DNA region in chickens identified for disease resistance
One region in the DNA explains a large difference in possible disease resistance betweenchickens. This was discovered by researchers of Wageningen University & Research...
Relationship between plumage and body condition in non-debeaked laying hens
As result of the EU Council Directive 99/74/EC of 19 July 1999 laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, the use...
Update on Infectious Bronchitis in the United States
Infectious bronchitis infections continued to increase this year in the Ontario broiler, broiler breeder and layer sectors.
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can be spread by...
Evaluating phosphorous equivalency of phytases
The use of exogenous enzymes in non-ruminant nutrition is a valuable tool to increase digestibility and therefore spare the inclusion of expensive nutrients whilst...
Best practice in broiler house management
How the right technology and proactive management can ensure best practice in housing on broiler farms
In partnership with Cobb, this article examines best practice...
Biosecurity, the basics
By biosecurity we mean those measures aimed at reducing the risk of introducing and spreading infectious agents on farms, i.e. bio-exclusion and bio-containment measures.
Luigi...
Monitoring the turkey incubation process to ensure the best results
Incubating turkey eggs is often considered to be more challenging than incubating broiler eggs, yet, in essence, the basic principle of success is the...
Dietary calcium, phytate and non-phytate phosphorus, on IP6 degradation in broilers
The effectiveness of phytase is usually determined under phosphorus or both calcium and phosphorus deficient specifications. Phytase efficacy in terms of increasing available or...
Obtaining the most benefit from an anticoccidial sensitivity test
The poultry industry has been using the same anticoccidial drugs for the prevention of coccidiosis for several decades. The last approval of a new...
The importance of gut microbiota in chickens
Recent expansion in knowledge about the influence of microbiota on health and disease started a major research revolution in the area. Intestinal systems of...
Benefits of non-synthetic, natural oregano essential oil in pullet rearing
Feeding oregano essential oil to pullets during rearing can help to improve flock uniformity, reproductive fitness and feed efficiency, according to research undertaken at...
Managing live hanging for quality and yield
Once the market-age birds arrive the plant the personnel must concentrate on the preservation of their physical integrity and economic potential. In such scenario,...
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....
Sentinel Birds: An old strategy that can enhance current diagnostic tools
The use of sentinel birds such as specific-pathogen-free (SPF) leghorns has been used extensively to learn about local presence of pathogens in farms, either...
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...
Pulmonary Nocardiosis in turkey poults
Nocardiosis is an opportunistic, noncontagious, pyogranulomatous or suppurative disease of domestic animals, wildlife and people. In domestic animals, it causes mastitis, pneumonia (granulomatous lesions...
The impact of raised incubation temperature on hatch, chick quality and broiler performance
Two experiments were conducted at the Aviagen product development center in the USA to study the effect of increased eggshell temperature during mid to late incubation on hatchability and chick quality
Gut health and Coccidiosis
In poultry, gut health is fundamental and the gastrointestinal tract accounts for twenty percent of the energy expenditure of the whole body. This energy...
Antibiotic-Free turkey production
The production of turkeys without the use of antibiotics is an increasingly common goal across the globe due to the focus on antimicrobial resistance....
TrayTrack, a unique inline overhead concept for optimum tray logistics
The traceability of trays
Once trays have been filled with product, poultry processors will often be faced with how to transport them to packaging equipment...
Minimizing antibiotic use in broiler production
Many countries are being asked to reduce or eliminate antibiotic use in poultry, due to growing concerns about the use of antibiotics in food-producing...
Egg bacteriological study
Eggs from 10 commercial brands were selected in different types of housing: cage and on the floor (free of cage) obtained from 4 supermarket...
New method to detect woody breast fillets
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announced the completion of a funded research project at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, in which researchers found a...
Development of coccidial vaccinal immunity is not impaired by feeding oregano essential oil
Coccidial vaccination is an alternative to medication programmes, although vaccination can lead to impaired performance.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect...
Non-antibiotic intestinal interventions
As the countdown towards implementation of the FDA’s Guidance for Industry 213 continues, interest in non-antibiotic intestinal interventions has increased. Earliest efforts in this...
Reducing water usage in turkey processing
Virginia Poultry recently installed several liquid/solids separation screens for reducing water usage in its turkey feather and offal processing. The two new primary and...
Quality Control Audits of killed vaccination
Vaccination programs for breeders and egg layers include procedures with inactivated vaccines. Killed (inactivated) vaccines are used to prevent disease in the vaccinated bird...
Overcoming challenges of antibiotic-free production
Antibiotic use once became a conventional, on-farm practice to prevent health issues and boost growth in poultry. Yet, public health concerns about rising bacteria...
Incubation and the role of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in embryo development
The practice, or “art”, of artificially incubation of the avian egg dates back some 3,000 years to the ancient Egyptian mud/brick oven type rooms...
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations which may be prone to...
Crude soybean lecithin and vegetable acid oil as energy sources for broiler chickens
Lecithin and acid oil, as co-products from vegetable oil refining process, are economic alternatives to conventional fat sources and may represent an efficient energy...
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...
Research examines different dietary treatments for woody breast
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, in which researchers examined different...
NWO OTP grant awarded to WUR project aimed at head start for day-old chicks
The immune system of a chicken starts in the egg. Validated tools to assess how incubation conditions influence immune development are lacking. A new...
Flip-overs: causes and solutions in brooding
The poult start is an extension of the hatching process. The whole process, including poult placement, is only as strong as its weakest link.
William...
Alternative systems: pros and cons
Alternative production systems of cage-free or range egg production are increasing in number due to outside influences. The outside constituents forcing this growth are...
How to reduce antibiotics in broiler production?
There is an increased awareness recently in relation to the sensible use of antibiotics within poultry and livestock production. When looking at broiler production,...
The Salmonella initiative
An enduring challenge and reputational issue for the egg industry is caused by the presence of Salmonella enterica serovars (particularly some Typhimurium serotypes), which...
Early embryonic mortality
At the moment an egg is laid, the embryo already consists of 30-60,000 cells. The death of some of them – for example under...
Common global poultry welfare practices
A recent article by Hendrix Genetics detailed the creation and roll out of a structured poultry welfare program for all species offered by the breeding company.
The...
Navel practicalities
A well-closed navel is one of the most important and easily visible signs of chick quality. In a good quality chick, the navel is...
A cost-effective poultry feed additives solution to partially replace vitamin E
Livestock producers typically use feed additives such as vitamin E to increase the antioxidant capacity of animals and minimise economic losses.
Recently, the price of...
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...
Innovative approaches to egg sexing
The rise of specialized layer genetics in the mid-20th century introduced a lasting challenge for egg producers: identifying and culling male chicks. This practice...
Case report: histomoniasis in broiler breeder pullets
Histomoniasis, commonly known as blackhead disease, is caused by an anerobic protozoan parasite, Histomonas meleagridis. Histomoniasis affects all gallinaceous birds and turkeys are the...
Fear in turkeys, implications for productivity and wellbeing
From an evolutionary standpoint, fear is an adaptive response that promotes survival by enabling animals to avoid injury and death. Because of the important impact that fear has on animal well-being, fear has formed the basis of many scientific studies and is included as part of welfare assessment programs such as the Welfare Quality Assessment Protocol for poultry.
Performance benefits of probiotic and protease in broilers subject to Eimeria challenge
Consumer pressure and government regulations are driving US poultry industry to remove antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) from poultry production.
Nutrition program including feed additives is...
Trouw Nutrition presents research during the Poultry Science Association Meeting
Synergistic use of different feed additives may support producers’ antibiotic reduction programmes.
Reducing antibiotic use in poultry production is an urgent objective shared by stakeholders...
Managing the risk makes the difference in mycotoxin control
A webinar on the results of the 2017 harvest analyses in terms of mycotoxin contamination has been recently held. Two experts on the matter...
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...
Transcriptomic modifications caused by subclinical necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens
Phasing out of in-feed antibiotics in the poultry industry has caused necrotic enteritis (NE) to become a primary concern in commercial poultry production in...
Maternal derived antibodies have a role on the impact of Original XPC
The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of maternally derived antibodies on the immune-modulatory capacity of XPC on antigen-specific humoral immune...
Ileal amino acids digestibility in response to increasing phytase dose or MCP levels in...
Commercial broiler feed is formulated mainly with plant based ingredients including cereals and oil seeds. These ingredients provide low available P because 70-80% of...
Alternative housing system’s impact on feeding pullets and layers
In order to satisfy consumer demands for their food to be produced a more “humane” manner the retail outlets are pushing the egg industry...
Carcass picking: removing the feathers and protecting the quality
The poultry feathers are non-edible and need to be thoroughly removed during processing. The defeathering consists of moving the carcasses along the picking line...
Methionine supplementation reduces plasma amino acid circulation and enhanced apparent digestibility in broiler chickens
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of methionine supplementation on amino acid concentration in systemic plasma, apparent amino acid digestibilities...
Common mistakes in turkeys breeder farms. Part 1
In turkey breeder farms, very different tasks have to be performed in a daily routine, which, both in terms of variety and number, may...
Managing CO2 and fresh air to optimise hatchability
Last year I was invited to a layer hatchery that was reporting slightly lower hatchability than its sister hatcheries, despite using eggs from the...
Effect of graded levels of supplementary phytase in diets with and without rapeseed meal...
Application of dietary enzymes, including phytase, protease, and carbohydrases, alone or in combination, to facilitate phosphorus, protein, and energy utilization is a common approach...
Supplementation of a protected complex of biofactors and antioxidants on the gene expression and...
The objective of this study was to evaluate the dietary supplementation of a protected complex of biofactors and antioxidants P(BF+AOx) on the expression of...
LIFE CHIMERA: the revaluation of chicken manure used “as is” to produce quality fertilizer...
A new circular economy model for the poultry market thanks to an innovative technology based on two patents for the transition to smart agriculture.
Rosalino...
Measurement of true ileal calcium digestibility of meat and bone meal for broiler chickens
Currently, there is a move towards the use of digestible phosphorus (P) in diet formulations for poultry due to P excretion into the environment...
Impact of the lighting and feeding regimen during rearing on Hy-Line brown pullet growth...
The impact of two lighting and three feeding programs during rearing on pullet body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), organ characteristics and start of...
Air pressure in the hatchery
The hatchery is where we create the optimum conditions for life to develop. Although we are talking about the development of embryos, there are...
Chicken study probes resistance to food bug
Receiving gut microbes from resistant chickens does not lessen chickens’ susceptibility to bacterium that causes food poisoning.
Susceptible chickens became even more susceptible to Campylobacter,...
Why do we need low protein meat chicken diets?
The current level of protein used in meat chicken diets is linked to various issues observed in the industry including feed cost and feed...
H7N9 flu mutation identified that allows immune system escape
The research, published in the Journal of Virology, demonstrated that small genetic differences in the virus surface proteins can prevent antibodies that protect against...
Higher egg quality with Bolegg Terrace
Poultry farmer Klaasjan Salomons is very satisfied with the Bolegg Terrace system.
Klaasjan: “In the end, it is about the egg quality and it’s now...
Progress in extended testing and performance standards at Hendrix Genetics
The company’s mission to breed layers capable of producing 500 first quality eggs per hen housed has been a guiding principle at Hendrix Genetics...
On-farm control of campylobacter
Campylobacteriosis, primarily caused by the consumption of contaminated chicken products, accounts for the majority of food poisoning cases in Europe and many other developed...
Does the external climate matter?
The optimum climate parameters for embryo development – temperature, humidity, and the balance between oxygen supply and carbon dioxide release from the incubator –...
Best practice in management
How management best practice can help support profitability on broiler farms
In partnership with Cobb, this new series of articles will examine best practice in...
Spent hens: Can we improve their welfare?
The aim of this study was to observe the improvement in welfare indicators of spent hens kept in three different housing systems.
Sixteen Isa...
Increased cecal butyrate concentrations protect against Salmonella Enteritidis
Butyrate is a molecule that is extensively studied as a feed additive to improve gut health and animal performance. It also has been described...
Practical views on global poultry nutrition – Second part
The demand for poultry meat will increase because of population growth and changing socio- economic factors. Resources will become constrained and changing consumer perceptions...
The future of brooding
It is essential that newly hatched poults are provided with the best possible starting conditions in brooding. This is a fundamental first step to...
Optimal fat utilisation by Intra Liposol at broilers
It is difficult - especially for young animals - to optimally digest the range of fats and oils in the diet. This leads to...
Researchers evaluate the effects of heat stress in poults
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announced the completion of a funded research project at North Carolina State University in which researchers evaluated the effects...
Thoughts on diet energy. Definitions, requirements and alternatives
Energy is by far our most expensive nutrient, yet surprisingly we never receive guarantees when we trade ingredients or manufacture diets. Energy level dictates...
Marel Poultry: Unrivalled reliability at all-time high speed
Marel Poultry is taking into account the fast growing and urbanizing world population, the production of poultry meat is expected to increase considerably. Processing...
