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...
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...
BBSRC launch the Agriculture and Food Security Strategic Framework
The new framework identifies the key research and innovation priorities of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
The new BBSRC’s Agriculture and Food Security...
Monitoring of IBV circulation and prevalence
Infectious bronchitis (IB) is one of the most common viral diseases in chicken production worldwide and IB virus (IBV) is considered the most contagious...
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...
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...
Challenges in longer laying cycle. Stabilizing egg quality
In the past 50 years, selection, initially at the breed level and then using quantitative genetics coupled with a sophisticated breeding pyramid, has resulted...
Effects of early enrichment on range use in free-range laying hens
Free-range laying hen production systems are perceived to be preferable for hens’ ethological needs. However, not all hens use the range daily with some...
Field experience on the use of probiotics in chickens and turkeys
Probiotics have been used for several years in an attempt to improve intestinal health. Recently, microbial products have been extensively studied as supportive treatments...
On free amino acids – Their role in starch and protein digestive dynamics
The quantity of glucose and amino acids absorbed from the small intestine is a function of dietary concentrations, feed intakes and digestibility coefficients. Moreover,...
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...
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...
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...
Ability to detect Salmonella vs. Salmonella-Free in poultry processing
Poultry are sampled often for Salmonella during growout on the farm and throughout the processing plant. While on farm sampling is not currently a...
Immediate post-hatch nutritional restriction in broilers
The effect on broiler muscle development and occurence of intramuscular fat.
Neonatal nutrition and immediate post hatch nutritional restriction represent an important facet of broiler...
Meyn quality slaughtering
MEYN is the reliable and committed partner of renowned poultry processing companies in over 90 countries worldwide, with people having the right professional skills...
Energy-efficiency in pre-conditioning inlet air for setters and hatchers
Hatcheries are found in a variety of climates, from the hot, humid tropics of South East Asia to hot, arid zones in the Middle...
Probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics for treating lameness in broilers
The pathogenesis leading to a form of lameness known as bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) appears to be initiated by mechanical microfracturing of susceptible...
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,...
Isoquinoline alkaloids lower the prevalence of salmonella Heidelberg in broiler chickens
Worldwide, tens of millions human cases are reported every year for salmonellosis. This makes it one of the most common foodborne diseases, which can...
High levels of cottonseed meal supplemented with composite microbial enzymes
Effects of cottonseed meal supplemented with composite microbial enzymes on broiler chickens.
Soybean meal (SBM) is the premier plant protein source used by the poultry...
Integrated Microfluidic Device for rapid Avian Influenza virus capture
Rapid detection of avian influenza virus (AIV) is highly desirable during outbreaks or routine AIV surveillance.
In this project, the preliminary results in developing a...
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...
Turkey breeding – Where from, Where to? – Domestication of animals was a major...
All species of today’s domestic plants and animals followed an analogous pattern of multi-generational change influenced by humans. The modern populations of turkeys followed...
The Omics revolution – Implications for animal production
What does Omics mean?
Omics is a term that refers to the recently developed high throughput technologies that include genomics, functional genomics (transcriptomics), proteomics, and...
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...
Hatcheries data collection and analysis
Hatcheries collect large quantities of data to monitor performance and to make sure equipment are operating within set operating limits.
These data are a valuable...
Characterizing litter mite communities. Applications of DNA barcoding for management strategies
The use of DNA barcoding can facilitate rapid biodiversity assessments of fastidious taxa - litter mite communities - by delineating species using molecular operational...
Scientifically validated results to raise poultry production profitability
The Poultry Science Association 2017 Annual Meeting took place in Orlando, Florida on July 17-20. Being the most prestigious scientific event for poultry in...
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...
Better than alternatives to antibiotics
Many poultry flocks require antibiotic treatment, if not every cycle, regularly. Antibiotic alternatives are in great demand, especially in the context of dysbiosis and...
The relationship between sperm function and diet – Toms are what they eat
It is well known that cryopreserved semen could be used to regenerate commercial or research poultry lines; however, fertility rates from poultry semen frozen...
Separating welfare facts from fiction
It has become a confusing market for customers to decipher which technologies offer the best welfare-friendly solutions for their animals. How do you separate...
Healthy water, healthy birds
Since birds consume as much water as feed providing a clean, safe and sanitized water supply is crucial for assuring modern poultry flocks perform...
Limiting embryonic overheating during incubation
Embryonic overheating can represent an issue for incubators. For many things in life, a change in temperature of +0.5°C is hardly noticeable. However, for...
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...
How Xylanase can improve performance of a broiler diet
Whilst xylanase rich NSP-enzymes are used consistently in wheat based diets the question remains whether the positive response seen can be ascribed solely to...
Impact of investment in Hendrix Genetics’ breeding and testing program
With the upcoming release of the new performance standards for Hendrix Genetics’ laying hens, it is important to examine factors contributing to the genetic...
Visual identification of potential feather pecking
Feather pecking behaviour is common in floor-housed laying hens a behavior, which is positively associated with developing feather pecking habits.
It has been suggested that...
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...
Automated assessment of health and welfare in commercial broiler chicken flocks using optical flow
Assessing the health and welfare of growing broiler chickens is mainly done post mortem, using measures taken at the slaughter plant (% birds with...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
Using more bioavailable sources of trace minerals pays off
A study of broiler breeder performance was conducted using three separate minerals programmes. The objective was to determine if productivity could be maintained at...
Influence of feed form and particle size on the performance and nutrient utilisation of...
The present experiment was designed to examine the influence of feed form and particle size in maize-based diets on the performance and nutrient utilisation...
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...
Housing systems in laying hen husbandry- First part
A status report
This analysis is an abridged version of a report which the author prepared for the International Egg Commission (IEC) in London, UK.
In...
In vivo digestion of GM proteins in laying hens
Despite all of the positive effects of modern technologies to improve corn and soybean yields, the consumer often has a different perception of the...
The role of feed additives in the protozoal diseases in poultry
Coccidiosis and histomoniasis are economically significant diseases in chickens and turkeys. Management, vaccination and medication are key tools in the control of these diseases...
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,...
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...
Phosphorus: how low can we go in broiler diets?
Phosphorus (P) is essential for all forms of life. Dietary P content either in excess of, or below requirements may adversely affect broiler performance....
The effect of microbial challenge on the intestinal proteome of broilers
In broiler production intestinal health and function is paramount to achieving efficient feed utilisation and growth.
Uncovering the localised molecular mechanisms that occur during the...
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’...
ERPA, the European rural poultry association to defend rural poultry producers
Rural poultry production is important in volume and has a large social role; it was therefore essential to have a specific organization to represent...
The effect of on-range insect feeding on range usage of free range laying hens
In Australia, on-range feeding of free-range laying hens can be frequently observed and is especially common in mobile sheds. While the biosecurity risk of...
Bacillus Subtilis improves performance of broilers fed medicated or non-medicated feed
Animal digestive health is key to obtain optimal performance. Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have long been shown to be very effective to develop and...
Feather-eating hens show specific essential amino acid appetites in a double-choice model
Nutritional balance is one of the major considerations to prevent severe feather pecking in layer hens. Individual variation in digestive and metabolic efficiencies and...
Different light sources
The value of regulating the photoperiod of poultry and livestock to stimulate reproduction has been recognized for many years and is used regularly by...
New applications such as superdosing of phytase to maximize phytate destruction to improve performance...
It is well documented that phytase supplementation in broiler diets improves P and Ca utilization through the destruction of phytate (IP6) and thereby allows...
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...
How to house happy birds by Vencomatic Group
Happy birds produce best. Aviary systems were invented to provide laying hens with maximum freedom, while using floor space efficiently. Aviaries consist of multiple...
Flexible Feed Formulation with GALLIPRO
Facing challenging goals
The goal of the poultry industry is to provide consumers with safe food, while promoting poultry health and welfare, in addition to carefully...
Importance of hatch-time and access to feed on broiler muscle development
In commercial settings, hatching occurs over a 24-48 h window and chicks are held in the incubator until a majority have cleared the shell.
Earlier...
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...
Poultry litter quality: investigating the interrelationship between litter moisture content, pH, water activity and...
Wet litter is a recognized issue in commercial poultry production and litter quality has come under great scrutiny with the introduction of farming scheme...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Breeding for robustness in turkeys
Turkey breeders have invested in selection methodologies to ensure the commercial cross is capable of delivering outstanding performance with good welfare under a variety...
Feed borne mycotoxins: the threat to poultry?
Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by molds (fungi) that can infest crops pre-harvest and can continue to flourish under sub-optimal storage conditions. Grains with high...
Microbiota studies in poultry
The microbial populations that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of birds play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of a healthy gut....
Testing day-old poults
When poults are received at a farm from the hatchery they should be good quality poults; namely, free from physical defects, actively looking for...
Pas Reform launches SmartCare™
As a future-focused business that serves the hatchery sector worldwide, Pas Reform has built its reputation as an innovator in single stage incubation technologies....
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
Outdoor broilers behavioural time budgets
The demand for free-range chicken meat is increasing. Free-range products are usually perceived as more welfare friendly by consumers and particularly fulfil the belief that the ability to perform natural behaviour leads to better welfare.
