Precision livestock farming: Taking poultry growing to the next level
By Tom Tabler, PhD
Professor, Extension Poultry Specialist
University of Tennessee Extension Service, Animal Science Department
Spring Hill, TN
By Tom Tabler, PhD
Professor, Extension Poultry Specialist
University of Tennessee Extension Service, Animal Science Department
Spring Hill, TN
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to use updated computerized models to guide regulation of air pollution by animal feeding operations, including broiler chicken farms.
Preventing disease transmission between flocks is a major goal of the poultry industry. One threat to bird health is the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis, which causes a disease called histomoniasis.
When humans domesticate and breed an animal, they tend to select for a very specific trait. In laying hens, artificial selection for high egg production has led to hens that can produce 320 eggs a year. But could artificial selection have unintentionally altered hen brain morphology?
Sustainability issues demand significant attention today. And while it can be challenging to identify and implement strategies, sustainability will continue to drive decisions within the food-animal sector.
Egg-drop syndrome 1976 (EDS 76) was diagnosed in US broiler breeders — possibly the first incidence of its kind in the country.
There are many pests and pathogens to monitor on poultry farms, but bed bugs typically aren’t top of mind. Nevertheless, bed bug infestations have been resurfacing in US poultry farms. Does that present a health, performance or welfare problem for flocks?
US consumers have misconceptions about how poultry is raised, including a widely held but erroneous belief that there are added hormones or steroids in chicken meat, a national survey suggests.
Modern Poultry announced plans to debut four additional newsletters to help its rapidly growing audience keep pace with the latest developments in live production:
After a decade studying how to reduce losses from necrotic enteritis and gangrenous dermatitis on broiler farms, Don Ritter, DVM, an independent consultant who heads Poultry Business Solutions, Norfolk, Virginia, believes the industry is finally making progress against these two clostridial diseases.
A University of Minnesota research team is exploring options for moving uninfected eggs from farms where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been diagnosed and making them available to consumers.
Reality is sinking in. HPAI in the US is likely here to stay, and vaccination may be an option for long-term control, reported David Suarez, DVM, PhD, US National Poultry Research Center.