Researchers at North Carolina State University evaluated the effects of housing systems and genetic strains on broiler mobility in slow-growing strains vs fast-growing strains in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Researchers at North Carolina State University evaluated the effects of housing systems and genetic strains on broiler mobility in slow-growing strains vs fast-growing strains in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Chickens are highly motivated to peck, forage, and explore their environment. Providing opportunities for birds to express these motivated behaviors, is a key component of animal welfare, and edible enrichments can be an effective way to encourage engagement with the environment.
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The poultry industry has spent decades chasing infectious bronchitis virus, adjusting vaccination programs and developing new vaccines as new variants emerge. Yet despite those efforts, the cycle continues. However, Mark Jackwood, PhD, one of the world’s leading IBV researchers, says that’s not a sign that vaccination has failed. It’s simply the nature of the virus.
Poultry researchers use ‘affective valence’ — a positive or negative emotional response — as a measure of animal welfare. Tom Smulders, PhD, an evolutionary neurobiology researcher from Newcastle University, has studied whether hippocampal neurogenesis can be a marker of affective valence in poultry.
A university challenge study has examined how recombinant HVT-ILT vaccines used at the hatchery affect the response to live, chicken-embryo-origin ILT vaccines applied later as part of a dual infectious laryngotracheitis vaccination program.
Raised to maximize meat production, commercial turkey toms are bred to grow quickly and gain weight in a short time. This begs the question whether the bird’s skeletal system meets that developmental challenge.
By researching the impact of ectoparasite infestations in laying hens through a behavioral lens, Purdue University doctoral student Haley Sutherland aims to identify characteristics or heritable traits that help hens resist mite infestations.
A “Viewpoints” article by
Jon L. Schaeffer, DVM, PhD
JLS Research
Raleigh, North Carolina
The Turkey Industry Annual Report, which gathers perspectives from producers and veterinarians working in the US industry, ranked aMPV, lack of efficacious drugs and HPAI as the top three management concerns among 39 reported issues. Report author Steven Clark, DVM, said he was not surprised by the trends.
In a Poultry Science Association webinar, Todd Applegate, PhD, assistant dean for international programs and department head of poultry science at the University of Georgia, shared his findings of a literature review on mycotoxins and discussed future research needs.
