a flock has been described. Regardless issues...
Enhancing biosecurity using flow analysis and Danish entry concepts
The term Danish entry is commonly used to describe entryways to livestock buildings that help people enter barns in a relatively bio secure way...
Salmonella control in broiler breeders
Today, our goal is to control and eliminate all Salmonella species and pathogens from the breeding program. The ability of the primary breeder to...
The effects of in-ovo feeding
In-ovo feeding is a key issue in poultry. The embryonic and immediate post hatch developmental period represents a significant phase in attaining quality broiler...
Effects of light intensity on broiler welfare, productivity and leg health
Researchers investigated the welfare implications of behavioural changes induced by varying light programs. Here the effects of light intensity on broiler welfare and productivity are reported.
Pellet quality and its effects on poultry performance
Pellet quality provided to meat birds throughout the industry is highly variable. Feeding birds pellets of poor quality can in part be attributed to...
Practical applications of nutrigenomics in poultry nutrition
Novel molecular techniques such as microarray technologies have spurred the development of the field of nutrigenomics.
Using microarrays to evaluate gene responses allows us to...
Poultry lighting
With LED technologies, farmers can today vary the color, intensity and photoperiod of the poultry lighting in houses and barns to improve production.
While incandescent,...
New technologies in housing, equipment and computer controls
The poultry housing and equipment industry continues to develop, introducing new technologies in line with trends in modern communications and ventilation systems. As expected...
Wet litter. Factors associated with the shed micro-environment and litter properties
Wet litter in meat chicken sheds occurs as the result of multiple, interrelated causes. This paper discusses some of the sources of water in...
Future of coccidiosis management in turkeys
Coccidiosis is a disease that is caused by protozoan parasites that develop within the intestine of most domestic and wild animals and birds. Coccidia...
Alternatives to antibiotics in organic poultry
Organic poultry production is one of the fastest growing segments of organic agriculture with a 20% average annual increase since the establishment of the...
Jansen Poultry Equipment: the perfect solution for cage-free egg production
Consumers demand for cage-free egg production is growing worldwide. Europe already adopted cage free egg production systems and it seems that the US is following rapidly starting with Oregon, Washington. Also in New Zealand and Australia animal welfare is a main topic of discussion.
Potential to produce poultry feed from food wastes
The annual food waste in Australia is estimated at 7.5 million tonnes
with the majority disposed of in landfills. This not only
causes significant economic loss...
A more sustainable poultry production
Researchers must find other approaches to food production and processing - and in particular for poultry production - using new technologies in conjunction with...
Modification of the chicken intestinal epithelial physical barrier in poultry by dietary factors
The intestinal epithelial physical barrier is the most critical element of maintaining an intact intestinal barrier and made up of a layer of columnar...
Broilers perform better with intermittent lighting programs
Roles of certain parts of the digestive tract of chickens seems to have been lost with the evolution of time and commercial practices. Gizzards...
Pre-Placement checklist
Pre-placement house preparation should be part of a proper management to ensure future performance of broilers and farm profitability.
The following checklist displays the...
A practical approach to broiler breeder management in the absence of beak treatment –...
In the absence of beak treatment adhering to proven and agreed best practice management practices is key. The roles of good stockmanship and promoting...
Turkey Breeding – Making the most of genetic potential
Genetic potential
Successful and profitable turkey production occurs across a wide range of production systems and farming environments. Breed choice, farming facilities, equipment, management, nutrition...
Feeding broilers of the future
The only way to maintain production is to improve the understanding of precision nutrition so that producers can feed broilers with low or no...
Alternative systems from SPECHT
In compliance with all the current national and European legal requirements, Specht has developed three different layers housing systems which are able to meet all poultry farmers’s needs.
Seminars highlighting innovations in broiler farming
Two interesting specialist seminars for broiler farming were held on the 16th and 17th of November in Visbek and Hamm, Germany. The companies BEST3,...
Quick molt diets and programs
Induced molting is a process conducted by many commercial egg producers to extend the productive life of the laying hen. The main objective of...
Mycoplasma Synoviae, a technical update
Mycoplasma are the smallest free-living organisms both in size and number of genes, and unlike many other bacteria, they do not have a cell...
Essential oils – Opportunities to improve food safety in organic poultry production and processing.
Organic poultry – A growing sector with challenges
Poultry is the most widely available organic meat in the U.S. and predicted to have increased consumer...
10 alerting signs of poor ventilation
Proper ventilation is basic in poultry farming as it reduces mortality, stimulates early feed intake, improves flock uniformity, and ensures an adequate temperature regulation.
Here...
Poultry house environmental control during cold weather
Most people think minimum ventilation in a poultry house is all about air quality but that is only partially correct. First one should define...
Maintaining hatching egg quality through good hygiene and handling
The microbiological status of a hatching egg is highest immediately after the egg is laid. The objective, therefore, is to ensure that quality is...
Effects of dietary insoluble and soluble non-starch polysaccharides on performance and ileal and excreta...
This study examined the effect of dietary insoluble and soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in common broiler diets on performance and ileal and excreta moisture...
SKA alternative layers farming
SKA of Italy offers a wide range of solutions for layer farming, ranging from aviary systems to communal nesting systems. Each one proven and tested to deliver excellent field results.
Turkey hatcheries – The past 25 years and the future of single-stage
A quick time travel back to a turkey hatchery in 1992 might show you a frazzled hatchery manager frantically trying to get eggs trayed,...
The fertilization process and embryo mortality during incubation. What is the Relationship?
The goal of a successful incubation operation is to produce the maximum number of quality chicks from the fewest breeders housed in order to...
Taking portioning to a new era, Marel I-Cut 122 dual-lane high-speed portion cutter for...
I-Cut 122 Portion Cutter by Marel combines the highest levels of accuracy, throughput and reliability with new, innovative software.
The dual-lane I-Cut 122 has been...
Does negative pressure created by exhaust fans affect poultry?
Most poultry are raised in houses that use a negative pressure ventilation systems to aid in maintaining air quality, house temperature, and air movement....
Big data for poultry – first part
The term big data may at first appear incongruous to animal agriculture. However, by capturing, analysing, reporting and sharing of through-production chain data with...
Physiological zero in hatchery management
On the farm, the eggs cool down after laying and are either transported on the same day or stored for a few days before...
Poultry litter pasteurisation
Heaping of used poultry litter reliably induces significant elevations in temperature due to the actions of variety of aerobic bacteria and fungi. Temperatures typically...
Measurement of energy utilization in chickens
Although corn prices have dropped from historic highs in the past years, energy continues to be one of the driving costs in poultry feeding....
